Nautical Stripes

These days, I am so in love withNautical Stripes (also known as Breton stripes). They have been popping up on runways for years and never seem to go out of style. The nautical stripes came into fashion after the Prince of Wales (Albert Edwards) wore the stripes along with a sailor collar in Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s1847 oil painting. The look, which was inspired by the uniform of the sailors on the Royal yacht, made its way to the Royal Navy in 1857. It didn't take long for parents to outfit their children in these fun stripes and then in the 30's Men's fashion took notice. Women’s fashion however, wasn’t introduced to the stripes until French Fashion pioneer, Coco Chanel.

Chanel was motivated by the stripes “graphic sensibility” and their minimal take. It only took a photo of Chanel at a French resort wearing a striped sailor top and khakis to start the Nautical fashion craze. Since then, stripes have never really gone out of style.



Reese Witherspoon


Shiloh Jolie-Pitt
Vanessa Minello
Alexa Chung

Seraphina Affleck

Kim Kardashian

Olivia Palermo
James Dean
Natalie Wood

Princess Caroline of Monaco
Sofia Coppola
Brooklyn Decker
Audrey Hepburn

Taylor Swift

Eva Longoria

Audrey Tatou as Coco Chanel

Yarbie Bangles

Some good nautical stripes on sale now...

Laverne Top at Tory Burch


Striped dress at the Gap

Tori Striped Jersey Tee from Ralph Lauren Black Label


Splendid Drop Sleeve Striped Top at Nordstrom
Pink and White Stripes at the Gap
Colorful selections at Peter Beaton on Nantucket