Stripes: one of the few things in this world that make me as happy as Fridays do. This leads me to my next upcoming dare-to-dream project: reading for leisure. First in queue is Michel Pastoureau's biography of the print itself, The Devil's Cloth: A History of Stripes, which chronicles how our favorite pattern evolved from the uniform of transgressors to the attire of individuals who (in Pastoureau's words) are "free, at ease, refined."
My inner literature-major-who-has-a-pashun-for-fashun gets a kick out of learning the reasons behind what we wear and why we wear it. Not to get all Miranda Priestly on you, but knowing such info can elevate an outfit from something trivial to a representation of the cultural forces at play at a given time (whether we are aware of it or not). We've all had those reflective moments when we look back at photos and ponder, "WTF was I thinking? If all your friends wear brazilian jeans and bandage dresses when they jump off the bridge will you do the same?!" Well I for one appreciate when someone answers those questions for me, and when they do so in beautifully written prose, that's all the better.
In the intro Pastoureau writes: "The stripe doesn't wait, doesn't stand still. It is in perpetual motion (that's why it has always fascinated artists: painters, photographers, filmmakers), animates all it touches, endlessly forges ahead, as though driven by the wind." Well you know what else doesn't wait? The frickin' weekend. So go forth and be free, at ease & (somewhat) refined.
Striped Crop Top - T by Alexander Wang// Red Pants - Creatures of Comfort// Striped Crochet Dress - Self Portrait// One Shoulder Ruffle Top - Petersyn// Mango Skirt - Isolda// Stipe Jumpsuit - Frame Denim// Off the Shoulder Tie Top - Lovers & Friends// Stripe Culottes - Johanna Ortiz