Stripes for the picking

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Stripes for the picking
        　　    Jane Shepherdson - chief executive of Whistles, for many years Philip Green's right-hand woman at Topshop - knows her
        　　    fashion. What's more, she has direct access to one of the best high-street stockrooms in the country. So you might expect her
        　　    to be working spring's scary dhoti pant, or perhaps something sci-fi and Balenciaga-ish. But no. She has started 2009 by
        　　    continuing with her "lifelong quest" for the perfect striped top. She has a drawer dedicated to them - from classic Breton
        　　    shirts to black-and-white high-street appropriations.
        　　    Vogue fashion director Kate Phelan is equally enthusiastic about the simple top's virtues. "I grew up in a sailing community,
        　　    buying them from the local chandlery shop. I have loads but I still buy them as and when I see them - I never think about how
        　　    many I already have and I'm always intrigued to see if there are different ways of doing it."
        　　    This is why when I fillet my wardrobe as part of my new-year-get-organised drive, there is one drawer whose contents will win
        　　    a stay of execution. That is the drawer (yes, I also have a drawerful) of striped tops. This will survive for the sole reason
        　　    that no matter what 2009's fashion diktats throw at me, I know a simple striped top will see me through.
        　　    This basic design inspires devotion. Unisex, easy to wear whatever your shape and relatively cheap - all brilliant practical
        　　    pluses. But the striped top's finest virtue is that the moment you put one on you step outside the vagaries of trends and
        　　    somehow look instantly and unquestionably stylish. At any fashion event, regardless of whether minimalism or haute-punk is in
        　　    vogue, there will always be a smattering of Breton tops. They have become an acceptable staple in fashion's lexicon,
        　　    conveying easy style. Stripes are the polar opposite of try-hard, which is probably why they are also the default setting of
        　　    people who have mastered "dressed-down". Witness Alexandra Burke pictured recently in a classic Breton. Now that she is
        　　    without the dubious crutch of the glitzy X-Factor styling team, someone sensible has obviously suggested she look to stripes
        　　    for her down-time look.
        　　    Coco Chanel first elevated the humble striped top to style status. In the 1930s she designed and wore a striped top with
        　　    palazzo pants - a look she had adopted from French sailors. Since then many designers and style-setters have followed suit.
            
            

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        　　    Brigitte Bardot was a fan, wearing hers barefoot and pouting on a breezy beach. Edie Sedgwick teamed hers with black tights
        　　    and nothing else, while Jane Birkin wore hers with faded flares, and just about every singer from Debbie Harry to Chrissie
        　　    Hynde to Patti Smith has worn one since. Bananarama wore theirs with baggy Levi's. More recently, Kylie Minogue has
        　　    incorporated them successfully into her off-duty look and Alexa Chung is making a play to become the new patron saint of
        　　    Breton tops.
        　　    Even men find them irresistible - Pablo Picasso, James Dean, Iggy Pop and Kurt Cobain have all succumbed. Karl Lagerfeld
        　　    often reinterprets them for Chanel, Japanese label Comme des Gar?ons shows the Breton as a constant in its collections, and
        　　    Jean Paul Gaultier uses them as a cheeky reference to his national dress in the way that a Scottish designer might play with
        　　    tartan.
        　　    This association with French style has helped the striped top's reputation no end. From Jean Seberg and the Gainsbourg family
        　　    to the current breed of fashion editors at French Vogue, the Breton top, or la marinière as it is known across the Channel,
        　　    reeks of easy Gallic chic.
        　　    But don't make the mistake of thinking any old stripe will do: the shape of the top and the width of the stripes is key. "I'm
        　　    picky," admits Phelan. "They have to look like the real thing, with a slight gap at the top before the stripes begin."
        　　    Shepherdson is no less specific: "I like them to look completely classic, but real Bretons can be a little short in the body
        　　    and I don't like them to be boxy. They have to be jersey, heavy enough to keep their shape and not be too clingy. The neck
        　　    has to be slightly scooped, but not too low." In the next few weeks Whistles will be stocking several great versions of the
        　　    striped top - one with elbow-length sleeves, and one with cap sleeves - with more to come later in the year.
        　　    As a general rule, stripes are best used to dress down something (such as a sequined jacket) that could be too glitzy, and if
        　　    you're wearing a striped top dressed down with jeans, then heavy jewellery ups the ante. Some thought is required, but
        　　    Shepherdson believes stripes can "click with anything in your wardrobe and make it look suddenly cool".
        　　    "They cross the boundaries," agrees Phelan. "No one wants to wear a full designer look any more - it's about personalising
            
            

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        　　    something." If you are also considering a clearout this weekend, take note: the striped top is here to stay.