seeing stripes- a where's waldo complex- but sexy

i have noticed a re-emergence of stripes on the runways and in street style photos. marc jacobs designed a wonderfully graphic collection for Louis vuitton's spring summer 2013 collection, as did  raf simons for dior, tommy hilfiger, jonathon sanders, michael kors, paul smith..to name a few. i enjoyed seeing these strong graphic elements in different bold lines and juxtapositions. varying colors and line weights and widths...skinny stripes in various reds, whites, blacks, pinks and in some cases metallics.

i  find the look of a striped tee to be very chic. when i think of stripes anna karina, the beautiful actress and muse of jean luc godard, comes to mind along with nautical clothing and easy parisian style .countless french female muses have been spotted in this type of top ( brigitte bardot, francoise hardy, anna karina..), *  i found an interesting post on the history of the stripes originating in france here, you should check it out, which could explain the superfluous images of  beautiful and stylish iconic french ladies wearing them .  other incredible artists have been known to wear them as well-an image i have seen countless time's of pablo picasso shows him sporting a nautical top (see above)

stripes have a timeless look, add a nice graphic element to garments accessories and outfits. i am particularly fond of the classic striped tee paired with jeans and sneakers, or a simple striped shift dress... easy stylish looks that i will be wearing quite a bit in the upcoming season. however, i also came across some other striped pieces that would add some flair to any outfit...



navy blue and white striped shift dress- minnie mortimer

yellow blue and white striped sneakers-kenzo

red and white striped long sleeve tee-shirt - commes des garcons

red and navy blue striped loafers- shopbop

brown clutch with red white and blue stripes- claire vivier

short sleeved black and white striped henley- j.crew

red and white striped socks- steven alan

black and white striped knit hat- american apparel

blue and white striped sweater with navy blue elbow patches-steven alan

images via- vogue paris, pinterest, tumblr, vanessa jackman's blog, TFS, STYLE.COM, vogue.com