# Common Shirt Stripes Defined



## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

I have received quite a number of e-mails on this subject. Here are the commonly used names for the basic shirtings:

*Hairline Stripe:

*

*Dress Stripe:

Pin Stripes (Bottom - usual; Top - wide):

Candy Stripe:

Bengal Stripes:

Awning Stripe:

Shadow Stripe (may vary in width):

Multi-Stripe (one of many thousands):

Basic Stripe Size Comparison Reference:

* ​
These are relative sizes. For example, Candy Stripes approximately 1/8" equally spaced white & color or color & color; Bengal Stripes +/- 1/4" equally spaced white & color or color & color, etc. Pin stripes are usually 1 or two yarns thick and the spacing between pin stripes varies all over the map.

If you'd rather call your Candy Stripes Bengals and your Bengals Pinstripes, feel free. One person's tiger is another's kitty.

But if you're trying to communicate with a shirtmaker, use the reference above.

_Copyright © 2008 Alexander S. Kabbaz, Kabbaz Kelly Shirtmakers. All rights reserved._​


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## stfu (Apr 30, 2008)

I believe that (somewhat random) posts like this are one of the things that make AAAC so great. Thanks.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

Is the Bengal stripe also sometimes called Butcher stripe?


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

gnatty8 said:


> Is the Bengal stripe also sometimes called Butcher stripe?


Butcher, more frequently used in the UK, is similar but _slightly _wider ... not nearly as wide as an awning stripe.


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## NH_Clark (Sep 5, 2008)

this thread is pure gold!! I love stripes but don't hardly know enough about the types, right color combos and "safe" ensembles to have any in my closet (other than 1 I found on clearance in BB)

Thanks!


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## Rilian (Sep 21, 2008)

Thanks for this Alexander! Maybe you can also do one on plaids, checks, and other patterns. I never quite know how to sort out gingham, herringbone, prince of wales, windowpane, checks. and etc.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

This thread has actually confused me from what I had previously gathered. I have noticed Brooks Brothers tends to follow what you describe. On the other hand, Turnbull & Asser (as well as many others I have found) appears to reverse what you call a bengal stripe and candy stripe. It also calls your dress stripe a pencil stripe. Is that usually the same thing? I also see pin stripes described as pencil stripes. What is your take on the meaning of pencil stripe?


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Matt S said:


> This thread has actually confused me from what I had previously gathered. I have noticed Brooks Brothers tends to follow what you describe. On the other hand, Turnbull & Asser (as well as many others I have found) appears to reverse what you call a bengal stripe and candy stripe. It also calls your dress stripe a pencil stripe. Is that usually the same thing? I also see pin stripes described as pencil stripes. What is your take on the meaning of pencil stripe?


The name "pencil stripe" derives from the obvious. The lower dress stripe (the blue one) would fit the pencil stripe category. My object here was to define stripe widths for those who had inquired. It was not to compile a list of synonyms, but instead of the most frequently used terms. That, perhaps, might be a project for the future.

The derivation of "candy stripe" is unknown, at least to me. Looking backward to the older candies, the most common were the round, cello-wrapped hard candies. The stripes most often seen on those were about 1/8".

Now as to "bengal stripes" ... that derivation is well-known. However, as much as I love AskAndy's and would like to be a bastion of historic accuracy, there are just certain places I shall not go with my tape measure ... even to verify the veracity of my claim. Perhaps Mr. Turnbull or Mr. Asser were braver fellows than I. You might want to ask one of them how they took those measures.


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## archduke (Nov 21, 2003)

I thought that in England Bengal stripes are 1/8 inch not 1/4.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

archduke said:


> I thought that in England Bengal stripes are 1/8 inch not 1/4.


Who's on First?

Really, though, these don't look like 1/8" to me:


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## KeithR (Sep 5, 2006)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> The derivation of "candy stripe" is unknown, at least to me. Looking backward to the older candies, the most common were the round, cello-wrapped hard candies. The stripes most often seen on those were about 1/8".


I had assumed that it had some connection to the uniforms worn by candy stripers - the teenage female hospital volunteers.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

KeithR said:


> I had assumed that it had some connection to the uniforms worn by candy stripers - the teenage female hospital volunteers.


As did I before I was corrected a long time ago by an extremely knowledgeable textile importer.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

Just a point of info: For whatever it's worth, H&H and H&K call the Kabbaz "candy stripe" a "bengal stripe," and what he calls a "dress stripe" H&H calls a "French bengal stripe" and H&K simply a "fine stripe."


