The History of the Breton Shirt

Take a quick look into any French person’s wardrobe, and you’re bound to find at least one striped shirt, if not more. Few garments have stood the test of time, and the Breton shirt- the French blue-and-white striped shirt, or marinière is surely one of them.

A classic staple in France and the world (and definitely MY closet), the Breton shirt was designed with function and form in mind. The stripes became iconic after being adopted by the fashion industry, but the original Breton shirt has quite humble beginnings.

But what differentiates a regular striped shirt from a Breton shirt? Do the stripes mean anything? Let’s find out!

History of the Breton Shirt

Before the navy, stripes were a mark of shame

Here is the part that surprises people. For most of European history, stripes were not chic; they were a punishment. Historian Michel Pastoureau went through medieval records for his book The Devil’s Cloth and found striped cloth handed out again and again to the people society wanted at arm’s length: the condemned, the leper, the jester, the executioner. If you saw stripes coming down a medieval street, you moved.

It took centuries for that to wear off, and the sea finally rehabilitated the stripe. Sailors needed to be seen. Once stripes sat on a uniform instead of on an outcast, the whole meaning flipped, and by 1858 the French navy was writing them into law.

Uniform for the French seamen

The beginnings of this famed Breton shirt can be traced back to Napoleon’s time. In 1858, the striped shirt became the uniform for seamen in the French navy in Northern France. The shirt was created as a white cotton pullover with horizontal indigo stripes.

A government decree dated 27 March 1858 set out the specifications with proper military precision. The body of the shirt carried 21 white stripes of 20mm, alternating with 20 or 21 indigo blue stripes of 10mm, while the sleeves carried 15 white stripes and 14 or 15 blue ones. The exact counts shifted a little with the size of the garment. Each stripe had a job: to make a man easier to spot in the water if he went overboard.

The shirt also had a boat neckline (a wider cut around the neck) along with three-quarter sleeves for easy removal. Made without any fussy buttons, zips, or pockets, the shirt reduced any hazards on a vessel, such as tugging or getting snagged in machinery.

Origins of the shirt in Brittany, Northern France

The French navy was based in Brittany, or La Bretagne, which is how the shirt got its name. And this is where the story everyone repeats comes in. During the 1800s, France was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the 21 stripes on the shirt are said to stand for his 21 naval victories against the English.

It is a wonderful story, but there isn't a scrap of evidence for it. No decree mentions Napoleon. Armor-Lux, which has been knitting these shirts in Quimper since 1938, does not mention him either. The truth is duller and, I think, better. A striped man is far easier to see against grey water than a plain one, and by 1858 industrial knitting machines had made even striping cheap enough to write into a specification. The 21 was a measurement, not a monument. The legend has simply outlived the paperwork, which feels very French.

Before 1858, only naval officers wore the striped shirt, but over time it was adopted by fishermen, boatmen, and harbor workers for its ease of use.

In 1923, French Militant Morvan Marchal used these stripes to create the Flag of Brittany, nine horizontal stripes alternating between black and white, and 11 black ermine spots.

Breton shirt in fashion

So much more than just an iconic garment, the Breton shirt was soon adopted by the fashion and film industries after the First World War. During the 1950s, the shirt was an eccentric icon as designers worldwide started incorporating it into their clothes. But how did a naval uniform turn into a shirt loved and praised by international celebrities and designers?

Did Coco Chanel make the Breton Shirt fashionable?

No. She didn't invent it, and she certainly didn't make it, but she is the reason you are wearing one. Chanel took a working man’s uniform off the docks and put it on holidaying women, and fashion has never given it back.

The story goes that Coco Chanel, on one of her many trips to the coastal town of Deauville, where she opened a boutique in 1913, saw the Breton shirt on the sailors and the fishermen, and was inspired by the design so much so that she incorporated it in her 1917 couture collection heavily influenced by the stripes!

After the collection hit stores, more and more people started holidaying on the French coasts and wearing these striped shirts, replacing heavy suits with light, minimal cotton shirts.

