Stripes Fashion Trend for Summer 2011

Spring 2011 has something stored for those of you who are nautically inclined and that is the classic navy and white color palette, worn as dominant stripes.

The style

Note that dominant stripes don’t mean bold stripes. While navy and white stripes are a must for the look the real key to Summer’s take on nautical stripes is that they dominate the outfit. It’s all about drawing attention to the stripes above all else.

While most looks rely on bold stripes, you’ll see that the trend is just as effective when the stripes are thin. Hence for Summer 2011 look for dominant stripes, not necessarily bold ones.

The pieces to wear in 2011

Summer stripes are not just a clothing trend, you can work them into any part of an outfit (just not all at once, please). Stripes can dominate an outfit in everything from hats to killer mini-dresses.

Bell bottoms return in 2011 and this style also presents the perfect opportunity for creating the nautical ensembles. A striped top is a combination that also lends itself to a perfectly 70s inspired look.

Nautical

If you’re one of those who are in to the nautical aesthetic and you’re after some inspiration look to Ania Rubiks’s sailor photos from the June 2010 June of Vogue Korea. The shoot uses the season’s stripe trend in the form of a dominant blazer, but takes the nautical motifs to far less subtle proportions.

Layering

When you think of layering nautical pieces the natural inclination is to complement it with colours as navy or white. But tradition is not what it used to be.

One piece of inspiration was brought to us when clashes of stripes were mixed with other patterns or prints, such as stripes with florals. Stripes don’t always dominate, but in a crowded place the look certainly will.

If you do pair stripes with contrasting prints, please be sure to share them with us. I would love to see them.