Totally Crazy About Stripes
Chloé Sevigny in perfect stripes, Q&A with a true devotee, curated picks to shop now...
Stripe (noun): a line or band, narrow or wide, marking a fabric.
A simple definition for a motif far more complex than it first appears—especially when one considers width, spacing, and color. When I hear the word stripe, my mind immediately pictures fine vertical navy lines on a crisp men’s cotton poplin shirt. But that’s not all... A tour of stripes, in all the ways I love them.
*SOME INSPO: STRIPES ON SCREEN - AND BEYOND.
*A CONVERSATION ON FABRIC, FORM AND MEMORY WITH A STRIPE ENTHUSIAST AKA DOMITILLE BRION FROM THE PARISIAN BRAND SOEUR.
What do you love most about stripes?
Stripes immediately evoke a fabric: poplin.
A garment: the men’s shirt.
And, naturally, the endless interpretations they allow within a women’s collection.
What are the rules of a good stripe?
It depends on the season.
A good summer stripe often begins with a white base—it allows the color to contrast, to stand out.
A good winter stripe requires a careful play of spacing so that colors don’t blend too much. The right contrast is essential. Personally, I lean toward fine stripes over bold ones.
How do you approach their creation? What inspires you?
I’ve always drawn inspiration from men’s shirting—the stripes worn by "gentlemen."
Is there such a thing as a Soeur stripe?
The finer the fabric, the more beautiful the stripe. When the yarn is delicate, the stripe can be ultra-fine, and the resulting effects are much more nuanced. That’s the aim at Soeur: quality first, detail always.
Which stripe feels most like you?
An irregular blue-and-white stripe. The white is never optic—always slightly off, softened. It goes with everything. It’s the essence of the masculine stripe.
A stripe you can’t stand?
I’m not fond of bayadère stripes in clothing.
A striped memory that left a mark?
The stripes at Charvet. That floor where all the shirting fabrics are laid out—it stays with you.
Give us a stripe, a person, and a place.
My father, in the morning, at home, getting ready for work—always in crisp shirts and beautiful ties.
*A BIT OF SHOPPING: MY FAVORITE STRIPED PIECES TO BUY NOW.
I LOVE STRIPES! DO YOU?
My god j'adore. Le pantalon de bardot à l'aeroport je le veux..