Stripes are an eternal summer favourite - but the line between an elegant look and „I forgot to change out of my pyjamas" is thinner than it seems. Stylists this season have a clear formula for wearing stripes without resembling bedsheets.

The first rule is that the contrast should be deliberate, not accidental. Classic navy-and-white nautical stripes are safe, but for that very reason they easily look predictable; so stylists advise breaking them up with one piece in a strong, saturated colour - a belt, a bag or shoes that break the pattern. When the whole look is the same striped fabric from head to toe, the effect is pyjamas; when stripes are just one element in the mix, they become an accent.

The second trick is in the direction and width of the stripes. Thin vertical lines elongate and read as more formal, while wide horizontal stripes are more relaxed and sporty - ideal for the beach, less so for the office. Mixing two different widths in one look is bold, but it works if one dominates and the other only hints.

In the end, stripes are a canvas that calls for confidence, not complication. One well-chosen striped piece - a shirt, a dress or trousers - with neutral accessories is more elegant than three striped things piled together. Balkan women have long known this rule instinctively: less, but chosen with measure, always beats a lot piled on without a plan.