Style Edit: timeless striped tops & knits for your capsule wardrobe

As I wrote in my book, Practising Parisienne - the striped top, known as the marinière in French or Breton top (as many of its wearers hailed from Brittany), was originally created to help keep fisherman warm from the cold and wet weather. In 1858 it was adopted by the French navy as part of the official uniform as many believed that stripes were easier to spot in the sea. The original garment featured 21 stripes and legend has it that each stripe represented Napoleon Bonaparte's victories in battle.

It wasn’t until 1913, when Coco Chanel herself began wearing the marinière that it came to prominence, after she spotted it on sailors during her holidays by the sea. So taken with its design, she launched a nautical stripe collection in 1917 that would forever change the face of women’s fashion. It allowed them to move away from the stiff corsets that they were wearing at the time and towards more comfortable, casual clothing that simultaneously created a wardrobe icon.

Today, if you open a women’s closet (not just a Parisian), you’ll likely to spot a blue or black and white striped top of some proportion - whether it’s a tee or as is the current trend - an oversized knit. For me, it is indeed a foundational piece for every wardrobe, as it goes with everything! So here’s my edit of high street and higher-end timeless styles.