We’ve been seeing striped tees and shirts for a long time now, but recently the trend has been striped pants. First it was a side stripe on joggers and athleisure casual pants. This year it is striped jeans and especially wide striped jeans.
I bought these slightly cropped striped jeans in Cache Cache, a popular French retailer, but pants like these are available everywhere this year. I’d been on the look-out for striped trousers I could wear in the summer. I bought these without trying them on (I was loaded down with my supermarket shop!) and when I got home I tried on quite a few tops to get an idea of how they looked on best on me (short, big tummy).
Structured short sleeved cardigan
These jeans are pretty with their pale pink stripe. But the jeans fabric, denim, is quite rigid and strong. I found that a more structured top worked well. It gives a defined rectangular silhouette. I feel comfortable and very at ease in this outfit. I also like the juxtaposition of denim with this M&S cardigan with its feminine closures made from ?plastic flowers. (similar M&S crew neck cardigan UKsite) or M&S crew neck cardigan US site.
Wearing a tee-shirt with striped jeans
I knew I had a newish V-neck tee that was almost the same color as the jeans, so this was my first thought. I was a bit disappointed with this pairing of tee and jeans. The shirt has a beautiful drape to it but this meant it showed every bump and ripple at my waist. Jeans, unless they are very stretchy and thin, always have a lot of detail at the waist – belt loops, zipper and top button. This drapey shirt was too fine for all this clobber!
I often deal with this problem with a half-tuck at the waist or even a belt. But these jeans are very high waisted and on my short figure this just accentuated my square shape.
Watch the short video of my try-on
A shirt that stands away from the waist
On some days my pretty M&S structured cardigan with the flower shaped fastenings will be too heavy, despite the short sleeves. So I needed to find a lightweight top that did not emphasize the paraphernalia around my mid-section. This longish white linen top is one of my most favorite items for warm weather. It’s light and breezy and keeps me cool.
And, very importantly, it is wide enough to stand proud of my tummy and waistline. I don’t wear much jewelry in hot weather but this ?plastic ?bakelite chain necklace never heats up and is not at all heavy or constricting.
A contrasting short linen shirt
I bought this square-cut black linen shirt from Boden a few years ago and I’ve worn it so often. In summer it is airy and cool but brings a little structure to any outfit simply by virtue of being very dark. Dark fabrics also disguise the waist clutter on jeans. Ideal when a belt feels just too restricting on very warm days. The shirt comes to just above the hips, avoiding that dreadful straight line at thigh level that so many contrasting tops give.
A silky feminine overshirt to match the striped jeans
I have a rarely-worn satin shirt that I’ve always thought of as a cold-weather item to add shine to wool outfits. But as I flicked through my (newly!) color-coordinated closet rails and delved into the pink section…Wow! There is was. Perfect as an overshirt to go from sunny day to warm evening. The length is ideal. As long as I don’t button it up, it obscures the width of my mid-section and thighs. Ah, I do like a cover-up…makes me so much more relaxed! (A similar pink relaxed shirt today at UK M&S .
Add a summer jacket to striped jeans
For days strolling around my local French market I like to wear an unstructured jacket in summer. It’s so easy to get burned in these heatwaves we’re getting in Europe after just an hour outdoors. This cream cotton loose jacket from Poetry is my go-to. The length makes a good 50/50 rectangular shape with the wide jeans, helping to elongate my (naturally square) silhouette.
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