Tartan Invaded Trends: Stripe a Pose

Our Tartan Invaded Trends blog post series aims to bring Tartan to the forefront of fashion, illustrating how subtly including hints of tartan in your outfit can be as on trend as the latest fashion trends themselves! In this blog post we explore all things stripes and how they have dominated the catwalks for the past 150 years!

Stripes are hot off the catwalk this summer and are another popular recurring fashion trend. Stripes are clean, can be delicate or strong and can create an entire look as well as be an accessory.

Karen Millen mini dress johnlewis.com

Breton top lagarconne.com

Ted Baker swim wear houseoffraser.co.uk

ScotlandShop Messenger bag £62 - scotlandshop.com

We've created a board of our favourite striped fashion accessories for the summer. Firstly, the infamous Breton shirt is an obvious addition, we talk about this in a bit more detail below! ScotlandShop's tweed messenger bag is the perfect way to incorporate tartan stripes into your outfit and will compliment most looks without taking away from it.

Striped swimwear dates back to the early 1900s, where they would traditionally be head to toe swimsuits! Now it's acceptable to have a little more skin on show and so we've gone for Ted Baker's striped bikini. Finally the beautiful Karen Millen mini dress can create a beautiful understated office look, perfect for those summer lunchtime client meetings.

In the navy

In 2015 nautical stripes have been a welcomed fashion trend on the highstreet, represented by navy, red and white stripes. This is popularly co-ordinated with oversized blazers and slim fitted trousers or skirts.

One of the most iconic items to result from the nautical stripe fashion trend is the Breton top, which we’ve featured in our lineup. The Breton top was actually first worn out of functionality before it became a fashion trend, worn by navy seamen in Brittany in the 19th century. The wide neckline was created to make it easier for the top to be put on and taken off. The stripes themselves had significance too; a traditional Breton top would have 21 stripes, one for every Napoleon victory. Usually the stripes would also be contrasting colours, this was functional too as it made the person wearing the top more visible if they were to fall overboard. Coco Chanel capitalised on this fashionable opportunity in the early 1900s and the Breton top is a staple item on the catwalks every year since.

In the later 1900s artists such as Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol adopted the Breton top and made it fashionable for men to wear the item again, following a previous shift to the female line. Many other celebrities have been photographed wearing the famous Breton top over the years; Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain and John Lennon to name just a few.

In 2015 stripes can represent a very professional look, if coordinated in the right way, with many wearing a combination of stripes and solid colours for their office jobs. It’s funny to think that in the medieval times the only people that wore stripes were prisoners, clowns and hangmen! How times have changed.

Recently there has been some debate as to whether stripes are in fact flattering. Some say there is scientific proof that horizontal stripes can be unflattering due to the way our brain processes the stripes themselves.

If you’re worried about stripes giving you an unflattering look here are some simple rules to follow:

Mix and match vertical, horizontal and stripes of all scales - macro and mini stripes communicate youthful energy. Vogue

• Vertical stripes are much more flattering - they give the illusion of height, perfect for those that are more petite!
• Thin stripes are more fashionable than thicker stripes
• If coordinating stripes with bold colours, ensure you avoid other boldly coloured striped items, mix bold striped items with block colours.

What's your favourite striped accessory? We love socks and how can you resist our new Cashmere Stripe Socks just in for Autumn. Do you favour the vertical or horizontal stripe? Let ScotlandShop know!