Whether you are 24 years old or 60, pants that define a summer-casual look that is as classic as it is appealing can be translated into one distinctive design – the capris. Most women can wear the fashion that falls at the calf, except, perhaps, women who are short and overweight by about 20 pounds.
A Popular Piece of Apparel
Summer cotton Capri pants, also known as crop pants, capris, clam diggers and three-quarter pants, may end at the calf or knee but usually fall at the calf. The slim-line pants are widely popular casual wear, not only in the U.S. but also throughout Europe, Asia and South America.
The Designer of the Capri Style
The pants were the design brainchild of Sonja de Lennart, who introduced the pant style in 1948. Before that time, in 1945, Sonja had designed a wide belt and broad-swinging skirt that were paired with a hat and loose and comfortable blouse. The designer apparel was part of her Capri collection line. She liked the name Capri as it expressed her and her family’s love of the island of Capri.
The Island of Capri
The island of Capri itself is located on the southern side of the Gulf of Naples in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is a part of the Italian region of Campania. The main town on the isle is also known as Capri. The town and island have been a holiday resort since Ancient Roman times. Well-known on the island are a sea stack made of limestone that extends over the sea, also referred to as the Faraglioni.
Introducing the Look
Sonja replaced the wide-legged pant style, typical of the 40s, with Capri pants to emphasize a more flattering and feminine look. Her three-quarter length Capri pant style featured a fashionable short slit on each side of the Capri design.
Not Always a Summer Style
Find the more cotton Capri pants today are thought of as a summer pant style, the design was originally introduced for both summer and winter wear, with winter capris longer in length. In 1949, Mady Rahl, a German actress, showed off the Capri style pant for summer while Erni Mangold, an Austrian actress, revealed the new Capri pant look for winter.
A ‘50s Fashion Favorite
The Capri style was really launched in the ‘50s when the pants were featured wear for Audrey Hepburn in the movies “Roman Holiday” (1952) and “Sabrina” (1954). Other actresses that wore the fashionable pants included Doris Day, Katharine Hepburn, Kim Novak, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.
Popular in the ‘60s Too
The figure-flattering pant sparked a mild bit of controversy when Mary Tyler Moore, in her role as Laura Petrie, wore the fashion on the Dick Van Dyke Show in the ‘60s. The pants were also worn by Grace Kelly, who actually donned the fashion on the isle of Capri.
