The short answer: a pinstripe blazer is a tailored jacket marked with fine, evenly spaced vertical stripes. The stripes lengthen the body, so it is one of the most flattering patterns in tailoring. Wear it with its matching trousers for a classic suit, over jeans and a T-shirt to make it casual, and with a silk top for evening. The Princess of Wales’s favourite Blazé Milano blazer is a pinstripe.
The pinstripe began as City banking uniform. Women took it over in the 1980s with shoulder pads and power, and today it is back in softer, more feminine cuts. Here is how to wear it now.
Pinstripe, chalk stripe and pencil stripe
| Stripe | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Pinstripe | Very fine, crisp lines, like a row of pin heads |
| Pencil stripe | Slightly thicker than a pinstripe, drawn as if with a pencil |
| Chalk stripe | Soft, wider-spaced stripes with a blurred edge, like tailor’s chalk |
Why the pinstripe flatters
Vertical lines draw the eye up and down, so a pinstripe jacket makes the body look longer and narrower. On a double-breasted jacket the stripes meet the diagonal of the overlap and create a sharp, architectural line; on an hourglass cut they bend with the waist and emphasise it. It is the most forgiving pattern in tailoring.
The Princess of Wales and the pinstripe
The Princess of Wales has worn a pinstriped Blazé Milano blazer at some of her most watched moments. In July 2023 she wore a beige pinstriped double-breasted blazer at the Royal International Air Tattoo, identified by royal style trackers as the brand’s Wind Hunter Charmer. Forbes reports that she wore a Blazé Milano pinstripe blazer in her June 2024 portrait by Matt Porteous, and again in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in May 2026. Read every appearance in Kate Middleton and Blazé Milano.
The best pinstripe blazers to buy now
Blazé Milano Classy Carbon: black pinstripe
The current Blazé Milano pinstripe is Classy Carbon, a black pinstriped virgin wool cut across the brand’s signature pieces:
- Charmer Blazer in Classy Carbon Black: the classic pinstriped double-breasted blazer reimagined, in the brand’s words, through a feminine lens with an hourglass silhouette. True to size.
- Nightbreak Blazer in Classy Carbon Black: oversized and double-breasted, designed to move from day to evening. Take one size smaller.
- Feral Gilet in Classy Carbon Black: a slim pinstriped waistcoat to layer under the blazers.
- Fox Pant in Classy Carbon Black: high-rise, straight, pleated trousers.
- Popeye Skirt in Classy Carbon Black: a pencil skirt with a front slit.
The brand styles the Nightbreak with the gilet and the Fox Pants as a three-piece set, with the Popeye Skirt as the alternative to the trousers, and the Charmer with the Fox Pants and a silk top.
Beyond Blazé Milano
- The Frankie Shop Newark Double Breasted Blazer in Grey and White Pinstripe
- The Frankie Shop Jade Double-Breasted Blazer in Black and White Pinstripe
- Christopher Esber Torrent Pinstripe Blazer in Charcoal Stripe
- Max Mara Balta Double-Breasted Pinstripe Jersey Blazer in Khaki
- Brunello Cucinelli Sparkling pinstripe blazer in Silver, for evening
- Erdem Stripe Tailoring Fitted Blazer
How to wear a pinstripe blazer
The three-piece
Blazer, waistcoat and trousers in the same pinstripe is the most powerful look in tailoring. Wear the waistcoat buttoned with nothing underneath for evening.
The weekend pinstripe
Take the jacket on its own and wear it open over a white T-shirt and straight jeans. The formality of the stripe against denim is what makes it look modern; more ideas in how to wear a blazer with jeans.
The skirt suit
A pinstripe jacket with a matching pencil skirt and a fine knit is the most elegant office look. The Classy Carbon Charmer with the Popeye Skirt is exactly this.
Pinstripe after dark
A black pinstripe blazer buttoned over a silk camisole, with the matching trousers and a heel, is sexy without trying.
Pinstripe colour guide
Black pinstripe is the most dramatic and the easiest to wear in the evening. Navy pinstripe is the classic City suit, softer than black and easy with white shirts. Grey pinstripe is the most casual and works best with denim. Beige pinstripe, the colour of the Princess of Wales’s Blazé Milano jacket, is the summer version, lighter and fresher, lovely with white and with pale blue.
Pinstripe for petite and tall frames
Pinstripes help petite women most, because the vertical line adds height; choose a jacket that finishes at the hip and a matching trouser for an unbroken column. Tall women can wear pinstripes oversized and wide, as a relaxed suit, and can play with a chalk stripe, which is softer and wider spaced.
Caring for pinstripe wool
Pinstripe tailoring is almost always wool. Brush it after wearing, let it rest between wears and steam rather than press; pressing can leave a shine on dark cloth. Hang the jacket on a broad, shaped hanger so the stripes stay straight at the shoulder. Always follow the care label.
What to avoid
Do not mix a pinstripe jacket with another stripe of a similar width. Keep shirts plain, and choose a shoe that matches the mood: a loafer for the office, a sneaker for the weekend, a heel for evening.
Sizing
Blazé Milano sizes 00, 0, I, II, III and IV convert to UK 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14. The brand advises your usual size in the Classy Carbon Charmer, Fox Pant and Popeye Skirt, and one size smaller in the oversized Nightbreak. Read how a blazer should fit for the full checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How do you wear a pinstripe blazer casually?
Open, over a white T-shirt with straight jeans and loafers. The contrast between the formal stripe and the denim makes it relaxed.
Are pinstripe blazers flattering?
Yes. The vertical stripes lengthen and slim the body, which makes the pinstripe one of the most flattering patterns in tailoring.
What is the difference between pinstripe and chalk stripe?
A pinstripe is very fine and crisp. A chalk stripe is softer, wider-spaced and slightly blurred, like a line of tailor’s chalk.
Did Kate Middleton wear a pinstripe blazer?
Yes. She wore a beige pinstriped Blazé Milano blazer at the Royal International Air Tattoo in July 2023, and Forbes reports she wore a Blazé Milano pinstripe in her June 2024 portrait and in Reggio Emilia in May 2026.
What do you wear under a pinstripe blazer?
Something plain: a white shirt, a fine knit, a T-shirt, a silk camisole. Avoid other stripes.
Is a pinstripe suit too formal for women?
Not when you break it up. Wear the jacket with jeans and the trousers with a knit, and keep the full suit for the office and evenings.
Keep reading
How to wear a check blazer. What is an hourglass blazer? Every Blazé Milano matching set. Browse all designer blazers.
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