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Celebrating 100 Years Of The Breton

Celebrating a wardrobe icon.
100 years of the Breton with ME&EM

This post was created in collaboration with ME+EM.

100 years of the Breton with ME&EM
100 years of the Breton with ME&EM
100 years of the Breton with ME&EM
100 years of the Breton with ME&EM
100 years of the Breton with ME&EM
100 years of the Breton with ME&EM
ME+EM Forever Summer Breton in Soft White/Cobalt* | ME+EM Girl Meets Boy Jeans in Ecru* | ME+EM Tailored Box Blazer in Navy* | ME+EM 2-in-1 City Bag in Khaki* | Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Ox Plimsolls in White* | 88&Cloudless Gold Star Necklace* | Lucy Williams x Missoma Gold Graduated Fang Necklace* | Ace & Tate Suzy Sunglasses in Bio Black*

As you’ve probably gathered by now, I love a stripe and the Breton t-shirt (or marinière, as it’s known in France) is a favourite of mine. According to the NY Times, this year marks 100 years of the Breton, as a fashion item. It was in 1917 that Coco Chanel supposedly first took the classic fisherman’s top and turned it into an icon. Today it’s worn by men, women and children, alike, most probably unaware of its origins.

ME+EM (who are fellow stripe fans) decided that it would be appropriate to celebrate this momentous year with a tea party. I spent the afternoon with some of loveliest bloggers in London. We ate cake, drank Prosecco, had our nails painted and each styled our Breton t-shirts in our own unique way. We were lucky that it was one of the warmest days we’ve had in ages and got to sit outside and enjoy the rays.

In addition, ME+EM are going to be supporting sailing legend, Sir Ben Ainslie in the Land Rover BAR America’s Cup. The female support team will be wearing their Iconic Breton throughout the competition. ME+EM will be donating a percentage of the proceeds from sales of their Iconic Breton to the 1851 Trust, the official charity of Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing. The charity’s royal patron is HRH Duchess of Cambridge. It was set-up to give young people from all walks of life the opportunity to experience sailing, to understand more about the opportunities available to them in science, technology, engineering and maths, and to educate them on sustainability and consideration for the environment.