Item of the week: the striped shirt

What it is:

A classic wardrobe staple that recurs season-after-season is that of the
striped button-up shirt, a piece once reserved for the office but has
evolved to become a significant part of the dailywear wardrobe. From
pinstripes to pencil stripes, there is no end to the variations in this
print. However, in SS24 collections, it was the wider awning and bengal
looks that were definitive, and largely adopted in green and blue hues. As
for the shirt itself, one characteristic that remained consistent
throughout was elongated sleeving, which could be seen on both fitted and
oversized silhouettes, alike.

Why you’ll want it:

The striped shirt is a wardrobe staple that has grown beyond the boundaries
of formalwear and office attire to become a garment that defies both
categorisation and seasons. Yet, for SS24, it was clear that its workplace
roots came into play for designers, many of whom stuck to classic
silhouettes and paired the look with two-piece suits and tailored pieces.
While this may have been the case, there was also an essence of
deconstruction and therefore anarchy among the styles on the runway,
referencing a more casualised approach to formality that has run rampant in
recent years.

Where we’ve seen it:

A good example of this could be seen in the collection of Coperni, which
displayed what seemed to be a classic striped shirt design, albeit with
exaggerated sleeving that extended beyond the unconventional suiting.
Another to play on silhouette was Courrèges, which presented a striped
shirt dress that was layered, twisted and draped for a contemporary effect.
Carven’s shirt, meanwhile, bore resemblance to the pyjama top, leaning
heavily into the aforementioned casualisation and straying from the
traditional essence of the fitted button up, as seen in the collections of
Vivienne Westwood and Celine.

How to style it:

If we take into consideration this casualised and more anarchic approach to
office attire, it already makes the styling of what could be considered a
largely basic piece a lot more interesting. For example, a standard shirt
and blazer combo could be edged up with the use of flared leather pants –
see Celine’s look – or a wrap around skirt that brushes the ankles. As a
dress – which is a perfect addition to a summer wardrobe – the item can be
dressed down with sneakers or elevated with strappy sandals, and tied
together with a minimalist handbag and accessories.

Striped shirts are a classic garment, returning yearly as a go-to summer
wardrobe piece that can take you from the office to the beach. Aligning
with the casualisation of workplace attire, brands and designers have also
been playing with this shape, twisting it from the confines of traditional
tailoring into a more playful addition for new shoppers.