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The French term "culotte" like the English word "pants" is a good example of multiple meanings for clothing terms and how how terms change over time. The principal French term for short pants is "culottes" The terminology is, however, more complicated than that. Some French sources suggest the word "culotte" being used for pants in general and not necesarily short pants. Through much of the 20th century, "culote" in France meant short pants. Until the 1970s one said "une culotte" for boys' short pants and also the underwear pants for girl, rather like the British use the term knickers. In all older fashion magazines, even for sport, the term culotte was normally used. A French reader who wa a boy in the 1940s-50s, tells us, "My parents and family only used the term culotte." The French adopted the English term "un short" meaning shorts for sport or seaside activity. A related term was "un slip" meaning underwear briefs. Since 1970-80 usage has changed. Now "une culotte courte" is used for short pants with somewhat the sence of a of a petit garçon modèle or model child. The term "un short" now is much more common and used to describe any pair of short panys, including formal, dressy, casual, atletic/sports, ect. This is the term used by the new generation who rarely say culotte any more. The older generation often still uses the formerly common terms like culotte and slip.
This hand tinted French postcard was part of a series. A reader suggests that they were created to celebrate the first time a boy got to wear long trousers. HBC suspects that because of the boy's age, they reflect his breeching and the first time he has worn pants in general rther than dresses and other skirted gaments. A French reader tells us, "This postcard is meant to illustrate a boy's first pair of pants after being breached. It is a image from early 20th century when short pants were ot as common as they became after World War I, especially boys from working-class families."
The French term "culotte" like the English word "pants" is a good example of multiple meanings for clothing terms and how how terms change over time. The principal French term for short pants is "culottes" The terminology is, however, more complicated than that.
HBC can not date the card precisely. We do know that they were being used during Wold War I (1914-18). A postcard after 1918 would have been made showing a little boy with short pants and would have meaned that this boy changes his dresses for his short pants. After the 1930s, such inscription wouldn't have been used because little boys no longer wore dresses. Rathr even very small boys wore rompers or short pants. After World War II, some youngr toddlers were dressed with a sort of smock and little briefs like outfits worn by little girls. The difference was the lenght of the smock-dress wich was shorter for girls. This same fashion reappeared again in the 1960s for boys 1-3 years old in formal outfit, almost always in
white but with little bloomer pants without croch buttonning. A French reader tells us, "( My son worn thistyle and my wife's brother born in 1965 also wore one." This same garment for little girl was exastly alike, but the dress a bit longer.
The word "culotte" in French appears to have been used for pants in general and not necesarily short pants. A French readerwrites, HBC is quite correct that the word culotte
also was used for long pants. Until the 1970s, culotte was commonly used to describe both
short and long pants. For years long pants were called "pantalon", buth this was primarily a term used for men's trousers. Our Frenh reader reports that The original word "pantalon" was a fusion of the word "pant" and "long". Until the 1970s, one said only " culotte " to describe both boys long and short pants. A French reader writes, "When we said 'culotte' it meant short pants. We said 'culotte longue' when we wanted to specify long pants.
The French word "pantalon is used to cover quite a range of different garments. We will assess here the various garments that are described as pantalons. Unlike English there appears not to be a separate French word for pants and trousers.
Through much of the 20th century, "culote" in France meant short pants. Until the 1970s one said "une culotte" for boys' short pants and also the underwear pants for girl, rather like the British use the term knickers. In all older fashion magazines, even for sport, the term culotte was normally used. A French reader who wa a boy in the 1940s-50s, tells us, "My parents and family only used the term culotte."
The French adopted the English term "un short" meaning shorts for sport or seaside activity. A related term was "un slip" meaning underwear briefs. Since 1970-80 usage has changed. Now "une culotte courte" is used for short pants with somewhat the sence of a of a petit garçon modèle or model child. The term "un short" now is much more common and used to describe any pair of short pants, including formal, dressy, casual, atletic/sports, ect. This is the term used by the new generation who rarely say culotte any more. The older generation often still uses the formerly common terms like culotte in sense of short pants.
The word " slip " is used by everybody and means: boys' and men's briefs and also women panties. A French reader writes, "Today one says concerning boy's pants: 'short' for a pair of short pants and 'pantalon' for a pair of long trousers. Older French people still use the word 'culotte ' to describe boys' short pants.
A British reader recalls the subject of "culottes coming up in his French class. His British teacher told the class that "le shorts" was commonly used and that "culotte" was becoming less common except among those resisting Anglicisms.
A HBC reader suggests that French usage continues to evolve. He tells us, "As for terminology today, the situation is a little different. Checking La
Redoute's website, they use the two categories for various forms of trousers: 1) "Bermudas/Corsaires/Shorts" and 2) "Pantalons/salopettes". Culottes no longer seem to be commonly used as a type of short pants"
When I put "culotte" into their search tool, it came up with only girls' undepants. Boys' underpants were under the category "slips/caleçons".
The "Bermudas/Corsaires/Shorts" category has only "Bermudas" and "Shorts" as subcategories. "Corsaires", which I suppose means "pirate pants", were pants
that reached midway between knee and ankle rather like Capris or clam diggers or . Such pants still exist, but they no longer get labeled that. That's the way it goes in the faddish end of the fashion industry. The "Shorts" subcategory has all of the shorter shorts, which are all aimed at girls. The "Bermudas" subcategory has mostly pants of the length formerly called "corsaire", but they are now called "bermuda long". They are aimed at boys. They are longer than most of the boys' shorts being sold in the US. (To put it another way, the boys' shorts being sold in the US today are actually *shorter* than the shorts being sold in Europe. How weird
is that?)
As for the "Pantalons/salopettes" category, there are a lot fewer salopettes being offered than there were just 3 years ago. Where before there were many long and short salopettes being offered to both boys and girls, now what salopettes remain are offered only to girls and toddlers. The "pantalons"
subcategory is further broken down into the sub-subcategories "classique",
"jeans", "survêtements", "pantacourts", "mode", "jogging", "caleçons", and
"battle-dress". "Classique" is a pair of khaki slacks. "Jeans" is the blue denim we're familiar with. "Survêtements" is a pair of what looks like overpants for use in bad weather, although it is made of 100% cotton. Maybe the fabric has had some special treatment? "Pantacourts" is about 40 different models of pants with lengths from well below the knee to just above the ankle. Say from 3/4 length to 7/8 length. Since this has substantial overlap with the "bermuda" group, I don't know why it's separated from it. "Mode" has 45 items, with no consistent theme. I guess it's the catch-all for whatever's fashionable. "Jogging" is several models of sweatpants. "Caleçons" is 2 items, both stretch pants for girls. One is full-length, while the other is 3/4-length pants described as "corsaire". Why wasn't it included in the empty "Corsaires" subcategory with "bermudas" and "shorts"? Finally, "battle-dress" is 13 items with pockets on their legs. In the US they'd be called cargo pants.
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