The Breton stripe began as a navy uniform
The Breton stripe started as a rule, not a look. In 1858 the French Navy specified the striped jersey as uniform, with 21 white stripes, the better to spot a sailor who had gone overboard. Coco Chanel took it off the docks and into fashion during the Great War, after summers by the sea in Deauville. A safety garment, restyled as chic.