Breton Shirt was first popular in
1920s
The shirt we now consider a staple, authentically called by many designers the “Breton” stripe, was originally worn by those who frequented the seas along Brittany. The blue and white striped cotton pullovers were ideal to combat the weather at sea because of their tightly stitched cotton. Eventually, the French navy declared the striped “tricot” as their official uniform in 1858. It is said that there was a belief among the seamen that the stripes could help with spotting men who had fallen overboard.
In 1917, Coco Chanel was photographed in the Breton stripe shirt, catapulting the design to high fashion. The pull became more widely known as french with the help of famous French new wave director Jean Luc Godard, as heroines played by Brigitte Bardot and Jean Seberg sported the Breton stripe in his iconic films. Audrey Hepburn and James Dean were shot wearing the timeless style, which has remained a classic in Hollywood. The shirt is universally loved.
Source:https://zady.com/features/the-history-of-the-breton-shirt
