One of the hottest fashion trends for spring 2012 is stripes.
But wait! Stripes make me look fat!
No, not necessarily. There are good stripes, and there are bad stripes. The key is knowing what works for you.
Try a top with stripes only in the middle. Believe it or not, stripes like this actually give the appearance of a narrower midsection.
Or try a striped cardi. The block of solid in the middle helps alleviate the widening effect that stripes can have.
Not ready to fully commit? Allow the stripes to peek out beneath a solid piece. This is a great way to dabble with the trend without going all out.
Or try a striped skirt! Especially if you are built larger on top than on the bottom, a skirt like this can help balance out your proportions.
Are you down with the stripes trend? What’s your favorite way to wear stripes?
All styles featured in this post can be found at LOFT.com. Neither Therapon nor Jo-Lynne are affiliated with the LOFT in any way.
I’m not convinced, lol. I’m very busty and short waisted, so I still steer clear of horizontal stripes. I would maybe consider an open cardigan though.
I’m busty and short waisted too. I think the key is that the top is long enough to elongate the waist. And it obviously shouldn’t distort the stripes where they lay over the chest area. It takes some trial and error, but I did find a couple cute striped tee-shirts at Gap this season that I love.
I love the stripes under the solid top. Since I’m a boring jeans and tee kind of girl, I wear my stripes in a cute and comfy t-shirt. Cute stuff here, looks like I need a trip to the Loft.
I have a couple of striped tees I wear under cardigans. Love them.
I’ve always had a love affair with stripes. I know I don’t always look best in them, but I just can’t help myself. It’s true love.
I’ll keep these tips in mind. Thanks!
~FringeGirl
They are great – pattern without being froo-froo, ya know?
I love stripes, always have, always will. Stripes and polka-dots are my favorite prints. I don’t know if they have ever really gone out of style, both prints are pretty timeless. All of these are so cute! I’m really into yellow right now, so I love the first option. This is an awesome and very inspiring post. The only thing though, and don’t get me wrong these girls have very nice naturally thin looking figures. They look healthy compared to the stick skinny girls I’ve seen. However, they are still skinny enough that they can wear any kind of stripes they want. It would be great if there were girls of all sizes modeling the stripes, so we can get a better idea about which stripes work for plus size, petites, etc. These girls are adorable though, some of the most wholesome I’ve seen in a long time.
This is a fabulous blog!
Sarah
http://skylarinc.blogspot.com/
I agree, it is hard to do these posts and find “regular” models. I should have looked at Nordstrom. They do a good job at having some bigger women modeling regular clothes.
Stripes are not really for me. But I like the idea of the first top and would consider trying it on!
I hear ya, they don’t appeal to everyone.
Love stripes! Great idea’s on different ways to wear them! Love the peek a boo stripes!
Ashley
I love stripes and am loading up on them this season. love the skirt.
I love it too. Wish I’d bought it. Wonder if it’s still available. (I wrote this last month.)
Im busty with a wider waist after pregnancy. I do only darker stripes with an open cardigan, or vertical and downward v stripes that are much more flattering on me. Great topic! I’ll have to try the bottoms only stripes!
Yes, that is the most flattering way to wear the trend, for sure! Creating a vertical line is so slimming.
I bought a chevron striped skirt at Old Navy. I am in major love with it. I am tempted to wear it nearly every day. And I just bought a pink neon striped tank at Target. I usually shy away from stripes, but these pieces are working for me.
I LOVE chevron stripes. I saw a navy-and-white chevron striped top with dolman sleeves (another of my favorite trends) last year that I WISH I had snatched up. I’d love to find another.
I just grabbed a striped shirt to pair under a solid color blazer in order to balance it out. I love the option of having them peek out at the bottom of another shirt.
I love that look too!
I love the striped skirt!! I want a maxi skirt that is black and white striped….
Yeah, I’ve seen those too. LOVE.
Hey guys! I could use some advice from someone with a broader imagination than mine.
I recently received a pair of vertical striped pants in yellow-brown and white, with a high waist and ankle length. They would be fine, except for that weird mix of colors (it was mum’s idea, don’t blame me).
Now, I was thinking about wearing them with some black stilettos and a uni dark brown blouse, but I’m still not very confident about that choice.
Does anyone has any other ideas? I just want them part of casual/office look.
Thankies!
HM. Are they skinny leg or wide leg? Can you do a brown pump or beige? And then a crisp white blouse???