Sailor : the history of striped knitting
We no longer present the sailor and its famous striped pattern! Dress of the French Navy, popularized by Jean-Paul Gaultier and Breton symbol par excellence, it has a great historical background. How did the marinière go from being a simple underwear for sailors to a garment worn by everyone? How does it maintain its popularity after so many years?
The marinière: the beginnings
Easily identifiable by its horizontal stripe design, the sailor's cap is a garment that can be found in long or short sleeves.efore being a fashion accessory, the marinière, which in the past did not have its own name but could be called "striped knit", did not have a very good reputation. It was used to identify sailors, prostitutes and other travelers.
In the 19th century, the first military fleet to use this type of garment was the Russian Navy, before a more widespread use in other naval corps, notably French. The first model of sailor's outfit used by the Russians was a simple undershirt that the sailors had to wear under a vareuse (a blouse for fishermen and sailors which is also used as uniform for some military corps, especially in the French Navy). These sailors, who were on several ships, wore the marinière as an undergarment and called it "tricot de corps". The marinière was composed of a V-neck and finished with a large piece of fabric going down the back. Sailors had only the sailor's underwear. It served as protection and was worn under the pants with bridges.
On March 27, 1958, a decree made it possible for the sailor to change from a simple undershirt to the official uniform of the French Navy: a striped indigo blue and white knit with a neat and strict design that facilitates its identification:
- 21 white stripes on the body (the story goes that these stripes correspond to Napoleon's 21 victories and each sleeve has 14 three-quarter stripes)
- Each white stripe must be twice as wide as the indigo blue stripes
- The long three-quarter sleeves should not be visible outside the jacket (Why this design? No justification was given, but that doesn't make it any less successful)
On the other hand, the stripes have a real meaning:
- the identification of the men fallen at sea among the sailors
- the identification of the sailors who are at the bottom of the navy hierarchy
The revisited marinière
Coco Chanel, inspired by the sea and the marine spirit, launches a particular style of marinière with short sleeves and a special fabric: Jersey (fabric that was used to make underwear, which became the textile of reference in this troubled period of the Great War that had caused a shortage of raw material). This new creation quickly became popular and launched the era of marine fashion in 1916. At the end of the 1950's, the sailor's jacket widened its XXX and finally reached out to women. Nearly a century later, several other designers have worked on the sailor, such as: Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Paul Gaultier.
It is the latter, who really adopted the sailor for over 10 years and even developed it in several forms: in evening dress or polka dot dress version. Since then other brands have adapted the sailor, until in 2011, the French team made a jersey like sailor in partnership with Nike.
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The marinière today
Today, the marinière is completely integrated into our daily life and is even a fashion must-have. Some designers have dared some changes, but the principle remains the same: no question of deviating from the stripes, the change and creativity is rather in the colors.
It can be found in different colors: Orange, Blue, Green, Yellow or even multicolored. Brands are constantly innovating and making sure that the sailors can be worn with all the clothes in our wardrobe. It is thus revisited each year and adapted to trends, so that the sailor's coat endures. It is now worn by all: Men, Women, Children and has even been revisited as a sailor sweater.
The sailor can be associated with the jacket, which has also evolved over time. Today, we find more casual jackets adapted to be worn on a daily basis with a split collar and zippers or buttons, in different colors and for all: Men, Women, Children.
What to remember about the history of the sailor suit?
The sailor jacket we know today has a real history and has undergone several transformations before having the reputation we know.
- Before the 18th century, it had a rather negative reputation: it was used to identify a part of the population, such as prostitutes.
- A century and a half ago, it was used as underwear for sailors on different ships.
- 1958: Introduction of the sailor's jacket in the French Navy and baptized "tricot" with blue and white stripes for the petty officers and sailors
- The Great War period: Coco Chanel launches the sailor style with short-sleeved sailors and inspires other designers
- 1978: Jean-Paul Gaultier organizes a fashion show to present his collection on the sailor and makes it a flagship element of his creations for several decades
- October 2012: Arnaud Montebourg poses in a sailor suit on the cover of Parisien Magazine to defend the made in France
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