Stripe Makes Right Again

 
Stripes are always right, right? We’ve talked about horizontally striped jerseys, vertically striped shirts and tops, and pinstriped pants in all seasons. But blue and white stripes seem especially right to me in the summer. Agree? Disagree?

 
I’ll take that question!
 
Agree.
 
Hearing no dissent, we’ll move on to outfits. I thought you might want to see some of the stripes I’ve been wearing this summer, while still working remotely.
Some people can carry off head-to-toe horizontal stripes but it’s not easy

Remember this dramatic shirt, previously seen here, here, and here?
 
I’d forgotten how dramatic this shirt is
I really brought it to the Giant today

It’s seen today with cropped white jeans and a black eyelet crop top. Such a great combination. It’s somehow conservative and avant garde, right?
 
I’ll take that question, too
It’s banker meets performance artist

 
 
The sleeves on this shirt are too long but instead of having them shortened (which would require removing the cuff, cutting the sleeve, etc. etc.), I’ve just flipped them back to make bigger, more flamboyant cuffs.
 
Note the subatomic detail: tiny white grosgrain ribbons peeking out from the crop top. That’s the ribbon that gathers the shirt’s waist.
It works on every level

 
 
 
Changing gears!
 
Remember this seemingly pedestrian blue and white striped shirt?
 
The decision (not mine) to put the stripes on the diagonal elevate this top above a standard-issue camp shirt. The narrow sleeves and banded collar add distinction as well.
The Photographer literally cannot look at this top because the stripes cause his eyes to spin

I should have compared the fabric tags years ago instead of wallowing in ignorance
 
Here, I have paired the top with my high-rise cropped white jeans. These jeans were an excellent purchase. I have the same pants in a dark blue rinse, but they aren’t as comfortable and don’t look as flattering. Upon scrutinizing the fabric labels, I learned that the white denim has 8% stretch fiber and the blue denim only has 3%.* Same pants, different fabric.
 
This shocking revelation caused me to look at my wide legged pants which I bought in several colors. The gold and white ones have always felt more comfortable than the black and green ones, which I assumed was the consequence of small variations in the cutting or assembly of the pieces resulting in small variations in the final size. Turns out, those feelings are not in my mind. Even though these pants were sold as different colors of the model (style and fabric), the fabric is not the same across colors!

 
 
Take a moment to note the tie waist, which I have arranged in a robust square knot.
 
In all honesty, this shirt is more complicated, perhaps, than it needs to be. The bottom two buttons are fixed, so one has to pull it on over one’s head. But it’s very charming.
I always get turned around when I put this shirt on

 
Now you must come closer and admire my square knot.
 
The last time I showed this shirt, I mentioned it’s tendency to gap (and even show flesh) above/below the knot. I think I have figured it out. I’ve made the knot big and loose, and tucked any excess fabric in the placket under the knot.
Plump knot

 
 
As an alternative to the very casual skinny jeans, I’ve worn this shirt with wide legged pants. While working at home.
Always ready for the full-body Zoom meeting; I realize I am crazy

 
 
 
And now, the top you’ve been waiting for: Moses. Remember it/me?
 
This is one of those purchases that seemed very important at the time, but now, I don’t know why.
 
I like this top, but it’s not essential part of my wardrobe.
I like it, and I am going to bring its cost-per-wear ratio down this summer

If you would like to suggest a few points for The Directrice’s top ten rules, please do so below
 
 
 
This top makes The Photographer laugh.
 
He says he is going to make some monumental tablets (out of cardboard) showing the 10 Style Commandments for me to carry the next time I wear it. I’ll be interested to see what he memorializes . . .

 
I hope all of you had a restful and restorative holiday weekend with just the right amount of hot dogs (the second one is almost always a mistake — stop at 1.5) and potato salad.
I wish I had 1.5 hotdogs right now

7 thoughts on “Stripe Makes Right Again”

  1. those button top white jeans are THE BOMB. And you are so slim and fit – you seem to be the only person in the U.S. who didn’t get more ‘fluffy’ during COVID. How did the Directrice do it???

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  2. Stripes DO make my eyes spin in circles. For some reason my visual system can’t handle it. It’s the visual equivalent of chalk squeaking on a blackboard. Whenever Tory wears a striped outfit, I have to look away when we’re talking and I often ask her to put something over it. I sometimes wonder if this is because I heard nothing for the first 3 1/2 years of my life and my brain assigned some of my auditory cortex to visual processing. In other words, visually speaking, maybe I have more brain to annoy. Does this happen to other people?

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  3. I love the last top. It would be perfect for when you go to the Giant and forget your bags – just stash your groceries in amongst the folds and go about your business šŸ™‚

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  4. Michael – I agree with you. The Deaf adults in my life comment on the same thing and as a late-deafened person, my family tells me I am “overly-sensitive” visually. I take plain over stripes any day. (As an ASL user, the signing needs a plain backdrop.)

    Directrice – Top 10 rules suggestions: something about aprons or apron-like clothing… something about dress over pants… something about finding balance between whimsy and classic cuts…something about the perfect black blazer/khaki jacket/colorful handbag…. something about interesting closures to garments… How about “there really are no rules”, or “rules are made to be broken”? You help me expand my assumptions continually.

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  5. I like the last blouse better in this photo, without the shirt underneath.
    It looks like something that if you took it on a trip with a couple of different things to wear it with -skirt, pants, maybe a slip/knit dress- you’d find yourself wearing it every day.
    Have you got a pin for adjusting the neckline to different levels of V? Say if you were wearing over that a slip dress? Is the gathering on the sleeves adjustable or fixed?

    The 2nd blouse is probably the workhorse. It’s different, but not crazy and the tie at the waist gives it a stand-alone quality that’s nice on hot days when you don’t want another layer.

    One year I decided that I was going to wear everything in my closet during the month of August. It was hard. I always wanted to wear the same things, but I “had” to wear what I had in my closet. It’s not a bad idea to drag out things we liked enough to buy but haven’t been reaching for regularly.

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  6. Magnificent, all three! The dramatic one carries notes of the French Revolution and of Jaime Lannister; the double-big cuffs are brilliant (and to scale). I love the way the sleeves on the second one are a bit slanted, and you tie a damn fine square knot. The Moses looks like the kind of thing Iā€™d be worried about all day (is it moving around, did I even put it on right, do I need safety pins) but on you it looks so easy and comfy. Thumbs up for all the blue-and-white summer stripes!

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