Chapter One: Stripes of Past and Present
While Stripes are a valued member of many modern wardrobes, its hard to believe they had a shaky early start…. But that they did!
Before I take you on trip down the stripes past, let me quickly shed some light on the classic print…
Stripes are a pattern of bands, often the same width and colour along the length. And while the stripe may seem quite reserved due to its structure, it’s plethora of variations make it anything but blasé! From hairline to pinstripe, pencil stripe to candy stripe, bengals to awnings….. wear them horizontal, vertical, diagonal or why not all at once…. Sometimes the simplest prints are the most beguiling.
So let’s begin at their infamous beginning…
In the 1820s, the stripes story began with connotations of (in-)subordination, through the vertical bars of a prison cell. The pattern in black and white found itself on the uniforms of in-mates, making them easily noticed and identifiable to the public from afar, in the instance that they escaped. Yes, all that may seem of another age….
From the cold gloomy walls of lockup, the stripe quiet literally escaped to sail the seas…. where the classical navy blue and white benton stripe that we now know and love came to life.
This stripe originated from the French coastal region of Brittany, where 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 mariniere.
From the main deck of French naval ships, the stripe wound up in a place we can only ever dream of…. In the studio of none other than Coco Chanel herself!
Coco Chanel found such inspiration in the sailors’ uniform during a trip to the French Rivera, she started introducing navy and white stripes into her iconic designs. From there as you can imagine, stripes began to adorn the silhouettes of the most acclaimed cinematic stars flowing through the decades gaining a reputation of rebellion.
Now, the stripe is undeniably a staple in almost every wardrobe, most commonly favoured as the classic stripe tee…
But why do YOU love the stripe so dearly? You will have to wait and see…
By for now xx
