Confessions of a Stripe Addict

From the author that brought you Confessions of a Hat Hoarder, I bring you: Confessions of a Stripe Addict. I'm not going to lie, this confession is probably even worse than the last. This addiction is a lot less under control. I repeat, A LOT less.

I can't quite recall when it started, my fascination with all things stripy, but as usual I like to blame the French. Those bloody French with their delicious breads and sexy moustaches and breton bloody stripes. I gave making bread a good go, but it turns out baguettes aren't really my forté, I also tried with the facial hair, but by the looks of the older females in my family I'll have to wait about 30 years... so, until then, my fast track to being French is, of course, the stripy top.

It wasn't until packing for a misspent few weeks as an au pair in the North of France a few years agp that I realised how out of control my stripe obsession had got. And since then it has only grown still. I appreciate stripes in any form, it's not just the top that can be found in my wardrobe, I have dresses, trousers, skirts, pyjamas... pants are also a big favourite of mine. And then there's the variation in colour, direction of stripe, width of stripe, which is enough to convince myself that I can justify my latest stripy purchase.

A selection of the author's stripes that didn't make it to university

My friends are all aware of my problem, they try to help me by dragging me away from stripy items in shops, and an awkward moment occurred when my flatmates found out about my problem for the first time. My drawers broke whilst my friends were in my room and the contents split on the floor to reveal at least 8 striped tops. These were just the ones that had made the cut to join me at university. Since then they've been very supportive, after the initial revelation they've also taken on the role of guiding me away from striped clothes in shops and encouraging me to make my collection smaller. But what they don't know is that I still have a Topshop and Zara bag online saved with stripy clothes in it.

I am progressing though. I think. I am channeling my passion for stripes into appreciation for the stripy top rather than actually, you know, buying one. Until I can find a real life stripe wearing boy I'll just have to settle for what Google Images has to offer me. And here are some of the best ones around. Enjoy my fellow stripe lovers.

Photographs- Pinterest