Actually, true stripe lovers will argue that they have never left.
Spring and summer are definitely the time for stripe lovers to shine and pull out their best combinations. And it’s not just about the navy-white ones we all know. It’s all colours and all combinations. Summer is the time to let the creativity shine!
This year has been marked by the so called “Super Stripes”, one of the biggest trends in 2017. Designers like Fendi, Chloé and Miu Miu have already incorporated the new trend into their collections. The collections feature fun and colourful outfits easy to fall in love with.
The best thing about the stripes is that they can easily fit into your day outfit, both the busy work day or the casual summer chill-out.
Beach stripes? Checked!
Evening stripes? Checked!
Every day street ware in stripes? Checked!
Accessories? Checked!
Men wearing stripes? Checked!
Stripes are for everyone, from kids to grown men, one of the rare patterns which just fit every age. The Oxford dictionary defines this graphic and repetitive pattern, simply as “a long, narrow band or strip differing in colour or texture from the surface on either side of it” . Stripes are universal and that is why we love them.
But where did the stripes actually come from? The classic navy blue and white striped tops originate from the French coastal region of Brittany. The 1958 Act of France saw navy seamen in the area given a striped woven top bearing 21 horizontal stripes (one for each of Napoleon’s victories) as a uniform, known as a matelot or marinière.
They became world-famous when Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel came across them in northern France. The seamen’s attire inspired her to create a nautical-themed collection in 1917. Chanel favoured masculine silhouettes to empower her female clientele. High society soon adopted these stripy tops under blazers and the rest is history.
Stripes are today considered to be a foundation piece. Something that passes the tests of time and age with flying colours. Hollywood stars loved them, artists loved them, everyone at least had a crush on them.
A few tips before you head off to do some serious summer shopping:
- Go for vertical stripes – they visually make the body look taller and slimmer. Horizontal ones can be tricky.
- Not all stripes are the same – some are thinner than others. If style if what you are after, go for the thinner ones.
- Colour combinations can be a risky one – be creative but try not to seem to “loud”.
We can’t wait for our summer in stripes to begin.
