Stripe Mania: A Trend As Old As Time
Stripped t-shirts shave been around since the 19th century when the French army decided to include 21 Breton (Breton stripes) in their sailor uniforms to be able to identify men who had fallen the sea. skip to the 80s in America, where it was seen as a symbol of freedom and American expression, as it was part of their flag. American designer Tommy Hilfiger is known for his distinct red-blue-white stripes clothing. in the early 12010s stripes were either associated with chic French style or the alt Tumblr emo kids who would style this classic garment with tennis skirts and sheer black stockings and vans. even in 2023, with the rise of TikTok trends like quiet luxury and stealth wealth, the striped t-shirt has become a new fashion status symbol, style icon and staple in everyone's wardrobe.
Here’s how you can wear stripes for every occasion and to cater to your personal style:
Classic Breton Stripes
Stealth Wealth Cheat Code
Summer Staples
Striped Accessories
Classic French Chic
Knitted Trends
Disco Suits
Co-Ords
Casual Streetstyle
You can do stripes in multiple ways, primarily the classic black and white t-shirt is versatile if you grew up in the 2010s when stars like Loius Tomlinson were synonymous with his classic black and white striped t-shirt and red skinny jeans. almost became a unisex style option, and it was hard to go one day off and on the internet to see someone wearing a white and black ensemble with either red skinny jeans or a loaded statement turquoise necklace,c and if you were bold enough you would wear it all together tied with a business casual blazer. with their use of styling in shows like Succession and the west coast vs east coast rich aesthetics, the Kennedy classic sailing style which included striped t-shirts and sailor pants, has become a massive hit with gen z entering world force and coming out of their pandemic sweatpant daze.
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At times when gen z is conscious of their spending and wants to ensure that they are buying consciously and something they will weather for decades ahead, the striped t-shirt is a rich investment for them. Because styling them is super easy, you can pair them with skirts, trousers, shorts, blazers, dresses or in true 2023 style, with a midi denim skirt and boots.
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If you are wary of colourful t-shirts or even the tie-dye trend seems to gen alpha for you, switching out to safer pastel-striped tops might be way too way to include colour. Even keeping it simple with black and white stripes can transform your summer wardrobe without going full out.
Striped accessories are truly underrated in their way, everyone probably has an accessory that is striped and compliments their outfits in their own personal style sense, but we often ignore how universal this pattern is. As the 2010s style comes back with the fading of y2k saturation, we are not far from days when everything from boots to blazers has striped patterns.
The French are surely credited for the popularity of the stripes trend with their capsule wardrobe that deals with maximising your current wardrobe with neutral basics. And having at least one black and white striped shirt or t-shirt in your wardrobe expands its dressing up scope. Add a pain trousers, a structured handbag and ballet flats and you have a little French Chic look for days when you don't want to be overdressed or uncomfortable.
Image Credits - Pinterest
Image Credits - Pinterest
If striped shirts weren't enough, knitted materials with striped patterns have always been famous. Kind of in a way, gen z has brought back stripes with their investment in crochet and knitted clothing, and stripes being the easiest starter patterns to work on. With the DIY craze, it only makes sense that striped accessories are famous amongst the younger ones. Striped accessories are the perfect way to dress up monochromatic or break up boring outfit combinations. It adds an interesting touch to the fit without overwhelming the overall look.
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Image Credits - Pinterest
But stripes don't have to be boring, stars like Gigi Hadid have taken a rather retro spin on the stripes trend, moving them in funkier colour choices, and bold silhouettes that resemble the 70s in style. Stripes with bold colours rose alongside the funky experimentalist period of the pandemic when maximalist styling became popular and mixing different prints became popular.
You can pair them without seeming out of bounds if playing safe with fashion is more of your motto, but the coolest thing about stripes is that everyone from a minimalist to a maximalist loves them.
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Image Credits - Pinterest
All the hot girls are wearing co-ords this summer, we are coordinating our outfits and stripes are essential to a coherent look. Be it for a vacation, or business trip best to look your summer best with a colour striped outfit. A tip, avoid a black and white striped outfit for a coord set as it can make you either look like a fashionable prisoner or Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek (and there’s a reason he can pull the look).
Image Credits - Pinterest
Image Credits - Pinterest
Streetstyle is ever evolving and quite mostly depends from person to person and regional style, however, in the last couple of years we have seen stripes sneak down into the corporate Y2K look that makes even the most casual street style look put together and posh. As seen in the examples with model Bella Hadid pairing her striped shirt with parachute pants and sneakers.
Image Credits - Pinterest
Image Credits - Pinterest