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

PJC in NoVa said:


> Just a point of info: For whatever it's worth, H&H and H&K call the Kabbaz "candy stripe" a "bengal stripe," and what he calls a "dress stripe" H&H calls a "French bengal stripe" and H&K simply a "fine stripe."


I believe "Turkish bengal stripe" would be more veracious. :devil:


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

Nice to have another of your educational posts AK. You remain, sir, a legend.

However, none of those look like the stripes I wore at school. Most of those were horizonal and covered the seat.


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## Holdfast (Oct 30, 2005)

I assumed candy stripes were just named after the width of stripes on a stick of brighton rock or similar hard sweet.

Regardless of etymology of these various terms and their precise names (which borders on an angels/pinhead discussion), I think the most useful aspect to this post is the excellent final photo, demonstrating the variation in stripe with, alongside a scale. Very nice to see them all laid out like that.


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## dingbat (Jul 24, 2008)

Fantastic post.


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## Anthony Jordan (Apr 29, 2005)

DougNZ said:


> However, none of those look like the stripes I wore at school. Most of those were horizonal and covered the seat.


TMI Doug!


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Holdfast said:


> I assumed candy stripes were just named after the width of stripes on a stick of brighton rock or similar hard sweet.
> 
> Regardless of etymology of these various terms and their precise names (which borders on an angels/pinhead discussion), I think the most useful aspect to this post is the excellent final photo, demonstrating the variation in stripe with, alongside a scale. Very nice to see them all laid out like that.


For an uneducated Yank, what is a 'stick of brighton rock'?


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## nicksull (Sep 1, 2005)

gnatty8 said:


> Is the Bengal stripe also sometimes called Butcher stripe?


Emma Willis told me bengal is narrower like the one shoen here and butcher stripe is more akin to what Alexander calls Awning stripe. Im not sure if there are some strict rules about it but coincidentally i was researching just for Esquire that today...


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## Holdfast (Oct 30, 2005)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> For an uneducated Yank, what is a 'stick of brighton rock'?


Sort of a boiled hard candy stick, typically with a narrow striped pattern on the outside and lettering through the centre (in the case of Brighton rock, the name Brighton - a seaside resort - runs through the centre). Similar to those classic red/white striped Christmas tree candy decorations but instead of a crook shape, they're long and straight.

You can get it , too. I'm sensing a cross-promotional opportunity for you here.


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## Pipps (Dec 20, 2005)

Very informative and useful - thank you, Alex!

May I ask: I have heard the term 'Barber stripe' used.

Is this is a different stripe in its own right? Or another name for one which you have mentioned above?


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## FIHTies (Jun 24, 2004)

Great Post as usual Mr. K.

Unfortunately my Hairline don't look NUTTIN like dat.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Holdfast said:


> Sort of a boiled hard candy stick, typically with a narrow striped pattern on the outside and lettering through the centre (in the case of Brighton rock, the name Brighton - a seaside resort - runs through the centre). Similar to those classic red/white striped Christmas tree candy decorations but instead of a crook shape, they're long and straight.
> 
> You can get it , too. I'm sensing a cross-promotional opportunity for you here.


 Hmmmm .... and thank you for edifying me.



Mr. Pipps said:


> Very informative and useful - thank you, Alex!
> 
> May I ask: I have heard the term 'Barber stripe' used.
> 
> Is this is a different stripe in its own right? Or another name for one which you have mentioned above?


 Barber stripe (been a long time since I heard that one!) derives from the lighted barber pole traditionally appearing outside barber shops. Though not always red and blue, it is accepted as approximately the same size as an awning stripe.



FIHTies said:


> Great Post as usual Mr. K.
> 
> Unfortunately my Hairline don't look NUTTIN like dat.


 That never stopped Yul Brynner. :icon_smile_wink:


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## cpac (Mar 25, 2005)

What do you call something with widely spaced thick stripes? (i.e. thicker than pin?) I've seen examples where the wider stripe (maybe 1/2") is a darker color (blue, grey, red) and the stripe (maybe 1/8" or so) is white.?


Is that a shadow stripe? (it's not clear from the picture whether that might refer to the slight fuziness on either side of the stripes)


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## pt4u67 (Apr 27, 2006)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Who's on First?
> 
> Really, though, these don't look like 1/8" to me:


Were any tigers harmed in the making of bengal stripes?


