Summer holidays might be just around the corner, but men don’t have to wait until they’re on vacation to try on one of the season’s hottest trends—the pajama stripe.
The comfortable, casual look of wide-striped fabric gives any suit, vest or pair of trousers a graphic yet relaxed feel. The gold standard when it comes to the striped summer suit is, of course, seersucker— in lightweight cotton, it’s the perfect alternative to a wool suit and is socially, and sartorially, acceptable to wear when wrinkled. What man doesn’t like the sound of that?
THE PAJAMA GAME
Often seersucker pieces come in a more modest pinstripe, but to be on-trend this season, opt for something in a larger, pajama-like stripe. Shoppers need look no further than the two F’s—that’s Ferré and Ferragamo—for the best interpretations of the look. At Gianfranco Ferré, designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi cut their summer suits with lots of give: Double-breasted jackets barely skimmed the torso and pants in powder tones pooled at the ankles. The Salvatore Ferragamo showing had a 1920s vibe, and the stripes only got bolder with navy blue on a crisp white blazer. Striped trousers were another favorite of designer Massimiliano Giornetti, who sent them down the catwalk in both white and navy and brown and white variations.
But those test-driving bold stripes should proceed with caution: At Lanvin, designer Lucas Ossendrijver’s collection included a black and white striped vest that was just shy of looking like part of a rather stylish jailhouse uniform. Equally brazen were the second-skin striped pants at Alexis Mabille’s menswear showing.
Perhaps the best way to dabble in the trend is to take it back to its roots: At Dolce & Gabbana the designing duo kept the pajama stripes limited to their loungewear, while up-and-comer Umit Benan stayed true to a more historic stripe on a kneelength caftan. Or there’s always the adventurous option of Yohji Yamamoto, who was somehow able to make a zip-front, high-collared striped shirt look equal parts debonair and daring.
WHERE TO BUY
ALEXIS MABILLE
DOLCE & GABBANA
GIANFRANCO FERRÉ
Lenka Krovackova
39-02-721-341
www.gianfrancoferre.it
LANVIN
Meg Heinzer
(310) 402-0580
www.lanvin.com
SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
Gilda de Bartoli
(212) 759-3822
www.ferragamo.com
