Tuesday 12 February 2013

La Marinière


A couple of Saturday's ago I was lost in a deep Pinterest session. Coffee in hand and still firmly clad in pyjamas, I was stuck to that damn thing in the quest to find more visual inspiration and snaffle it onto the relevant boards. In particular, if memory serves, I had been fleshing out my 'Outstanding Outfits' board, trying to learn some lessons on garment combining, when a trail of links led me to the 'LA MARINIÈRE' tumblr. It's at this point that the hours really started to fly by!


So, I'm guessing that you may already know about my love of nautical stylings, including stripey Breton style tops. Well, if you are also into those, feast your eyes! So. Many. Amazing. Images. And informative too, it shows every damn way to wear one, and all the possible styles, silhouettes and shapes that they could come in.


If you are a sewer rather than a shopper, I think it's particularly useful because we have to make all the decisions (what type of fabric/cut/fit/neckline/sleeve-length/and so on) before the garment becomes a reality. So seeing them all played out in infinite variations before you is excellent.


What I have learnt from LA MARINIÈRE:

  • Breton tops look effortlessly ACE with skinny black trousers/jeans
  • Breton tops rock hard with mustard as well as with splashes of red
  • If you're not careful, Breton tops can look smart/preppy (which I try to avoid)
  • With so many subtle variations, there is no such thing as one basic style of Breton top



Having 'pinned' half the damn site onto either my 'Outstanding Outfits' or 'Modern Garment Sewing Inspiration' board, I've had to ban myself from visiting the site again. I've got enough inspiration from that site to last a lifetime of Breton-top sewing and wearing. And although I already have a sizeable section of my wardrobe that consists of nautical inspired tops, with this pile of stripey jersey in my stash, I can feel more Breton-makes brewing:


All these other images in this post are care of LA MARINIÈRE, which I whole-heartedly suggest you go and visit.



14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, man, I want ALL of these! I just need to find some good quality striped jersey... seems like I only see stripey fabrics that are too sheer and flimsy. I splurged on a mariniere top from Le Petit Bateau a few years ago, and the fabric is such a lovely weight.

Helen said...

What a great resource. I will definitely go and take a look. And I really need to show my husband that "safest just to buy them all" illustration, to show that yes I do need more!

Alyssa said...

Hot damn! I just re-pinned quite a few of these. I love the long-sleeve mini-dress with the thicker stripes. And I've got a tube of striped knit fabric somewhere in my stash, calling out for this!

Unknown said...

Oh dear.. have a feeling I will spend hours on that website :|

Merche Martinez said...

I didn´t know these were called Breton tops! But whatever the name, I´ve always love them. Thank you for all the info!

Anonymous said...

Can I just tell you again how in love am I with La Mariniere! I even found myself daydreaming today about when it will be warm enough to wear my navy striped bateau dress... You're a gem.

Kim said...

LOL, if I wore horizontal stripes and skinny jeans the result would be effortlessly nightmarish!

Veronica said...

I love the sketches! I think I need teal, and I prefer the fatter lines! They are all so different!

niddetissus said...

I think my favorite ones are with non-traditional colors. I have one w/ pink and red stripes that I love. :)

Shelly said...

I love breton tops too and these are wonderful examples especially the vintage ones.

Sølvi said...

Effortlessly beautiful - love them all!

Rehanon Mackenzie said...

Gah! Stripes so so so lovely. I always say I'm not gonna have more in my wardrobe but look how lovely they are. Once I've finished my first t-shirt it's Breton tops all the way :)

Andrea F said...

That's a lot of stripy fabric to have in your stash! I don't think I have any stripy knits at all! Have fun sewing them all up.

Unknown said...

I cannot believe I'm not yet following you on pinterest. That's a travesty and I can only apologise, consider that horrendous mistake now rectified.

I love Breton tops, I've got a black with white stripes, a white with dark blue stripes and a blue with white and red stripes. Clearly, you can never have too many colour combinations. In fact, I'm wearing the black one now courtesy of my new pixie do that's making me feel a bit French today. I seriously need to figure out how to make these gorgeous tops, in all their incarnations, because they're the one thing I'll reach for whenever having a wardrobe wobble whilst running late for work. Thanks for doing all the hard work for me, I'm now off to repin you entire pinterest collection ;)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...