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## Galahad (Jul 17, 2008)

Ah, looks like a nice soft puss.








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## The Pin (Sep 3, 2008)

Great post, thanks for the info!


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## Holdfast (Oct 30, 2005)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Hmmmm .... and thank you for edifying me.


Given the great photos in your post, I'm very happy to trade edifications!

(by keeping it a trade, we won't get taxed on it... :icon_smile_big: )


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## NU81 (Jan 29, 2008)

Thank you, thank you, thank you! The pictures help tremendously to clear up some confusion I had.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Is it just me or should the dated "wide pin stripe" have been left at the 1980s departure gate, forever to linger in the lounge of pre-80s bad taste? Or even the 1970s departure gate. It is just sooooo dated and unattractive :icon_smile_wink: 


No, wide pin stripe always reminds me of the shirts I used to see in the 60s being worn by bedsit-resident First World War veterans!


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

stfu said:


> I believe that (somewhat random) posts like this are one of the things that make AAAC so great. Thanks.


I agree.


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## cpac (Mar 25, 2005)

cpac said:


> What do you call something with widely spaced thick stripes? (i.e. thicker than pin?) I've seen examples where the wider stripe (maybe 1/2") is a darker color (blue, grey, red) and the stripe (maybe 1/8" or so) is white.?
> 
> Is that a shadow stripe? (it's not clear from the picture whether that might refer to the slight fuziness on either side of the stripes)


No help?


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## 82-Greg (Apr 13, 2008)

Holdfast said:


> (by keeping it a trade, we won't get taxed on it... :icon_smile_big: )


The may change come January 20, 2009 (or as soon thereafter as Congress acts).


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## Holdfast (Oct 30, 2005)

82-Greg said:


> The may change come January 20, 2009 (or as soon thereafter as Congress acts).


Nice to see Congress doing something useful....... :crazy:


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

cpac said:


> No help?


Widely spaced thick stripes.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

I have bought "University Striped" OCBD shirts. Are they the same as the candy stripe? (They look similar.)


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

forsbergacct2000 said:


> I have bought "University Striped" OCBD shirts. Are they the same as the candy stripe? (They look similar.)


I have heard the use of University Stripes much more frequently in reference to neckties. From this outlook I would take them to be extremely wide and made in certain traditional colorings.

On the other hand, OCBD shirts are the traditional dress of academia***. For this reason, I am not surprised that the phrase "University Striped" was borrowed - most likely by the PR department - for this use.

In the lexicon of textile makers specializing in shirtings, University Stripe is nowhere to be found.

*** Trad Forum Members: Let not your hearts be troubled by my buttonholing of the OCBD into academic dress. Though I would rather be Dead than OCBreD, some of my best friends wear ... oh, hell. That's not true.


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Is it just me or should the dated "wide pin stripe" have been left at the 1980s departure gate, forever to linger in the lounge of pre-80s bad taste? Or even the 1970s departure gate. It is just sooooo dated and unattractive :icon_smile_wink:


I still like the _idea_ of chalk-stripes, but as I have been unable to secure an engagement playing Sky Masterson, I haven't broken down and bought one.

Or is that now what you're talking about? Could you provide a picture?


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Well Mike, as this is a shirt thread (pun intended  ) I'm talking about wide pin striping on shirts. There are two pictures of wide pin striped shirts on page 1. 

And thanks, now I'm going to have to go up into the attic at the weekend and dig out Guys & Dolls on VHS, love it, great film, an all time favourite! :icon_smile_big: 

Sometimes American culture is just so right......other times....oy vay! :icon_smile_wink:


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Miket61 said:


> I still like the _idea_ of chalk-stripes, but as I have been unable to secure an engagement playing Sky Masterson, I haven't broken down and bought one.
> 
> Or is that now what you're talking about? Could you provide a picture?


A chalk stripe is not in the shirt fabric lexicon either. It is rather difficult to create a chalky-looking stripe without the "fuzz" provided by wool suiting.


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## cpac (Mar 25, 2005)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Widely spaced thick stripes.


Here's an example:

(pic borrowed from Carol's site)


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

cpac said:


> Here's an example:
> 
> (pic borrowed from Carol's site)


Ahhh! Let me modify my original answer:

Widely spaced thick _white_ stripes _on a colored ground_.

In other words, there is no generally accepted name for this stripe pattern. Say Hi to Carol for me.