Some also believe Chanel was initially fascinated by the collars sailors wore on top of the Breton shirt and used them in her ready-to-wear collection at her Deauville store. They became popular there, and when Chanel became a couturier in Paris, she used the collar design to create custom wool marinière tops with matching skirts, which became the basis of her signature Chanel Suit.

The loose fit of the marinière revolutionized womenswear and led it away from the tight corsets of the time

While Chanel may not have been the first designer to use these stripes in her designs, she was surely the one who popularized the garment and revealed its potential to the world.

Adopted by fashion icons and movies

The stripes grew more popular after the 1920s and soon appeared in movies around the globe. The shirt became a huge hit in 1950s Hollywood when stars like James Dean, Jean Cocteau, and Audrey Hepburn appeared on screen sporting these shirts.

Worn by everyone from Picasso and Kurt Cobain to the Princess of Wales and Kate Moss, the shirt became an androgynous symbol of classic French chic and remains a fashion staple today, for both bohemian and bourgeois looks.

Two more moments belong on that list. In 1983, Jean Paul Gaultier built his Boy Toy collection around the marinière and never really put it down, wearing it so consistently that it became his signature as much as anyone’s. And on 19 October 2012, France’s industry minister, Arnaud Montebourg, posed for Le Parisien magazine’s Made in France feature in an Armor-Lux marinière, turning a naval uniform into a piece of economic policy. That is quite a journey for a jumper.

Today, any striped cotton shirt, regardless of the number of stripes, their thickness, or their color (reasonably modified), is known as a Breton shirt, but to keep it authentic, it's best to make it from sturdy cotton without mixing in polyester or other artificial fabrics. The stripes can either be in black and white or blue and white – the traditional monochromatic palette.

The Breton shirt has stood the test of time and truly become a universal symbol of effortless French elegance!

Where to Buy French Breton Striped Shirts

Small confession: I have close to 2 dozen marinière or Breton French striped shirts. I pick them up all the time. Different stripe thicknesses, different stripe colors, short sleeves, long sleeves, different fabrics; I am obsessed! If you are a fan too, here are some places to look for them.

Prices below were checked in September 2026, and I have given ranges rather than exact figures because these move with the season and the sales.

The French houses that actually make them

If you want the real thing, there are four names worth knowing, and all four still knit in France.

Saint James has been making these in Normandy since 1889 and is the one most people mean when they say Breton shirt. The Minquiers Modern, its best-known style, runs around $139 in the US in 100% cotton, and the sizing goes from XS all the way to 4XL, which is rarer than it should be.

Armor Lux has been in Quimper since 1938, when it was founded as Bonneterie d’Armor, and it is the one I would send a first-time buyer to. Classic marinières sit between €59 and €89, with most heavy-cotton styles landing at €69. Cheaper than Saint James, made in Brittany, and genuinely hard to wear out.

Le Minor is the connoisseur’s pick. Founded in 1936 by Marie-Anne Le Minor in Pont-l’Abbé and knitting in Guidel since 1963, it holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label and was named an Ambassador of Brittany in 2025. Classic marinières run roughly €85 to €105.

Orcival has been going since 1939 and is the one the Japanese fell hard for. Its heavyweight Rachel jersey is the thickest of the four, and the signature model sits around €96 to €99.

The retail versions I buy all the time

None of these are Breton makers, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. They are where I pick up the extras, and for a shirt you are going to wear to death, that is a perfectly good answer.

• I have bought many, many French striped shirts from J.Crew; always be on the lookout for them there, especially on sale! Same for the J.Crew Factory outlet.
• Boden often has French-inspired striped tops; watch their catalog for good deals.
• Sézane has beautiful marinière shirts that I drool over!
• The Breton Shirt Company is another brand I buy from.
• & Other Stories has this Breton striped top that has blue and white stripes, but red too, which is a version I really love! They have traditional ones too.

Brand	Founded	Made in	Price (Sept 2026)	Best for
Saint James	1889	Normandy	Around $139 in the US	The reference standard
Armor-Lux	1938	Quimper, Brittany	€59 to €89	Your first real one
Le Minor	1936	Guidel, Brittany	€85 to €105	The connoisseur’s pick
Orcival	1939	France	€96 to €99	The heavyweight
Sézane	n/a	Varies	Varies	The fashion version
J.Crew / Factory	n/a	Varies	Varies, often on sale	Stocking up
Boden	n/a	Varies	Varies	Fit range
& Other Stories	n/a	Varies	Varies	The cheapest way in

Where to Buy a Breton Shirt in France

If you are going to be in France anyway, skip the department store. Three of the four houses above will sell to you at the source, and two of them will let you watch the shirts being made.

