Pink Striped

Pink Striped

Ways To Wear Stripes

Striped clothing and shoes were a big trend for both spring and summer 2011 and it looks to be a trend that will continue well into 2012. It is amazing that an oh so simple pattern of two or more colors in an even horizontal or vertical pattern could create such a variety of looks but they do. They are the perfect pattern for a nautical look, a sporty look, or an edgier  look.

Stripes are most often associated with the nautical look. Navy blue and white stripes are the most prominent colors seen with this look though there are plenty of red and white stripes as well on clothing. Lesser seen are black and white and even blue and red stripes. Occasionally you will even see yellow thrown into the mix as well.  Nautical stripes are wide stripes and everything is crisp, clean, and neat. These shirts look great with a blazer or high waist pants paired with them though you can wear them with shorts or jeans as well for a less structured, laid back look. There are plenty of nautical stripe shoes as well in the form of flats, wedges, and espadrilles. The company Sperry had a wide array of these shoes for spring and summer.

If the nautical look is not your cup of tea but you are a fan of stripes sporty looking stripes is your answer. These stripes tend to be less all over and more of an accent. Think preppy when it comes to sporty stripes. Thin stripes around the collar, hem, v-neck, or sleeves of a shirt or sweater are quite common for this look. Sporty stripes are much thinner than and not as dominant as those on nautical looks. Another way to show stripes is with footwear. Again the stripes are going to be thin and around the straps or base of a shoe giving it a subtle flair.  Tote bags with stripes for the handles or across the front of the bag are another way to show your love of sporty stripes.

Less common than the other styles of stripes are your edgier types. They can be of any width and often multiple widths are paired together. The colors for these are not your traditional color pairing. Expect to see neon colors with black as well as colors like pink and purple, pink and orange, or blue and yellow being prominent colors for this style. You may also see stripes in different directions on the same shirt and even horizontal stripe pants paired with vertical stripes on your top.

No matter you taste in stripes there is a look for you and remember there is no wrong way to wear them.

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