It’s an American summer, or so they’re saying…which, not no. Chanel in New York. The Knicks. The World Cup. The 70ish degree weather with a faint breeze…for the most part.
Weather aside, it also happens to be the summer of the American stripe. For as long as I’ve worked in fashion, the classic French Breton has held its spot on the tippy top of the stripe tee totem but it finally seems to have a competitor.
From the surfer/skater tees of my 1990s youth with their pastel bases and slim, bold lines to the very collegiate broad blocky stripes, it’s an American striped summer (and coming fall) for sure. I’m sorry to tell you but those prim French sailor stripes – representative of a “perfect and easy” summer look – are going to need to move to the bottom of the drawer for a bit.
Because the thing about American stripes, is that they feel less perfect. And I think we are all feeling a bit less perfect right now. The reasons being are tenfold but if you need an example: the state of the world, the confusing relationship we are having with our bodies in the GLP1 era, the breaking point of summer parenting, the desire to hold onto a free spirit this last month of summer amidst “Fall’s new arrivals” emails every morning. Fire, everywhere!? The Strait of Hormuz…wait, this is getting dark.
The point is, the trending stripes of the moment are not only more haphazard in design (asymmetric, slim, skinny, wide, with lots of spacial diversity) but looking their best when haphazard in their styling.
Don’t ask me why these J.Crew boxer shorts are the perfect fodder for Hawaiian print. I really couldn’t tell you, they just are!
Or swap it around. Board shorts with a stripe tank up top are an easy way to mix prints at the beach or bopping around town. I just about dropped dead when I got the marketing email for the Rusty x Free People collab last week. Never clicked something so fast. Blue Crush 4everrrrrr!
Busy, fun prints on the bottom are the most straightforward idea I gravitate toward to temper my stripes – if I want more than a singular point of interest. Because really, THEY DON’T NEED TO MATCH. That’s the sprezzatura of the stripe life!!!!!
But then again, if they do match, you’re not doing it wrong! Case in point: Even the hit-you-over-the-head Nantucket flags and primary colored stripes could not be cut from a more similar cloth (figuratively ofc). But is it too much? Not enough? No. No. Just totally happy.
My stripes are even skewing stateside when getting more dressed up this summer (and will continue to as I prep for fall. See boots above.) This boxy, wide-striped top from Madewell below is dynamic enough to balance this dressier skirt/belt/heel combo. Red bag makes all three competing accessories equally mismatched whereas simply the two without the third might just read as off.
And the poppy blue and red panels are great “unmatched” fodder for falls bold Crayola box. Our florals with a dark base. Or our collegiate burgundys and hunter greens. It’s the easiest answer to the increasingly itchy its-still-warm-I’m-having-fun-but-I-have-fall-dressing-on-the-brain mentality.
But bringing it back to the skater stripe, with it’s uneven stripes, or bold stripes or faint stripes or some sort of mix of the two. I see how it gives an air of youth (maybe I’m projecting?) But they don’t necessarily read junior.
What I mean is, there is something lovely and equally sophisticated as the Breton in the new T-knits line from &Daughter. They lend themselves to more of a “stripes with restraint” look while keeping the ease of the surfer’s uniform. I wore mine at the beach all weekend post evening shower, hair wet slicked back in a braid. With poplin pants, it didn’t need any extra styling to feel fabulous, finished and extremely comfortable.
You can layer them over a button down shirt, for a made-you-look idea without going print overboard.
Or go for a stripe tee with a striped button down on top – pairing wide with skinny stripes for balance.
Then again, camp shorts and your favorite stripes will not fail you from now til Labor Day, so don’t overthink it.
Aaaaand, we are not saying you need to throw your Breton out. If you want to wear it before next summer, might I suggest throwing it on UNDER your patriotically haphazard stripes? I can just feel the diplomacy churning…give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, your stripes!!!!
Yours TRULY,
Becky
