Forget about short shorts, culottes are the everyday style you need in your wardrobe

Timeless and chic

Models wearing culottes bermuda shorts
(Image credit: Future)

There will always be room in our wardrobes for short shorts (and summer dresses), especially for our summer holidays. But this season, we've fallen in love with culottes, or Bermuda shorts, whatever you'd like to call them.

Typically tailored and knee-length, they are cinched at the waist and have wide legs. They're a much dressier option that works well for the office as well as any events you are attending.

On the catwalk, designers played with the trend, giving it their own twist for Spring/Summer 2024. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson presented tongue-in-cheek tailored camel shorts held together at the waist with a knitting needle. In Milan, Jil Sander's Creative Directors Lucie and Luke Meier delivered culottes for both men and women, in relaxed cuts and luxurious fabrics, including wool and leather.

culottes

(Image credit: Future)

They were also a staple at Copenhagen Fashion Week, with it-labels including Baum und Pferdgarten and Saks Potts offering up denim styles.

You might balk at the length of the shorts, but trust me when I say it's a length that is surprisingly flattering on all heights (I'm 5ft4 and they never make me appear shorter, whether I'm wearing heels or flats).

For this summer, I've seen plenty of chic linen culottes as well as some denim ones. Style them with tank tops and thong sandals for a nostalgic 00s take, or with oversized blazers and trainers for a more chic-but-casual approach.

(Image credit: Future)

culottes

(Image credit: Future)

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Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.