Red, Navy or Écru: Styling Your Breton Stripe by Colour
Journal · Style · 6 min read
One stripe, three voices. The Breton comes in navy-and-white, écru-and-navy and red-and-white - and each colourway changes what it says and how you wear it. Here is how to style your striped shirt by colour.
The marinière - the Breton striped shirt - was born navy on white, fixed by an 1858 French Navy decree and carried from the deck of a ship to the boulevards of Paris. The silhouette never really changes: horizontal stripes, a wide boat neck, combed cotton with the stripes knitted in rather than printed. What changes is the colour. And colour is the quietest, most decisive choice you make when you reach for a striped shirt in the morning.
Most styling advice treats a blue and white striped shirt outfit and a red and white striped shirt outfit as the same problem solved twice. They are not. Each colourway sits at a different volume - one whispers, one murmurs, one speaks up - and the trousers, shoes and layers that flatter one can flatten another. Below, three colours, three approaches, and how to mix them without trying too hard.
Navy & white: the classic
Navy on white is the original - the exact colourway the French Navy regulated in 1858, the one Coco Chanel folded into her 1917 nautical collection and the one Picasso, Brigitte Bardot and Jean Seberg made shorthand for effortless French style. It is the safest stripe you can own and, not coincidentally, the most searched for: the blue and white striped shirt outfit is the one most people picture first.
What it says: grounded, classic, quietly confident. Navy reads almost as a neutral, which is why it carries any palette without raising its voice. It is the colourway that looks intentional even when you have spent thirty seconds dressing.
How to wear it: the Parisian default works every time - a navy Breton with straight blue jeans, white trainers or flats, a trench or denim jacket over the top. For something sharper, tuck it into tailored trousers under a navy or camel blazer; the stripe keeps tailoring from feeling stiff. In summer, the short-sleeve cut with white linen trousers or a midi skirt carries the whole outfit. The trick with navy is restraint: let the stripe be the only graphic element and keep everything around it plain.
When to wear it: whenever you want to look put-together without looking like you tried - the office on a relaxed day, travel, a lunch that might become a long afternoon. It is the year-round, any-occasion stripe. Browse the colourway across our women's and men's ranges.
"Choose the colour for the mood, not the season - the stripe does the rest."
Écru & navy: the soft one
Swap the bright white ground for warm écru and the same navy stripe softens completely. Écru - an unbleached, oatmeal-cream tone - takes the cool edge off navy and turns a graphic shirt into something closer to knitwear. It is the most modern of the three colourways and, for many, the most flattering, because warm tones sit more kindly against skin than stark white.
What it says: relaxed, considered, a little more expensive-looking. Where navy-on-white snaps to attention, écru-on-navy leans back. It is the colourway for people who love the Breton but want it to feel less uniform, more wardrobe.
How to wear it: écru lives in a tonal world. Pair it with camel, beige, stone, soft brown or off-white - chinos, a camel coat, tan loafers or suede boots. Cream trousers with an écru Breton is the kind of head-to-toe neutral that looks deliberate and costs nothing in effort. It also plays beautifully with denim: the warm ground keeps blue jeans from feeling sharp. Avoid pure black head to toe, which fights the warmth; charcoal or navy bottoms are kinder.
When to wear it: shoulder seasons and softer settings - a weekend away, an unhurried dinner, the days you want comfort to read as elegance. The Marinière 1858, made in France in Troyes, is the écru-and-navy version we point most people toward first.
Red & white: the statement
Red and white is the loud one - and it knows it. It is the colourway that turns a stripe into a focal point, the one that photographs well and walks into a room before you do. A red and white striped shirt outfit needs no help being interesting, which means your job is to let it lead and keep the rest of the look quiet.
What it says: confident, playful, a touch French-holiday. Red carries warmth and energy that navy never will. It is the stripe for the days you want to be seen, or simply feel like it.
How to wear it: anchor it with neutrals and let red be the only colour story. White jeans or trousers with a red Breton is crisp and summery; dark indigo denim makes it sharper and more autumnal. Navy bottoms - trousers, a skirt, even a navy blazer - flatter red without competing, a nautical pairing that never misses. The two tones to approach with care are clashing brights: keep oranges and hot pinks out of the frame and let the red breathe. White trainers, tan sandals or simple black flats all finish it cleanly.
When to wear it: summer, holidays, weekends, any moment that wants a lift. It is also the most generous gift colourway - instantly recognisable, hard to get wrong. See it across the full collection.
Mixing colours & patterns
One rule covers all three colourways: when you pair a Breton with another pattern, keep the stripe as the dominant layer. A navy stripe under an open check shirt, an écru Breton beside a subtle floral skirt, a red stripe with plain denim - the stripe should always be the loudest thing in the outfit, and everything else should defer to it.
A simple way to choose between colours: match the stripe to the volume you want for the day. Navy for grounded and classic, écru for soft and tonal, red for bright and seen. Because all three share one silhouette - boat neck, combed cotton, knitted-in stripes - they layer and rotate together effortlessly. Build the wardrobe in that order and you will rarely reach for anything else. Read more about our story.
The Marinière 1858
Made in France, in Troyes - dense combed cotton, boat neck, in écru-and-navy and the classic colourways. From €89.
Discover the shirtFrequently asked questions
What goes with a blue and white striped shirt?
Almost anything - navy reads as a neutral. The reliable formula is straight blue jeans, white trainers or flats and a trench or denim jacket. For a sharper look, tuck it into tailored trousers under a navy or camel blazer. Keep the stripe the only graphic element and the rest plain.
How do you style a red and white striped shirt?
Let red lead and keep the rest quiet. White or indigo jeans and navy bottoms all flatter it; finish with white trainers, tan sandals or black flats. Avoid clashing brights like orange or hot pink so the red has room to breathe.
What is the original Breton stripe colour?
Navy (or indigo) on white - the exact colourway fixed by the 1858 French Navy decree. Écru-and-navy and red-and-white came later; navy on white remains the classic.
Which Breton colour is most flattering?
Many people find écru-and-navy the kindest, because the warm unbleached ground sits more softly against skin than stark white. Navy-on-white is the most versatile, and red-and-white the most striking - choose by the mood you want, not the season.
Can you mix a striped shirt with other patterns?
Yes - the rule is to keep the stripe as the dominant layer. Pair it with subtler prints (a soft check or small floral) and let the Breton be the loudest pattern in the outfit.
Are the colourways unisex?
Yes. Every colourway is cut from a single unisex pattern, with a one-size offset between men and women - so navy, écru and red all work across the whole range.
