STYLE GURU STYLE: Culottes, What Are Those?!

As the weather slowly transitions from sunny summer to breezy autumn, it’s always a gamble figuring out what exactly to wear on those days, where the weather Gods can’t make up their minds.

Taking inspiration from Whistles 2016 resort collection, I was able to transform their modern ’70s style outfits into an effortless campus outfit, which is perfect for the transitioning seasons.

In this 2016 resort collection, Whistles is attempting to stick to cool and relaxed colors that are easy for streetwear. However, their main focus is to put a updated twist on old statement pieces, one of which is the bell bottom pant. While these pants may be a go-to for many women, there are just as many who prefer a modern take on this style: culottes.

For those of you who don’t know what culottes are, they are essentially a mix between pants and a skirt. The shape is an A-line, and it goes from a tighter fit around the waist to a loose flair by the hem.

While I may not be able to attain Whistles exact collection, I can certainly recreate it using similar pieces and color palette. For this transitional season, I created an outfit that is effortless and can be both casual and professional. While Whistles uses yellow tones to contrast the dark blues and blacks, I used orange and beige accents to add a some color against the black. My goal was to modernize this ’70s look just like Whistles has done with their collection, while tying it in with my simplistic and classic style.

My outfit consists of a black halter tank top paired with orange culottes; they are both from Zara. Following the Whistles resort collection, I needed something to accentuate the waistline; thus, I added a brown belt to highlight and make a natural split between the crop top and culottes. Last but not least, I added an Alexander McQueen scarf in order to make the outfit more visually appealing. The pattern on the scarf against the solid colors (especially the bold orange) gives more depth to the outfit and makes it less bland.

For shoes, I am sporting loafer style flats from Me Too. These flats have small cutout squares, which add an interesting detail to the whole outfit. Because the main pieces of my outfit are solid colors, adding patterns and accessories (like scarves or shoes) can help accent and tie together the whole outfit.

Get My Look: 1. Any solid color shirt or crop top. 2. Culottes. 3. Belt. 4. Scarf. 5. Loafers.

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