French Fashion What’s with the Striped Tops?

By Margo Lestz:

If you’re looking to add a bit of Frenchness to your wardrobe, a blue and white striped knit shirt could just do the trick. It’s a classic that anyone can wear. Whether you are male, female, young, or old the crisp stripes will add a dash of flair. While navy blue and white are the traditional colors, these comfortable shirts can be found with black, red, and other colored stripes as well.

…Continue reading here for Margo’s article on the French fashion, the striped sweater (or shirt) is one that has been repeated in images time and again to the point of being a stereotype. Often called Breton stripes, likely because of the strong maritime influences (fishing industry and navy sailors) in Brittany.

However, this French fashion item is hardly exclusive to France. On a recent return flight from Madrid to the Marseille-Provence airport, the number of tourists far outnumbered the French nationals wearing marinière (blue and white striped) tops.

Contributor blog post:  The Curious Rambler

Margo Lestz

Margo is a British/American who has lived in Nice, France for the past nine years. She loves digging into the history of an area and discovering the tales behind local customs and traditions. She blogs about her discoveries on The Curious Rambler . She is also the author of two books, French Holidays & Traditions, and Curious Histories of Nice, France. Click here for Margo's books.

She describes herself as a perpetual student and is always taking some kind of course or researching a moment in history that has caught her fancy. She’s curious by nature and always wondering who, what, why, when, where, and how.

Margo shares her adventures (and her questions) with Jeff, her husband of many years. She enjoys travel, history, observing cultures and traditions – and then writing about them, of course.