Krissy Turner Girl on a budget
Not just for picnicking: this is the budget print that keeps on giving
My appreciation of gingham probably goes back to my primary school years, and the morning each May when my mum would allow me to do an about turn with my uniform, switching from my grey pinafore and blue cardigan to my school summer dress.
I lived for that royal blue gingham frock. So light, so pretty and, with hindsight, so chic. With the coordinating hair scrunchie and frilly socks, I took matchymatchy to another level, and since I obviously couldn’t wear any other socks with that dress (the horror!), I had at least 10 pairs.
It perhaps explains why now, nearly two decades on,
I still welcome that moment in spring when gingham rears its chequered head again.
This season though, I took my fondness for the print further than Nineties royal blue and have happily branched out into lilac, yellow, black and red pieces in the print. Gingham is a classic, but as it’s so summery, the best time to buy it is now when many pieces are on sale. Stick to simple shapes (like this shirt dress by La Redoute which is now half price, and this sweet off-the-shoulder blouse from Uterqüe) and they’ll be favourites for years to come. I avoid bows and frills as they’re a little too close to school uniform, but am partial to a pretty checked sundress (head to H&M for the best ones).
Not that gingham is only for sunny days; it’s so versatile you’ll want to wear it to the office, too, in which case: trousers. I’d wear this high-waisted Topshop pair with a white blouse and backless loafers, and you could add a blazer to smarten the print up.
New Look has a nice selection of red gingham in the form of sun dresses, crisp shirts and tie-up sandals. Monki and Mango are doing great checked culottes which would be great on holiday, too – or go one better and head to Oysho for bikinis and onepieces in the print. At the colder end of the spectrum is the gingham trench coat. There have been a few on the high street, but Next’s was the best: at just £30, it sold out instantly and had me trekking to three different stores to hunt it down. But it’s back in stock now and is the ideal light jacket for summer through to autumn.
As I write this, I’m wearing a red tiered gingham smock dress, now on sale at Zara for £19.99. I also wore it dressed down with sandals on holiday: my sister said I looked like “a chic picnic blanket”. I’ll take it.
‘My sister said I looked like “a chic picnic blanket”. I’ll take it.’