Stripes—a staple in the fashion world. Straight lines that tell a story of direction, movement, and personal expression.
With Dressing Your Truth, you know that every pattern, color, and texture holds a unique energy. Stripes are no different.
Stripes can be intimidating. We’ve heard a lot of myths about them over the years—like which direction looks better, should you wear only vertical or horizontal, thin or bold lines. Let’s set aside any stories you may have heard in the past, and discover a new world where stripes become a fun part of your style story, as they tell the world exactly who you are!
Do stripes work for Type 3?
Yes! Here’s the thing: while there certainly are stripes that will work for every Type 3, let’s take it a step further and personalize your stripes even more by bringing in your secondary energy! When you know your unique dominant/secondary combo (and as a result, your yin-yang combo), your style will express your true nature even more.
First, let’s go over your Type 3 energy:
Type 3 Energy is rich, dynamic, swift, and edgy. So where do stripes, as we know them, fit in our style?
Traditional stripes that we are most familiar with don’t fit our keywords, but when you add the slight influence of your secondary movement, suddenly stripes become a great pattern option for Type 3’s.
So let’s take a look at how to choose a striped garment true to you. For ease of comparison, I’ll be showing visual examples with shoppable links to striped sweaters for each Type 3 with your secondary. What you learn can be applied to similar stripes in any garment, not just sweaters.
Type 3/1
Type 3/1 stripes can have more movement and more colors. The garment also needs to be lighter in weight since you are putting a more structured pattern on your body. Since our movement is asymmetrical, you will look great with stripes that have multiple colors and are set in angular or random patterns. And in the case of every Type 3 no matter your secondary, make sure texture is evident in the garment so the stripes take on a more edgy look.
Keywords: Asymmetrical, Light
Type 3/2
Type 3/2 stripes have a more muted, blended quality to them. There is no fine-line definition, and the stripes take on a bit of an ombre, blending quality. You can see in my sweater example that the stripes are also not symmetrical; they are different widths, just the overall striped pattern repeats itself.
Keywords: Rich, Blended
Type 3/4
Type 3/4 stripes have the most traditional stripe look. They can be balanced with defined lines and evenly placed throughout the garment. Make sure to not go too bold with your stripes like they are taking on a color-blocking effect. Notice in these sweater examples, that there is an asymmetrical quality to the stripes with the colored stripe being thinner or wider than the background. If they were exactly the same width, it becomes a Type 4 symmetrical movement.
Again, make sure your striped garment has texture and an edgy quality to it. As you can see the the thick rib knit of my sweater examples creates more texture.
Keywords: Substantial, Balanced
Bonus!
Occasionally you find a stripe that’s not quite a stripe, but that still works for every Type 3. This sweater has an animal print pattern that creates a striped pattern too, which all Type 3’s would look great in!
Let stripes be that “edge” your outfit craves.
Now that you know how to rock Type 3 stripes, you could wear them every day of the week if you want! I’d love to see how you style your stripes. Post a selfie in the Lifestyle Facebook Group!
Be sure to check out our latest StyleInspire board for Type 3 stripes! StyleInspire is just one of the many perks you get by being a Lifestyle member. We made shopping easy for you!