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## cpac (Mar 25, 2005)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Ahhh! Let me modify my original answer:
> 
> Widely spaced thick _white_ stripes _on a colored ground_.
> 
> In other words, there is no generally accepted name for this stripe pattern. Say Hi to Carol for me.


Thanks...

And unfortunately I don't know Carol, just that she has pretty good shirting pics on her website (Carl gets my shirt business). But if I ever do meet her, I'll pass along your hello.


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## 82-Greg (Apr 13, 2008)

An outstanding discussion.

Is there a similar terminology applied to patterns woven into the fabric? 

I'm referring to the decorative patterns beyond the weave of the fabric. I can't find a picture of what I'm referring to but I recall a post a few months back that referred to a pattern woven either with thicker thread or slightly shaded thread.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

82-Greg said:


> An outstanding discussion.
> 
> Is there a similar terminology applied to patterns woven into the fabric?
> 
> I'm referring to the decorative patterns beyond the weave of the fabric. I can't find a picture of what I'm referring to but I recall a post a few months back that referred to a pattern woven either with thicker thread or slightly shaded thread.


These are either Dobbies (small patterns) or Jacquards (large patterns).

Dobby looms are capable of producing small, uncomplicated designs whereas Jacquard looms can create the most complex designs of any size desired.

The manner in which the weft thread is inserted through the warp threads naturally varies with the type of cloth being woven. In simple cloths such as broadcloths, the warp yarns pass through _heddles_ which, together, comprise what is called a _harness_. In the simplest loom, one designed for making only Plain Weave cloths, there are two harnesses. Half of the warp yarns (#'s 1,3,5,7,9 and so on) are passed through the heddles of one harness. The other half of the yarns (#'s 2,4,6,8 and so on) are passed through the heddles of the other harness. When the first harness is lifted up and the second pushed down, the weft thread is then shot through the resulting triangle of space. The harnesses then reverse and the weft thread is shot through again, and so on. The process of raising and lowering the harnesses is called 'shedding'. Note the triangle on this simple hand loom where the weft thread passes through as one harness sheds half of the warp upward while the other harness sheds the other half of the warp downward:

​
The Dobby loom, or technique, is a manner of controlling up to 32 different harnesses which permits the degree of shedding variation necessary to produce simple designs. Here are two examples. The first, or uppermost, is a common satin stripe, in this case adorning a blue voile solid. The second example is a truly rare piece, one woven by David and John Andersen in Scotland during the first half of the 20th Century. It is called 'Clocks':


​
The Jacquard Loom, invented in 1801 by Joseph Marie Jacquard, is a horse of an entirely different color! There are no heddles or harnesses. Instead, there are thousands of fine steel wires suspended from above, the end of each consisting of an eye through which one ... just one ... warp yarn is passed. Then, through the use of an extremely complex series of punch cards, each fine steel wire is individually raised and lowered as the weft thread passes through resulting in even the most complex of repeating designs. Here is an example in White-on-White:

​
Most modern shirtings do not feature designs so complex as to necessitate the use of a Jacquard loom. The small, repeating designs featured in the majority of White-on-Whites, Tone-on-Tones, and simple satin stripes or checks are quite easily accomplished with the 32 harnesses of the Dobby system.


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## katon (Dec 25, 2006)

This seems like it might be a good addition to the quick-reference list.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

OK. Done.


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## serene (Oct 27, 2009)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> I have received quite a number of e-mails on this subject. Here are the commonly used names for the basic shirtings:
> If you'd rather call your Candy Stripes Bengals and your Bengals Pinstripes, feel free. One person's tiger is another's kitty.
> 
> But if you're trying to communicate with a shirtmaker, use the reference above."
> ...


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## demondeac (Aug 2, 2010)

Thanks for the knowledge! ... Very useful post!


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

serene said:


> Hello Alexander,
> 
> The Bengal stripe still causes a problem for the following reasons:
> 
> 1. Bengal Stripe is a formal must have shirt, so the stripes should not be visibly wide, at the widest, it should be 1/8th of an inch


The fact of the matter is that the bengal stripe is considered to be outside the bounds of conservative, not really formal - although it can be dandified into such - and absolutely more than 3/16" wide; preferably 1/4". Unless, of course, you've been watching reruns of _Honey I Shrunk The Tiger_.



serene said:


> 2. The thickness of the dark colour should be the same as the light colour so as to present *complete visual balance*


I don't recall saying otherwise. There is no "should be" about it. The stripes of a bengal stripe are _always_ equal in size.



serene said:


> 3. The dark colour should be indeed *the blue* as presented by you in the photograph above under Bengal stripe (the middle photo) or the first photo under the rubric, "Candy Stripe". No other colour should merit Bengal Stripe.


