Summer Style — Stripes and How to Style Them

Belle by laurelle summer stripes outfit of the day summer style

Summer Stripes. They look sooo good when done well! But stripes in general in fashion are one of those things that tend to look horribly bad when not done well; there's usually not much in-between. Since I have a few favorite striped pieces that have been on rotation this summer that I'm really loving wearing, today I'm sharing some things I keep in mind when picking out striped pieces and styling them that will help you end up looking stylish and confident!

Summer Style | Stripes and How to Style Them

Size of Stripes

This is probably the most important! I find for summer, very small, or small mixed with very small stripes (like on my cami in this post) are best for tops! Medium-small stripes can work for more substantial pieces like blazers or dusters, possibly jumpsuits. Avoid medium to large sized stripes, unless the stripes are huge and have more of a colorblock effect (e.g. they take up 1/3 of the piece), and even then, these huge color block stripes mostly only work for sweaters.

Material

I find that summer stripes tend to look best when a linen or cotton material. Loose and flowy is comfortable for summer, and materials like that give a more casual vibe for summer. Silky or shiny materials tend to be more dressy, and stripes really aren't dressy. Leave the silky materials for solid colors.

Color

Since stripes are already pretty loud, unless extremely small, I tend to prefer neutrals and warm muted colors, like burnt orange, pale yellow, and olive. Crisp baby blue also often looks good, but usually only with very small stripes. I'm also really fond of black and white, hence what drew me to this cami!

No Fuss

Again, since stripes are already busy/loud, I tend to choose pieces that aren't fussy and frilly. Once in a while a little but of ruffle can compliment, but for the most part I avoid combining stripes with things like ruffles and lace. They tend to work better with clean lines, flowy silhouettes (although I have seen a few gorgeous body con striped pieces!), and masculine elements like collars and cuffs. I also prefer to pair them with simple, neutral, and often solid-colored pieces to avoid too much going on! If I want something else that's interesting in the outfit, I try to make it an accessory.