Man Culottes -- YEA or NAY?

I sewed all day yesterday and completed my culottes muslin.

You'll recall that I used Butterick 6164, View C.  I added side pockets and a zipper fly.  (I just realized the Comme des garcons culottes have inverted pleats; I think my out-facing pleats work just as well.)







My fabric is a vintage gold toile de jouy -- medium-weight cotton canvas decorated with jubilant French peasants.



Here's a tip I learned about picking thread; I can't remember which blog I saw it on (if it was yours, speak up).  Hold up the thread against the fabric.  If it basically disappears, that's the one you want to use (unless you're picking decorative topstitching thread).

Light tan works better than bright white.

The pattern fit well even though it's intended for softer, more drapey fabric than mine; even laundered, the toile is a bit stiff.  I made just a few alterations, mainly dropping the waist and shortening the rise.  The pattern instructions don't address finishing seams on the inside (aside from the hem), so the insides are a bit messy.







The instructions have you baste the pleats along their full length.  Are you then supposed to leave the basting in or remove it?  (I didn't baste but just used pins.)  Because of the stiffness of the fabric, I might want to stitch the pleats down further.  Once they unfold, they don't fall back into place without help.

Here's the barelegged version.  Michael says I look like a cheerleader.  Or Marvin the Martian from Bugs Bunny.











The drape in the back has some problems that are my fault -- I made the waist an inch too big and stupidly took it in entirely at the back center seam instead of distributing it along more seams -- sheer laziness.

Length before hemming.

Here are the culottes with black running tights.









Again, this is a muslin.  My final version would most likely be a worsted wool or a lightweight linen.  Gold toile de jouy is a little difficult to style on the fly.  I think this garment is handsome but maybe the black is too strong a contrast.

I could --

1) proceed with culottes in wool or linen;

2) make a real skirt (like the Givenchy below), which would definitely be a whole lot easier; no flies;

3) abandon androgyny and get back to pants;

4) other.



Man culottes -- YEA or NAY?