Balderdash! I have seen orange & black tigers and white tigers. I've yet to encounter a blue tiger ... although I have heard that there are pink elephants. The term "Bengal Stripe" refers to an approximate stripe width of 3/16" to 5/16", two colors - the vast majority of the time one being white, and stripes of equal width. I have seen at least 50 different colors of such and usually keep a minimum of 25 in stock.



serene said:


> 4. The light colour should always be white


Personally I would agree with this but I have seen some nice treatments using different shades of the same color, e.g.: Sky & Navy, Ecru & Chocolate, Pink & Wine.



serene said:


> Only in such a scenario one could have a definite meaning out of it. I have seen many distinguished gentlemen wearing it for very important occasions, with or with out a jacket. We could play around with hairline stripe, pin stripe and all hues of fancy stripe ...


Play to your hearts content. I certainly do.



serene said:


> ... but let the Bengal Stripe be rigidly defined
> by experts like you.


 Been there; done that. Right here. Above.



serene said:


> If I am going to define a shirt as 100% Cotton, even the thread used should be 100% cotton.


 Goes without saying.



serene said:


> Let Bengal Stripe be Bengal stripe.


 I did. With all due respect, I reject your attempt to redefine it.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

demondeac said:


> Thanks for the knowledge! ... Very useful post!


 Thank you.


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## David_E (Apr 18, 2010)

can we get this stickied? Or a link added to one of the reference stickies?


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

I'm thinking it should be a Tutorial linked from the Home Page.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

First, brilliant thread. Thanks, Alex, for enlightening us.

Second, I share the confusion of some other posters regarding the bengal/candy distinction. In my experience, I've always heard them used flip-flopped from your definitions. I'm not suggesting that this makes the converse of your position correct, or yours wrong - just that, outside the highly-technical world of textile merchants, the converse understanding is wide-spread. 

On a tangent, are you aware of a shirting cloth with a background/lighter color of ecru or cream with light- or mid-blue candy or bengal stripes? Sort of a tea-stained variant of the standard evenly-proportioned blue and white striped shirt?


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## Saltydog (Nov 3, 2007)

So did we ever decide what an OCBD with "Dress" stripes should be called. Absolutely great thread...but this _must...must..._be addressed! We trads will feel trapped in a sort of undefined stripe "purgatory" until a ruling is made Mr. K. Surely you wouldn't leave us in this state!


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

CuffDaddy said:


> First, brilliant thread. Thanks, Alex, for enlightening us.
> 
> Second, I share the confusion of some other posters regarding the bengal/candy distinction. In my experience, I've always heard them used flip-flopped from your definitions. I'm not suggesting that this makes the converse of your position correct, or yours wrong - just that, outside the highly-technical world of textile merchants, the converse understanding is wide-spread.
> 
> On a tangent, are you aware of a shirting cloth with a background/lighter color of ecru or cream with light- or mid-blue candy or bengal stripes? Sort of a tea-stained variant of the standard evenly-proportioned blue and white striped shirt?


Oltolina used to make one in a 170s wide pinstripe. I'll check the current Alumo and Albini lines and get back to you.

As for the Bengal/Candy flip-flop confusion - yes, it has always been so. That's one of the reasons I authored this thread.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

All these years I have been loving candy stripes when I thought they were Bengal stripes.

I feel like that dude in the Moliere play who was shocked to learn that he had been speaking prose all his life.


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## Douglas Brisbane Gray (Jun 7, 2010)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Butcher, more frequently used in the UK, is similar but _slightly _wider ... not nearly as wide as an awning stripe.


I wore a black and white Bengal striped shirt in Germany one night out in the 8os and a group of girls kept calling me "Fleischer and Schlächter" which are German for butcher. The shirt was retired to my brother on my next leave.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

Douglas Brisbane Gray said:


> I wore a black and white Bengal striped shirt in Germany one night out in the 8os and a group of girls kept calling me "Fleischer and Schlächter" which are German for butcher. The shirt was retired to my brother on my next leave.


