History of the French Striped Top – La Marinière

History Of The French Striped Top – La Marinière

The French striped top, la marinière, also referred to as tricot rayé (striped sweater), seems to be as French as France itself with photos and illustrations depicting it as part of everyday French life.  Is the French striped top, la marinière, really something the French wear though?

With a rich history beginning in Brittany, the French striped top has made its way through the leading fashion houses of Paris, and to wardrobes all around the world. Let's look at some details of its rise to classic French status. 

What exactly is la marinière, where did it come from and why has its influence reached the four corners of the globe? The term refers to a cotton long sleeve top with horizontal blue and white stripes and la marinière has come to visually represent persons of French nationality, and come to be associated with French cultural identity alongside berets, camembert and baguettes.

Origins Of The French Striped Top

The striped top was first worn by quartermasters and seamen in the French Navy in the mid 1800s. It was the uniform undershirt of the French Navy. Many sailors in the French Navy were from Brittany, the northwestern most region of France, a peninsular extending out toward the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded by a rugged coastline, Brittany has a rich maritime history and the striped tops became known as Breton jerseys.

Even today la marinière is described as having ‘breton stripes’. One of the original makers of la marinière, Saint James, is located in Normandy very close to the Breton border. Saint James’ cloth manufacturing tradition goes back to the 1100s and they became an official supplier of marinières to the French Navy in the mid 1800s. 

Specifications - It’s All In The Details

The regulation of 27 March 1858 that introduced la marinière to the French Navy's official uniform described it as follows: “Le corps de la chemise devra compter 21 rayures blanches, chacune deux fois plus large que les 20 à 21 rayures bleu indigo.” Translation: the body shall have twenty white stripes, each twice as wide as the twenty or twenty-one navy blue stripes. The original striped tops were knitted from thick wool to protect fishermen from the wind and weather.

And so, a genuine marinière has front and back, twenty navy blue stripes each 1cm wide, spaced 2cm apart, and fourteen stripes on the sleeves of the same spacing. Further specifications required that the three quarter length sleeves must be no longer than those of the uniform over jacket and that the flared collar must reach the neck. After I found out these facts I had an impulsive urge to pull out my striped tops and a ruler!

According to legend, the twenty-one stripes represented the number of Napoléon Bonaparte’s victories over the British. So if your top has 21 stripes, in a way you’re actually wearing Napoleonic French propaganda. Who knew? Some postulate that the purpose of the stripes was to make men who fell overboard easier to spot.

Marinières were first made by independent tailors, but eventually were made in navy workshops. Marinières became a large product in France, manufactured by companies such as Saint James, Armor Lux, and Orcival. Even today, the original combed cotton sweaters are made to the same strict specifications by the aforementioned specialty companies. 

Coco Chanel and La Mariniere

Although it originated in the Navy, la marinière has been an important civilian fashion item ever since. Coco Chanel brought Breton stripes into the realm of womens clothing in the early twentieth century. On seaside holidays during World War I Coco Chanel found inspiration in the local sailors uniforms.

At her second shop in Deauville Normandy she launched the ‘Navy Style’, a short marinière. The Navy uniform marinière could be tucked into men’s pants and kept them warm all the way to their thighs. Coco Chanel’s very own design for females was marketed as casual wear. Her marinère was ground breaking for two reasons, it was the first time work wear had entered the fashion scene, and the casual design rejected the heavily corseted fashion of the time. Casual women’s wear was changed forever!

After all, a jersey cotton jumper in a boxy cut is hardly designed to be worn over the pigeon breasted corsets of the turn of the twentieth century. The fame of Coco Chanel’s marinières became widespread and they were sought after luxury items. La marinière was now a unisex clothing item. 

The French Striped Top In Fashion Scenes

In the 1940s la marinière was worn by John Wayne, then Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Brigitte Bardo and Marcel Marceau. 

In the 1960s, after Jean Seberg's appearance in a marinière in the film Breathless, Yves Saint Laurent introduced one into his premier collections, causing a fashion revolution in haute couture.

Couturier Jean Paul Gaultier practically lived in Breton stripes during the 1980s. In 1983, it was the major element of his Boy Toy collection.  What a legendary fashion history the French striped top has. 

The French Striped Top Still Popular Today

There are many manufacturers who have produced the famous garment, la marinière, but Saint James lay claim to being the most authentic.  Saint James still supplies its banded sweaters to the French navy to this day. The Breton striped top is a staple of many wardrobes and is produced as a traditional sailing garment on both sides of the English Channel, beloved by British and French alike. Rachel Walker, director of the UK-based Original Breton Shirt Company, said: “It remains popular because of its timeless style. It’s a classic fashion piece, easy wearing and appeals to all ages, so you just can’t go wrong with it.” 

For those aspiring to Parisian chic or French style it's very likely they'll have a version of the classic marinière in their wardrobes. It has become as ubiquitous and beloved a wardrobe staple as the white shirt, the little black dress, and the minimalist ballet flat. Paired with skinny jeans, a tulle skirt, under overalls, or over a pencil skirt, the marinière persists because of its versatility.

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