Culottes are an item of clothing worn on the lower half of the body.

The term can refer

to either split skirts, historical men's breeches, or women's underpants; this is an
example of fashion-industry words taken from designs across history, languages and
cultures, then being used to describe different garments, often creating confusion
among historians and readers. The French word culotte is (a pair of) panties, pants,
knickers, trousers, shorts, or (historically) breeches; derived from the French word culot,
meaning the lower half of a thing, the lower garment in this case.

Louis XVI, dressed in culottes

James Monroe, the last U.S. president who dressed according

to the style of the late 18th century, with his Cabinet in 1823. The president wears knee breeches,
while his secretaries wear long trousers.

In English-speaking history culottes were originally the knee-breeches commonly worn

by gentlemen of the European upper-classes from the late Middle Ages or
Renaissance through the early 19th century. The style of tight trousers ending just below
the knee was popularized in France during the reign of Henry III (1574–1589).[1] Culottes
were normally closed and fastened about the leg, to the knee, by buttons, a strap and
buckle, or a draw-string. During the French Revolution of 1789–1799, working-class
revolutionaries were known as the "sans-culottes" – literally, "without culottes" – a name
derived from their rejection of aristocratic apparel.[2]
In the United States, only the first five presidents, from George Washington (1732-1799)
through James Monroe (1758-1831), wore culottes according to the style of the late
18th century.[3][4] John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) wore long trousers instead of knee
breeches at his inaugural ceremony in 1825, thus becoming the first president to have
made the change of dress.