How many Breton stripe tops do you own? I had five at the last count, and I’m always in the market for more in alternative colour combinations and cuts, such is their ability to make a lazy outfit of jumper and jeans look not only stylish, but cool.

'You could be wearing a Breton in a grungy way, in a preppy way, a chic way, or in an ironic sailor way – whatever, really', says deputy editor of daily content at ASOS, Alex Butt, who has six that he can see in his wardrobe, and more stashed away. 'The upshot is the same – that they just look cool'. 

How did this simple two-colour cotton shirt become shorthand for effortless cool and a mainstay of every fashionable man and woman's wardrobe? Like jeans, the other eternal flame burning in the style set's heart (and as it happens, the perfect companion to a Breton), the classic Breton striped top had its genesis as workwear. 

'Stripes have a long association with the sea, stretching back centuries, but the actual top that we think of today as the Breton top really came into prominence in the 19th century when it was adopted into the French naval uniform', fashion historian Amber Butchart explained during a recent appearance examining the longevity of the style on Radio 4's Woman's Hour. 

'Not only do you get the maritime association of seaside and holidays', she continues, 'there’s this French elegance injected into it as well'. 

There's nothing fashion loves more than French elegance and a suggestion of frippery and fun, so it's little surprise that non-sailors got hold of this style as early as the 1920s. Like trends of that time, the Breton stripe's stylish ascent is often credited to Coco Chanel, but she was perhaps not the first to cotton on afterall, suggests Butchart. 

'There was a couple called Gerald and Sara Murphy who were some of the first Americans to set up home on the Riviera in France in the early 1920s. They were introduced to the area by Cole Porter. The story goes that one day they went shopping in Marseille for supplies for their boat, and they also found a load of these striped sailor tops which they distributed among their friends', she explains. 

She continues, 'that all sounds normal and ordinary, but when you think that their friends were F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso – obviously real trendsetters, so it took off from there'. Breton stripes remained a favourite of Pablo Picasso throughout his life.

Coco of course, was certainly an early adopter and the style is an integral part of her French fashion signature. 

'That same decade you get images of Chanel wearing them at rehearsals for ballet russe productions', Butchart says, 'so by the early 1930s, it was really becoming a fashion staple'.

The deal was sealed for the Breton stripe top and it continued to be popular with style leaders, most notably Audrey Hepburn, James Dean and Brigitte Bardot in the 1950s. 

Stripes have become synonymous with Brigitte Bardot's gallic style, and she continued to fly their flag throughout the 60s. 

Stripes are of course as strong a fashion staple for men as they are for women. 'There are very few mornings when I don't want to dress like either James Dean, Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel or a Jean Paul Gaultier sailor. (And on those days, I wear black)', says Alex Butt. 

From folk queen Joan Baez to the acts rocking the New York punk scene at CBGB, the Breton stripe was also popular with music's style icons during the 60s and 70s.

'Since the 1920s it seems that you get every cool set from every decade picking it up', notes Butchart, 'so it kind of makes sense really that by the time the 70s roll around, you get Patti Smith and Debbie Harry and The Ramones wearing Breton stripes as well'.

Even when the Breton stripe courted an edgier audience though, it retained its elegant alter-ego. 'It can be very bohemian or very bourgeois', says Butchart. 

The other modern hero of the Breton stripe, after Coco Chanel, is Jean Paul Gaultier, who has made it an integral part of his brand from day one. 'I’ve always loved the graphic and architectural aspects of stripes. My mother dressed me in sailor-striped sweaters', he says. 'They go with everything, never go out of style and probably never will'. 

Alongside Chanel, and his mother, Gaultier notes 'Popeye, Tom of Finland, Rainer Fassbinder and his film Querelle' as his other great stripe icons. 'The title character [of Querelle] was the ultimate sailor, a hypersexualized gay symbol, a fantasy, an icon, a form of virility that could be ambiguous'.

The Breton stripe remains hugely popular across the entire fashion spectrum today, spotted regularly on influencers from Kate Middleton to French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt. 

'Stripes sell well every season (particularly the jersey tops and knits) and that’s why we carry various styles from a wide range of designers who always have their own unique take on this classic style', comments Octavia Bradford, buyer at Net-a-Porter.com, who herself is a fan of the style. 'I love a Breton stripe and am constantly on the hunt for the perfect striped T-shirt'.

'Stripes are a timeless wardrobe essential and despite their popularity and vast availability, they are still unfailingly chic and incredibly stylish', Bradford continues.

You'll see plenty of classic French labels striking a graphic pose on front rows and fashion parties. 'APC’s gamine, Parisian styles always sell well, as do Chinti and Parker’s cute offerings that are synonymous to the brand', Bradford tells us. Such is the stripe's enduring appeal and ubiquity, though, that you're just as likely to find your favourite labels from further lands referencing this classic. 'Acne’s slouchy, oversized runway sweater was an instant sell out'.

So next time you're in a pickle about what to wear that will look serious but cool, fashionably knowledgeable but not like a trend slave, you know what you can always turn to. 

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