This is super helpful Angie, thanks!!

Stripes are tough I agree. I tend to stay away from them entirely on my bottom half as I have fairly wide hips compared to the rest of my body. I do like those rugby stripes but wear them only in very casual settings, like the park with my kids I have wandered away from stripes in the past but just recently popped back to them in some long sleeve tops.Old Navy had one that had varying degrees of stripe thickness and I really liked the effect, but it was also raspberry stripes on white, not back and white whcih is a bit TOO bold for me

I quite like stripes, though I prefer wide ones. With a black cardigan thrown over-top, I feel less like a rugby player and more like a very chic french girl!

Love that Michael Kors top! It’s exactly the kind of stripe I like in terms of width and contrast. I stay away from stripes on the bottom, though.

I would have classified “flattering stripes” as an oxymoron. maybe I’ll have to open my mind to the possibilities…

I found this post just after reading the Style section of today’s Wall Street Journal with a half page article titled, “Starring Stripes: Coco Inspires a New Wave of Sailor Chic”. It sounds like everyone in France, male and female, is wearing them based on the French sailor-style shirt.
I saw these on all ages this summer in Vancover. It had been just long enough since they were popular that they look fresh again. I’d like to find a shirt like the Michael Kors top only in a black and grey stripe. Is the Michael Kors top in black and white too bold for an older grey-haired woman?

I like horizontal stripes, and like to wear them too, usually in a form of a knitted top/sweater. I have a pretty long torso and find that horizontal stripes help make it shorter and thus balance my shape. And I like them in all widths, but I do agree that th ons lik on that pretty MK top are the most flattering.

I love jailbird stripes. I find stripes especially flattering when they are more narrowly spaced or thinner around the waist. Creates a nice optical illusion. I don’t mind wide stripes but I think I would have to keep it as a layer rather than a standalone piece.

I like stripes of all kinds, in clothes and in design. I don’t mind wide stripes in clothes because I don’t have the rugby association.

I like horizontal stripes, but it’s really hit or miss which ones work for me. I’ve never been able to discern exactly why one stripe works while another doesn’t.

I have the Free People cardigan and absolutely love it.

I’ve always been afraid of wearing horizontal stripes in fear of looking wider, but I might try it on this spring. Love the Michael Kors top!

With the two tops side by side, you can really see how a regular horizontal stripe makes the body look wider. Something to keep in mind, even if the top is cute.

I like stripes too, but find them somewhat difficult to wear — it’s easy for them to look sporty or nautical, and if that’s not what you’re trying to project, it can be challenging. Joy’s comment about Coco is intriguing! Thanks Joy, I’m going to read that article right now.

I love stripes, especially bold jailbird ones which might not be the most flattering on my body type. I usually throw a cardigan or denim jacket over a boldly striped top to tone it down a bit.

This is a great explanation of why certain striped garments are easy to pull off, and others more challenging.

Bretton tops have been everywhere in the UK last year, I love them especially worn with a blazer or pearls. I have never worn them on my bottom half but always have a striped top of the Michael Kors variety in my wardrobe.

Thank you Angie for posting this! I love all kinds of horizontal stripes but I haven’t been able to find a top that looks good on me because I am larger on top. I love the French sailor shirt look, I think it’s so chic. I never knew what kind to get but now I know thanks to Angie. So far I get my dose of horizontal stripes in the form of cardigan and leaving it open to avoid having horizontal stripes across my chest.

Around 5 years ago, I stopped wearing striped items of clothing. I am only 5ft and they clearly did not help my case. Haha

I have a striped tunic on today. I am short too but am able to pull it off due to the stripe size. It was such a find, so cheap, and I’ve found these types of tops are easy to wear and somehow always right.

I like stripes best if they’re uneven in width because they can look kind of boring if they’re all the same. I’ve always been told that horizontal stripes make you look wider while vertical ones are slimming, but I’m starting to think it’s the reverse. I’ve compared pictures of myself wearing vertical pinstripe pants vs. my two horizontally striped long tube skirts and I do look thinner in the skirts. I found this article some time ago about it:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_.....610761.stm

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