Here is a spring trend to check out
AS SPRING starts to warm up, I crave a bit of lightness in my look.
The stores are awash with gingham and if you assiduously avoid red and white (best left to Bonne Maman jam lids and picnic cloths); the two-tone fabric can inject freshness and zing, without washing you out.
I happen to love gingham. It’s a fascinating fabric with a back story woven into the very history of dressmaking, as it was traditionally used to create test garments. It was elevated to star status in 1959 when Brigitte Bardot got married in a pink gingham dress, sparking shortages of the material throughout France.
For my money, it’s J.W. Anderson, the young Irish designer and all-round wunderkind, who shows at London Fashion Week and holds the Creative Director role at Loewe, who has sent the British High Street so gingham crazy; after creating an asymmetric black and white flounced gingham skirt last season that has inspired a slew of copies.
In fact, there’s a lovely Anderson-esque ‘deconstructed midi skirt’ at Asos at the moment (£32, asos.com), which might be worth a spring fling. The way to wear a quirky shape like this is with an unfussy top in navy or black and black court shoes.
GRANTED, some gingham pieces are easier to wear than others. Offthe-shoulder tops are strictly for holidays and picnics, as far as I’m concerned.
Blouses are far easier, and there’s a terrific piece at Zara (£25.99, zara.com) with a relatively high neckline and an exaggerated sleeve, which is grown-up and elegant.
If it’s just a touch of gingham you are after, check out the Vichy ballerina flats at Bimba y Lola (£135, bimbaylola.com), which are delightful.
I’m rather partial to a bit of gingham outerwear. I feel slightly smug as I invested in a candyfloss pink gingham blazer from J Crew last summer (bit of an impulse I admit, but I was going to Wimbledon); and it still looks great.
But my real showstopper is an elevated gingham trench by my favourite designers, Preen. I wore it all through fashion month and haven’t stopped since.
In truth, it’s not quite gingham — more a sleek twill that’s just gorgeous to the touch, and the checks are in the subtlest pink (think Farrow & Ball ‘Calamine’) and blue, which softens the effect.
If you want to invest in a piece that you’ll wear for the next ten years, it’s on matchesfashion.com with a hefty reduction (£978 down to £586).
Speaking of Preen, the dynamic designer duo have created a capsule collection of eminently affordable gingham pieces for their new Studio by Preen range for Debenhams.
I like the navy and white gingham shirt for £49 and the relaxed gingham trench (£99) that would look lovely for weekends over jeans — have a look at debenhams.com.
But the High Street gingham coat that really cuts it as elegant workwear is from Next (£30, next.co.uk): Faye Dunaway swagger guaranteed.
Gingham isn’t the only heritage check on designers’ minds now. Swathes of Prince of Wales checks and menswear tweeds are coming in to stores this season and next.
A Prince of Wales check blazer would be a savvy buy. The silhouette is key, however. If in doubt think back to Princess Di’s 80s/90s wardrobe on show at Kensington Palace.
If the shape’s a subtle inverted triangle and you can picture Diana pairing it with denims and a scoop Versace black tank, you’ve got it right.
The Red magazine team and I are looking at Zara’s oversized version (£59.99, zara.
com) and Isabel Marant Etoile’s fabulous blazer (£370,
mytheresa.com). Both safe bets. See you at the checkout.