Striped shirts

When I studied/lived in Paris in 2003, I noticed a trend among Parisians: striped shirts and vacations go hand in hand. But now striped shirts are everywhere, all the time. We took the following pictures during a 5 minute stretch on a weekday, just across the street from Galeries Lafayette.

(And just so you know, women aren't the only ones hip to the trend.)

There's only one possible explanation: Coco Chanel. We recently saw Audrey Tautou play the famous couturière in Coco Before Chanel, and suddenly we understood the recent craze for striped clothing.

Just as Coco took a design initially worn by sailors and popularized it among high society, Tautou-as-Coco 

has reminded Parisians (and visitors to Paris) of the simplicity, timelessness, and cozy-chic of striped clothing. Will we return to the States with our own striped shirts? You'll find out soon enough!