FASHION
A BRIEF
HISTORY ON
THE CLASSIC
stripe
Becoming a fashion writer has made Liana Shaw more
conscious of the history of fashion. She looks at how the
classic stripe became a fashion staple.
F
or me, fashion isn’t just about wearing clothes,
it’s about understanding where the clothes and
fabrics, patterns and design details come from. I
love knowing that there are history and stories,
lore and tradition behind the trends.
Stripes are generally synonymous with this time of
year, and although stripes are great for all year round, the
first half of the yearly fashion calendar is inundated with
striped items of every sort, from runway to high street.
In fact, stripes are so well known and reused, they have
become a fashion wardrobe staple. And one stripe design
stands out far more than the other: the classic Breton
stripe.
This much worn, much-used navy blue and white
horizontal stripe design is something of a clothing history
icon. There’s unlikely to be a closet that doesn’t feature a
stripy item of sorts, I also doubt many of us have been
through our lives thus far without wearing a Breton stripe.
So, stripes. Where did they come from and why have
they reached such fashion must-have status?
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