Saint James, Normandy

Address: 1 Zone de Beaufour, 50240 Saint-James

This is the one to plan a morning around. The atelier runs tours by reservation (€5 a head; free for children under 12), and they refund the €5 against anything over €50 you buy in the boutique afterward. Visits are Monday to Friday only, no weekends and no public holidays, and they close for a week or two in August and again in December. Wear closed-toe shoes, because it is a working factory floor. Book at visite@saint-james.fr or call +33 2 33 89 15 55. Best of all, it is about thirty minutes from Mont St Michel, so you can do both in a day.

They have several stores in Paris, including 66 Rue de Rennes in the 6th arrondissement.

Armor-Lux, Quimper

Address: 21-23 rue Louison Bobet, ZI de Kerdroniou Ouest, 29000 Quimper

The site includes a 1,500-square-meter factory boutique, making it the best place in France to buy a marinière without paying boutique prices. Workshop visits are offered too, but they depend on what is running that week, so call ahead on +33 2 98 90 83 83. Quimper is an easy addition to any Brittany trip.

They have several stores in Paris, including 16 Rue Vavin in the 6th arrondissement.

Le Minor, Guidel

Address: 10 rue Nicolas Appert, ZI des 5 Chemins, 56520 Guidel

No factory tour here, but the workshop shop is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 12:30 and again from 13:30 to 18:00, and Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00. If you are not getting as far as Morbihan, there is a Le Minor shop in Paris at 5 rue du Sabot in the 6th, open Tuesday to Saturday.

One warning from experience: these are small workshops, not shopping centers. Hours move around. Check before you drive.

They have a store in Paris located at 5 Rue du Sabot in the 6th arrondissement.

Breton Shirt FAQ

Why the Breton Shirt Still Belongs in Your Closet

I started this by telling you to look inside any French wardrobe, so let me tell you what you actually find. Not a collection. One shirt, maybe three, worn soft at the collar, bought years ago and still in the rotation. That is the whole trick of the marinière. It is not a trend anybody is waiting out. It is furniture.

Part of that is how little it asks of you. Mine go under a blazer for dinner and over a swimsuit at the beach. With jeans, white trousers, a skirt, a trench, or nothing but a pair of espadrilles. On a travel day, it is the one top that survives a plane, a train, and a long lunch and still looks like you meant it. My favorite travel merino wool brand, Unbound Merino, has created a marinière version, and it is my new go-to!

And then there is the part that matters most, which is that a good one does not wear out. This is where I would spend the money. A proper marinière from Saint James or Armor-Lux or Le Minor is thick, tightly knitted cotton, and it behaves like it. The shape holds. The stripes stay crisp. The cheap ones go thin and shapeless after a season, and you quietly stop reaching for them, which makes the €69 shirt you wear for ten years the cheaper purchase by far. I have the closet to prove it.

So buy one good one. Wear it until it is soft. That is the French approach to this shirt, and honestly it is the French approach to most things.

More posts on French fashion:

• The Francophile’s Style Guide: How to Dress Like French Women
• French Men’s Fashion – How To Dress Like A Parisian Man
• The French Tuck
• French Jewelry Style – Adorn Yourself the French Way
• French Lifestyle Tip: Quality Over Quantity

More posts from Brittany and Normandy:

• Mont St Michel France: Go Before 10 am or Don’t Go at All!
• Dinan France: An Historic Medieval Village in Brittany
• Things to Do in Saint-Malo, France
• Cancale France: Brittany’s Oyster Capital
• Cap Frehel and Fort La Latte: Along Brittany’s Emerald Coast
• Château de Fougères – Medieval Life in Fougères, France
• J’adore: Normandy Tours Guide Damien Hue

How about you? Do you own a Breton shirt? Are you a fan? Do tell!

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