Easy, Everyday Dressing? Just Add a Stripe
10 outfits that show a classic stripe is always a good idea.
I love the creativity of putting a new outfit together, even if that’s a simple case of making a tweak to a look I’ve worn many times before. But there are days when I don’t really have the brain power to think about what I’m wearing.
Normally, it’s when I have multiple deadlines for my freelance writing and content strategy clients, and all of my creative energy is being channelled there. When I’ve been travelling a lot and my body (and mind) are feeling the effects. Or at that time of the month, when the brain fog has reared its ugly head.
But on those days, I still want to feel good in what I’m wearing, I just don’t want to have to spend too much time thinking about it. [I highly recommend reading
’ piece on effortless dressing for more on this.]I’ve had a few days like that recently. My wedding isn’t far off, and I’ve been busy tying up all of my work before being out of office for four weeks (bliss!). My mind hasn’t been on creative styling. It’s been on to-do lists, emails, and deadlines.
And on those days, I’ve found myself gravitating to the stripes in my wardrobe. There’s a bit of pattern there, a bit of a point of difference that makes an outfit feel a bit more interesting than a plain basic would, if you’re not in the mood for “styling”. But it’s also a classic — it goes with everything, and doesn’t feel distracting. It can be casual or it can be smart, depending on how you wear it, and it’s a failsafe in every season.
Here are 10 outfits that show a stripe is always a good idea.
Look 1
The stripe: An ecru horizontal stripe on a knitted cotton navy tee. It has a relaxed fit and a long enough length that makes tucking in easy (a millennial’s dream).
The rest of the outfit: I’ve matched the colour of the stripe to the colour of the jeans, which is always an easy way to put things together if you’re stuck on what to pair something with. The suede sandals work for now, but I can swap them out for boots in a couple of months, too.
Look 2
The stripe: Thin pink and berry vertical stripes in easy (and crease-friendly) seersucker on my favourite style of shorts: WNU’s very comfortable, and very versatile, boxer.
The rest of the outfit: A light but oversized jumper (this is 100% cotton), because shorts and knitwear make up one of my favourite combinations (especially in British summers), finished off with my trusty, wear-everywhere fisherman sandals.
Look 3
The stripe: Black and ecru pencil stripes in linen; horizontal on the boxy, slightly cropped top, and vertical on the horseshoe-shaped, stretchy waistband trousers.
The rest of the outfit: A great thing about wearing two matching pieces? They are the outfit. You don’t need much else but a smattering of your favourite jewellery and footwear.
Look 4
The stripe: Another entry for WNU’s boxer shorts, this time in navy with white and black stripes. They’re made from TENCEL, a type of lyocell, so they’re slightly silky to touch, making them feel a bit elevated. (Here’s a similar pair in mocha.)
The rest of the outfit: And another entry for shorts and knitwear. This time, I’ve gone for a slim-fitting navy cashmere jumper, which creates a more refined silhouette compared to look 2, and added a touch of colour with green trainers.
Look 5
The stripe: Brick and red clay-coloured horizontal stripes on a soft merino wool vest with a V-neck and corozo buttons down the front. The type of piece you can wear bare-armed now, and layered over long-sleeved tops and shirts in autumn and winter.
The rest of the outfit: I love the contrast of this vest with the ecru colour of the jeans, which have a relaxed fit and wide leg (these are the same as the ones in look 1). To up the ante on summer styling, I’ve paired them with fisherman sandals, but they’ll work well with boots for autumn too.
Look 6
The stripe: An off-white cotton shirt with vertical contrasting stripes (look closely and you’ll see that some are a block stripe, and some are textured).
The rest of the outfit: I took this picture in spring, on one of the first warm and sunny days of the year. So I played into that freshness of a new season and shrugged off my dark winter uniform in favour of ecru-coloured trousers that complement the shirt instead. The touches of black (the shoes, the bag) helped me ease in and provided a touch of contrast.
Look 7
The stripe: White vertical pinstripes on a honey-coloured linen background. These shorts may be the only long shorts I truly feel work for me, too. At 5’4”, I find it quite difficult to make long shorts look good, but these have a wide, loose fit, so I don’t feel as though they shorten my legs like other long shorts do.
The rest of the outfit: I wanted something smartish (more on that here), so I opted to pair the shorts with a classic, light black jumper (with sleeves pushed up to make it more seasonally-appropriate), and my forever go-tos, my black Mary Janes.
Look 8
The stripe: Thin black-and-white stripes on very comfortable wide-leg jeans; vertical through the leg, and a contrasting horizontal stripe at the bottom for a bit of difference.
The rest of the outfit: An old linen vest in dark green from Toast — a summer favourite — and chunky black sandals that the jeans rest perfectly on top of.
Look 9
The stripe: Navy horizontal stripes on a 100% cotton, Henley marinière. This is a men’s top, so I wear XS (I’m a UK 8).
The rest of the outfit: Such a classic top deserves a classic pairing, and these 90s-style jeans (baggy, with a fitted waist and a slight taper at the ankle) in a blue wash make for an effortless combination, as do the seaside-friendly fisherman sandals.
Look 10
The stripe: A thin white pinstripe on dark navy linen trousers that are incredibly comfortable and can be dressed up or down. They’re from last summer, but this pair looks similar.
The rest of the outfit: Carrying on with the ease of the trousers, I’ve added an oversized linen shirt with slip-on cuffs that can be easily rolled up, or left long and loose. Flip-flops and a cord necklace finish off the look.
Any items marked with * have been gifted by brands. All thoughts, picks and reviews are my own.
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Stripes >>> everything. Love the looks in this post! 6 is my fave.
I’ve been noodling on stripes but honestly this is the only post we need. I love how much you stretched the “stripe” category (which I tend to think of in terms of only mariner or rugby). Your looks look so good!