A Little Bit of History: Stripes = Outcasts

According to Michel Pastoureau, a French academic, striped clothing was only worn by outcasts of feudal society during the Middle Ages. This symbol was used to mark prisoners, prostitutes, lepers and whomever else was deemed unfit to society. Over the course of history, this badge of dishonor slowly changed and morphed itself into an iconic pattern that has been worn by seamen, appropriated by Coco Chanel, and used to illustrate sunny summer moments. Now that stripes don't bear the stigma of a low social ranking, we can just worry about whether or not we like them on our tops, bottoms and accessories. Get your stripes today! (top to bottom: W)Taps, Folk, Junya Watanabe/CDGman)