The striped shirt

Photography: Joseph Alexiadis

Editor: Katerina Theocharis

The striped shirt… When effortless sophistication meets creativity!

I, really, cannot explain why I like striped shirts so much. Maybe, because of the fact that my silhouette looks better when I wear them… Maybe, because striped shirts make the styling process more playful, without losing the classy character I like to give on my outfits. Maybe, it is much simpler than that… Striped shirts are just amazingly attractive!

Why you Should Wear it

The striped shirt is trending now and for the right reason. You’ve seen it a lot in Pitti Uomo, in the biggest fashion capitals, on world’s most stylish influencers…

The reason is that, first of all, striped shirts are classy, smart and when combined right could look utterly sharp. It can be worn by any man, at any age. Introducing pattern to the shirt is where things become interesting… You can completely transform a boring suit to a stylish and appealing outfit with the right shirt, tie and accessories combination.

Secondarily, thin vertical stripes can do miracles to your figure, as they create an optical illusion that makes you look taller and slimmer!

Lastly, striped shirts can daze your conversationalist, either is a client or a date, always for your benefit. Any way, aren’t all these reasons good enough to wear it?

How to Wear it

Even though it might seem difficult to be combined in the first place, the striped shirt has numerous styling possibilities!

To begin with, you should try the striped shirt and solid tie combination. It is safe, chic and easy to be combined. You just have to notice that the color of the stripes and the color of the tie agree. Either contrasting or being in the same color family they should reflect a harmonized and balanced result.

Stripes, also work great with other stripes. One thing you need to pay attention is to keep the scales different. This means that if the shirt stripes are thin, the tie stripes should be broad. The second thing is the orientation of the stripes. If you wear a shirt with vertical stripes, the stripes of the tie should be horizontal or diagonal, as it offers a clear contrast between each piece.

You can, also, combine your striped shirt with polka dot, paisley or any other patterned tie, but this has higher sartorial difficulty. One quick tip is to match the color of the shirt’s stripe with one of the hues on the tie, for a balanced and put together result.

However, you should definitely try my personal favorite: striped shirts with contrasting collar and cuffs, like the one that I chose to wear on today’s post. This feature brings the right amount of elegance to any outfit, while transfusing a sleek but also appealing character to your look.