Stripe-tease Roaarr! (Part two-How to?)

By : Juhi Bansal

Part One was all about animal stripes. The variety available in stripes, however, is so large and varied, it will take more than one post to do justice to it. Stripes were made popular by fashionista Coco Chanel decades ago when they were still considered “down-market” and only worn by prisoners, sailors and prostitutes! From then and now, stripes have come a long way with the various types finding a place in almost all fashion weeks and seasons.

Nautical, jailbird, aztec, chevron, breton, zebra, pedestrian, barcode or beetle juice, stripes are a must have in any form in your wardrobe. Here are a few tips on how to rock the look:

Horizontal vs Vertical Stripes

A common belief in the fashion world is that vertical stripes make you look taller and skinnier vs the horizontal stripes. Well, the visual illusion created by vertical stripes does have that effect but don’t let that stop you from experimenting with the horizontal stripes. After all, breaking fashion rules is so much fun!

Stripes at Work

Try a vertical striped bottom (pants or skirt) to elongate the lower half of the body. Pair with a solid color shirt to give it more definition. Pinstripes are a safe bet but so boring!

Accessorizing with Stripes

Try striped scarves, espadrilles, bags, belts, even sunglasses with striped frames to give your normal outfit the edgy look.

Teaming tricky Stripes

While common fashion sense says you should always team stripes with solid colours, and if you are a beginner I would suggest you stick to this rule, no one stops you from experimenting with prints and stripes.

Stripes on Stripes

Try two different types of stripes as top and bottom for a chic look. If you pick similar stripes, you may want to break the look with a neutral belt or scarf.

The Party Look

While stripes is majorly categorized as casual or semi-formal, for the red carpet or evening look, pick a bandage dress and see the effect for yourself!

I tried the striped look myself last week, thanks to the lovely Noopur Balia at Young Trukk. It’s a dress in vertical jail bird stripes with a belt to cinch the waist. Since, the colors of the dress are largely monotonic (navy and white), I’ve teamed it with hot magenta pumps (which I’ve worn here and here before) and a pink ear cuff and mustache ring. You like?