Summer Stripes (Take Two)
A classic that's never boring
It’s that time of year again, the edge of summer, and stripes are on my mind for two reasons. The first is that a friend recently asked if I liked stripes. Yes I do, actually I love them. The second is that I’m in Paris right now, traveling, busy, in the midst of a heatwave. And stripes remind me of European summers.
I wrote about stripes at this exact time last June, and a year later my position hasn’t budged an inch: stripes deserves a place in every closet, forever. So as I’m revisiting this post, faced with high summer weather, I’m thinking of sand and beach and stripes.
Consider this week’s post an updated edit, same love letter, new pieces.
Stripes
Did you know stripes had a rough start in fashion? Historically, striped garments were worn by those deemed outsiders such as jesters, prisoners, and prostitutes. The sharp contrast and broken patterns were seen as suspicious, even threatening. For centuries, to wear stripes was to be labeled unruly, rebellious, or socially deviant.
But like all great rule-breakers, stripes eventually found their way into the spotlight.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the French Navy adopted what we now know as the Breton stripe. Legend has it the pattern made sailors easier to spot if they fell overboard.
In the 1910s, during summers in Deauville, Coco Chanel borrowed the look from the sailors and adapted it into her casual womenswear collections. The move was radical, transforming a working-class uniform into a symbol of refined elegance. Chanel’s stripes weren’t just chic; they were subversive, borrowing from the boys and elevating humble fabrics like jersey into luxury.
From there, stripes went global. In the '60s, they were embraced by the likes of Jean Seberg and became the uniform of cool intellectuals. Later, they were worn by punks and new wavers, reimagined by minimalist fashion designers like Jil Sander and Helmut Lang, and shown with wit and edge by Jean Paul Gaultier, Rei Kawakubo, and Dries Van Noten.
Stripes are a favorite precisely because they are both classic and disruptive, one of fashion’s most democratic patterns: timeless, adaptable, and endlessly versatile.
If you’re looking to refresh your own stripes this summer, let me show you some good options below.
I hope this post inspires you to bring the stripes out!
As always, thank you for reading. If this resonated, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Likes, subscriptions, and sharing with a friend truly help Codes of Style grow, and it genuinely keeps me going.
You can browse my full edit of striped clothes right now on ShopMy.
Xx Laurence