Fashion always rotates what’s trending from one season to the next, but this summer sees a very literal pivot. The classic horizontal stripe – the basis of your summertime no-brainer, the Breton top – is rotating through 90 degrees: vertical stripes are in. Dissecting everything from bomber jackets to shorts to pinstripe suits, this slimming and versatile pattern is easy to dress up or down, switching between boardroom stiffness, breezy Riviera cool and football-terrace attitude depending on how you style them.

The easiest way to wear the trend is with a vertical stripe shirt, channelling Armie Hammer’s preppy wardrobe in Call Me By Your Name. A lightweight, linen or cotton option with rolled up sleeves over a tee and chino shorts sets a great balance of collegiate cool and relaxed seaside style.

As well as giving you a point of difference from the Breton Brigade (a look that’s been all but usurped by school-run mums), a vertical stripe shirt also makes you appear taller and more like there’s a swimwear model’s body hiding underneath. Olie Arnold, Mr Porter style director says, “It offers slimming qualities as the vertical line draws the eye up and down creating a lengthening effect.’”

The key to achieving this lengthening effect is chiefly down to the width of the stripe. Anything too fine and faint in colour will miss the mark, and similarly anything too chunky can be a little more pyjama party than Riviera reception. And to that end, stick to only one stripe per item of clothing, unless you’re feeling adventurous.

Learn Your Stripes

There are a few different ways to explore a vertical stripe shirt and all bring a different quality to the look.

Deckchair Stripes

Nothing says the seaside quite like a deckchair on rocky overcast beach. Deckchairs are a staple of British summertime in particular, and their slightly chunkier vertical stripes lounge nicely on a casual shirt. It’s a bolder look, especially with a colour repeat like red and white, but also look for more muted options in light greys and pastels, especially on Oxford shirts.