How to Wear Black & White Stripes

Black and white stripes are the hottest trend this season. But they are tricky to pull off without looking like Beetlejuice or as if you just escaped from jail. Here are some tips to wear the trend and flatter your figure. You can also read this article on 29 Secrets.com!

Striped Pants

Black and white striped jeans are the newest trend in denim. Vertical stripes elongate the leg and flatter nearly every shape. If you are taller, you can get away with wearing a cropped length like I am, which is perfect for summer. Pair the jeans with anything from a colourful blouse to an easy black tee. This is the easiest way to wear the graphic stripes trend.

Striped Jumpsuit

If you’re too scared to wear stripes all over, or work in a conservative environment, a jumpsuit (or black pants), with a graphic striped top incorporate the trend without taking it too far. This jumpsuit from Zara is perfection. I love the way it has both vertical and horizontal stripes and plays up asymmetry.

Maxi Skirt

With summer around the corner, maxi skirts are almost inevitable. I paired a vintage horizontal black and white striped skirt with a simple black bustier. I love the way the lines on this skirt have different thicknesses. If you don’t want to show a sliver of skin, wear the skirt with a plain black tee or tank. I like incorporating the trend into a maxi skirt because it is unexpected and the free-flowing shape camouflages large hips or legs.

Striped Mini

A horizontally-striped tight miniskirt doesn’t sound like the most wearable article of clothing, but it’s all about balance. The stripes might have a widening effect, so always bear in mind how to balance out the top to create an hourglass silhouette. I paired a striped mini with a leather jacket with princess puff sleeves, which offsets the optical widening of my skirt. I’ve kept the look simple, which would be perfect for a night out, but because it’s in jersey fabric, it’s super comfortable. You could also pull off this type of skirt with an oversized black blazer that hits below the hips to whittle any wide hips the stripes may create. If you’re still unsure, you can look for a skirt with vertical stripes, which can be a lot more flattering and easier to wear if you’re anxious about the trend.

Striped Shirt

The striped shirt is another easy way to wear the black and white stripes trend. Pair a vertically striped chiffon shirt (like this one from Zara) with a streamlined black skirt or slacks for an easy, trendy look. I love injecting a pop of colour and did that with my cobalt-blue bag.

Striped Blazer

Like the chiffon shirt, a striped blazer in a vertical stripe is flattering on every body type and easy to wear with a range of clothing you already own. For this look, I paired a striped blazer over a simple white tee and metallic jeans. It might seem like a fashion don’t to mix stripes with another print, but the snakeskin print on my pants is very small and faint, so it doesn’t overpower the stripes. Sometimes, I feel people go to matchy-matchy with the stripes trend, so it’s fun to experiment how you can break up black and white by incorporating pops of colour or different textures.