During that same go-go decade I once wore a pair of white duck trousers which a Dutch girl said made me look like a member of the Corsican mafia. To this day I have no idea whether that was meant as a compliment or an insult, tho' I suspect the latter. Nor did I ever discover how she came by her putative expertise regarding the sartorial leanings of the Mediterranean basin's organized criminal element.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Alex, further to the candy/bengal confusion, I note that Flusser's _Dressing the Man_ has the same usage that I was familiar with before this thread - i.e., bengal stripe narrower, candy stripe wider.

I have seen this sort of same-genre, opposite-meaning definitional tension/confusion once before. The word "peruse," as defined by Webster's, means: *1 a* *:* to examine or consider *with attention and in detail [or] b* *:* to look over or through in a *casual or cursory manner*.

Now, both definitions mean reading, just as both understandings of "bengal" relative to "candy" (and vice versa) agree that they mean a stripe, but one meaning says broader while another says narrower. These kind of dual/opposite meanings must get started, I think, by mistake. But after a certain point, the descriptive school of lexicography says they're equally valid.

I'm not really arguing anything here, just observing a parallel, and marvelling at how prevalent the confusion, if that's what it is, over the meaning of those two stripe terms has become. Arguing with AK regarding a matter of shirtings would be, it seems, a bit like arguing with the pope over catholic doctrine.


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## Douglas Brisbane Gray (Jun 7, 2010)

CuffDaddy said:


> Alex, further to the candy/bengal confusion, I note that Flusser's _Dressing the Man_ has the same usage that I was familiar with before this thread - i.e., bengal stripe narrower, candy stripe wider.
> 
> I have seen this sort of same-genre, opposite-meaning definitional tension/confusion once before. The word "peruse," as defined by Webster's, means: *1 a* *:* to examine or consider *with attention and in detail [or] b* *:* to look over or through in a *casual or cursory manner*.
> 
> ...


Whether you meant it or not it got a chuckle out of me, well played.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

CuffDaddy said:


> Alex, further to the candy/bengal confusion, I note that Flusser's _Dressing the Man_ has the same usage that I was familiar with before this thread - i.e., bengal stripe narrower, candy stripe wider.
> 
> I have seen this sort of same-genre, opposite-meaning definitional tension/confusion once before. The word "peruse," as defined by Webster's, means: *1 a* *:* to examine or consider *with attention and in detail [or] b* *:* to look over or through in a *casual or cursory manner*.
> 
> ...


As would arguing with the esteemed counselor over lexicographic issues ... but thank you for the kudos.

My definition of the two comes from their usage in the trade.

That said, if one considers the subject using simple logic, it is readily apparent that the stripes on a tiger - Catholic or otherwise - are a heck of a lot bigger than the stripes on a candy cane.










So on this one I'll just have to










:icon_smile:​


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## Il Signor Crispone (Jul 18, 2014)

On Jermyn Street what you call candy stripe would normally be called Bengal stripe, although it is quite a narrow one, so it's pushing it a bit in my opinion. I'm not sure what the width of stripes on a tiger have to do with it, I always thought the 'Bengal' part was simply down to where it was first woven.

I don't think the width of what you call Bengal stripe is the biggest problem - it's towards the wide end of the spectrum, but I think you can get away with it.

The major problem (unless my eyes and tape deceive me) is this. You mentioned that the stripes of both colours should be equal in width ("The stripes of a bengal stripe are _always_ equal in size."), which I agree with, but two of the examples you posted appear to have noticeably wider white stripes. Visual trickery can do funny things, but I've measured them on the screen and the difference certainly seems to be marked.

The black stripe has stripes of uniform width and I think that one qualifies, albeit as I say on the edge as far as the size of the stripes is concerned.

It's nice to have an article like this categorising the different varieties of stripe, but I think it could do with some revision.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

I noticed the same thing when this was originally posted 7 years ago. Kabbaz comes from an American background, so the names in American differ from the UK.


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## Il Signor Crispone (Jul 18, 2014)

Matt S said:


> I noticed the same thing when this was originally posted 7 years ago. Kabbaz comes from an American background, so the names in American differ from the UK.


Oops! I didn't look at the date.

You may well be right, and different terms have different meanings depending on where you are. A 'dress' shirt for example is a totally different thing on one side of the Atlantic to the other.


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## David A. (Mar 8, 2006)

Is there a similar thread that describes the standard names for necktie stripes? Also, I'd welcome more of Mr. Kabbaz's expertise on fabric patterns, expanding on his discussion of dobby and jacquard.


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