When plain colored dress shirts get boring, men turn to patterned dress shirts, and mainly striped ones. Unlike the check patterns, stripes are usually more accepted in the formal environment, although there are exceptions. Striped fabrics come in all sorts of colors, widths and amplitudes. It is quite helpful to know some of their names incase you need to describe an exact pattern to your tailor. It also doesn’t hurt to sound like you know exactly what you’re doing.

Here’s a quick rundown of the most common stripes:

Pinstripe: These are thin stripes that are often characterized by broken lines. The lines of this pattern are evenly spaced with more white space between the lines. This is one of the most popular stripes for dress shirts and suits, suitable for both formal work attire and casual party attire.

Pencil Stripes: Slightly thicker than the pinstripe, the Pencil Stripe is also a popular choice for the office. Most light colored stripes over a white colored base will be suitable for the office. Light colored bases such as pink, yellow, light blue can also work, but they are less formal and best off worn at less formal work environments.

Candy Stripes: Candy Stripes are one level thicker than the Pencil Stripes. The width of the base is typically the same as the colored stripes. As the thickness of the stripes increase the level of casualness also increases, mainly because the thicker the stripes mean the bolder the color becomes. This pattern is thus great for the nightclub look, especially with a darker base color.

Awning Stripes: These are perhaps the thickest stripe patterns, usually over 1/4th of an inch. The stripes are evenly distributed with the base white being the same width as the colored stripes. As the name implies, this type of stripe pattern is best worn as a casual shirt. The thickness of the stripes will make the colors stand out too much and take away your elegance.

Stripes also come in other thicknesses and variations. One particularly noteworthy variation is the Shadow Stripe. This type of stripe is a combination of at least two of the stripes mentioned above. It consists of stripes bordered by a different colored stripe, creating a shadowed effect. In some variations, a thicker stripe is bordered by a much thinner pin or pencil stripe on both sides. The Shadow Stripe is very versatile. Depending on the color of the lines, it can be worn both in the office and in the club.

Striped Dress Shirt Fabric

The photo above only shows the smallest collection of striped fabrics out there. Most of these have colored base colors, making them unsuitable for the office. However, they are still very nice patterns. If you want to make your dress shirt interesting, one way to incorporate these bold stripes is to customize your inner linings. Add these bold stripes to the insides of your collar, cuffs and/or placket for a fresh new look. Try experimenting it at www.ShirtsMyWay.com.