A striped shirt is a must have in any gentlemen's wardrobe. A classic in shirting design for over a century, the striped shirt is yet to fall out of fashion. Regardless of occupation or style preference there will be a striped shirt that is perfectly suited to you. Whether you like bold and bright, or simple and classic, along with your particular preferences in fabric selection W H Taylor Shirtmakers Striped Shirt Collection has the most comprehensive choices you could require.
Here we take a look at the most popular stripes, a little history behind some of them, how to wear and options available through our store.
Barcode Stripe
Starting with, perhaps, one of the most modern stripes this shirt is named so because of its resemblance to a bar code. The pattern is formed by using various width stripes spaced closely together to give this simple and classy appearance. Perfect for formal & semi formal attire this pattern looks great under a block colour suit as part of your business wear, or with jeans or chinos as a more formal ensemble. The light blue show works great with greys and similarly light blues, we have other colourways available here
Bengal Stripe
The Bengal Stripe has been popular for many decades now. Becoming prevalent in the 19th century during the height of influence of the British East India Company, it was adopted from traditional Indian wear and became part of the uniform. later it was brought back to the UK and transgressed into mens fashion. A classic and multifunctional stripe, traditionally worn by the upper classes in decades gone by however nowadays class is irrelevant, style is paramount. A narrow two colour stripe of equal width, it can easily be part of formal or casual wear. We have numerous colour options and both classic and narrow versions available which can be found here
Butcher Stripe
The Butcher Stripe is another classic that derives elsewhere from sophisticated menswear. As the name suggest the stripe originated from the Butchers apron and was deemed an essential part of the uniform as stipulated by the Butchers Guild as far back as 1540. It was in fact an offence for anyone outside of the profession to be seen wearing the famously striped apron, punishable by law. The stripes varied in size depending on the level of mastery a butcher had achieved, hence the colloquial term 'earned their stripes'. The Butcher Stripe has become a popular classic amongst men of all backgrounds today, a usually sharp stripe that can be styled in various ways. When choosing a butcher stripe in a more lightweight fabric or with softer colours it becomes even more versatile and suitable for very casual looks. Our Light Blue Linen pictured above is the perfect example of this. See our full range of Butcher stripes here for more traditional, & bold stripes
Candy Stripe
The Candy Stripe - a fairly wide stripe, usually combining either one or more colours alongside a white to create a stripe that is bold, full of character, and reminiscent of stripes found in confectionary hence the name. This is not a stripe for the faint hearted. You can construct an outfit using a Candy Stripe for formal, semi-formal and informal outfits, whichever you are going for the stripe will certainly add a touch of fun to your ensemble. See our full collection of colourful Candy Stripes here.
Dress Stripe
Sometimes known as a pencil stripe, a dress stripe is a fine stripe that can either blend or contrast with the main fabric colour. A Stripe pattern that is perfect for formal occasions, it works well both with or without a tie. See our full collection here
Pinstripe
Named so because of their size, the pinstripe is a narrow stripe usually the size of a pin. Used frequently for both shirting and suit making, the pinstripe is a modern classic. See our full collection here.
Shadow Stripe
Shadow Stripes, another stripe that can be formed in various sizes but are usually narrow, with the main stripe being bracketed or “shadowed” by lighter or smaller stripes on one or both sides. A classic shadow stripe will usually only have the main colour and be shadowed by one or two other to create the shadowed appearance. However contemporary iterations of this stripe can include various sizes and colours creating a really fun and interesting look for shirting material. At W H Taylor we have a range of shadow stripes from classic to modern, in various fabrics and sizes - see the full collection here.
So whether your a blazer and chinos or three piece suit kinda guy, combining striped shirts into your collection will definitely be a style decision well made.