The Striped Jumpers We Keep Coming Back To

Striped jumpers earn their keep because of the stripe. Width, spacing and contrast are doing most of the heavy lifting: a narrow, evenly spaced stripe in low contrast whispers luxe, while a thick, wide stripe with high contrast between colours shouts sass and requires less going on around it to make a statement. The ones that earn their keep have seams that match at the sides and sleeves because a stripe that skips and skips-warping the second it hits a seam will look cheap regardless of how fantastic your yarn is. Fabric behaviour is just as important as pattern: cotton and cotton blends will give you a crisp stripe that holds true to its line well and leans more tailored. Merino or wool blends will soften the stripe out just a touch and drape better for a more forgiving fit across the body and better layering ability. Fine gauge knits will sit nicely under jackets and coats while a beefier gauge works as the outermost layer, so consider what job you want it to do first before purchasing based on pattern alone.

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As far as styling goes, it’s largely decided by how much you want else of the outfit to talk.

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Keep it classic and casual with plain, straight leg denim and a pair of clean trainers or loafers. Tuck into a midi with boots and you’re venturing into day time smart without too much fuss. Under a blazer, let the stripe peek from your collar and cuff and elevate a plain jacket in a subtle way. It doesn’t play particularly well with other large patterns or busy prints, so consider it your pattern powerhouse and keep everything else you wear with it plain.

In terms of occasion, this category is all about in-between. Weekend run errands where you want to look mashed together but not actually mashed together, lunch dates that need some effort but not an actual effort, travel or putting together a outfit when comfort and a hint of polish are both required or wearing to the office on the days where smart casual is called for and full suits aren’t necessary. They’re not going out jackets, and that’s totally fine. Reach for the good ones because they will always and reliably look like you put effort in when you put in zero.