The understated check shirts won’t change the world any time soon, like many other fashion classics. However, the checked shirt is the practical mate we all need, a reliable Eddie who won’t let you down (as long as you dress them right) in a world of frivolous flowered shirts and cunning Cuban collars.
You must already have a few in your closet, but if for some reason you don’t, don’t panic. There will always be alternatives accessible in stores come summer or winter thanks to their reputation as a style mainstay that is unaffected by the chopping and changing of fashion seasons and fads.
The two-tone buffalo check shirt from American heritage brand Woolrich was the first check shirt variation that is documented to have existed around 1850. It was inspired by a tartan pattern that belonged to the clan of the Scottish robber Rob Roy McGregor, which was worn before plaid patterns were mostly outlawed in Britain during the 17th century.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
According to Pettet, “Clean lines, uncomplicated designs, and simple colours will ensure that your purchase doesn’t date.” Warmer tones are ideal for autumn and are becoming more popular. Fresh blues, indigos and ecrus always appear trendy.
Pettet advises using various textures and fabrics to provide an additional aspect to your “fit” to modernise this classic look. A fabric with some substance will add some intrigue and new life to this style and prevent the checks from feeling too flat. Options include linen-cotton blends, seersucker in the summer, brushed cotton and flannels in the autumn.
BUFFALO CHECK SHIRTS
The buffalo check, the original in the world of checkered shirts, has the ability to instantly change even the most innocent altar boy into a cunning bad guy. It’s all due to the outfit’s tough workwear roots and the long list of badass fashion icons, including Kurt Cobain and David Beckham, who have pulled it off throughout the years.
The buffalo check is a strong, straightforward, and useful pattern made up of huge, equal-sized squares of two or three distinct colours that are striped. Even if it’s still getting over associations with bearded baristas from 2012, red and black are timeless. Whatever shade you choose, it is much more appropriate for the wide outdoors than the stuffy workplace.
MADRAS SHIRTS
The Madras shirt, like plaid, actually refers to the name of the fabric, not the check, and gets its name from the earlier name of Chennai, a city in southern India. Its extremely short cotton fibres make it exceedingly light, but they also cause tiny bumps to grow throughout the production process, giving it a distinctive appearance akin to seersucker. Flowy in both design and execution.
GINGHAM CHECK SHIRTS
The most refined check on the checkerboard, gingham is typically made of white and various red or blue tones. In the summer, it is more likely to be found on medium-weight cotton yarn or linen rather than being woven into a plaid cloth. In the 1960s, the mods and the British brand Ben Sherman appropriated it as a fashion statement. It was typically worn as part of the mod uniform, tucked into jeans with braces on top, though preppy variations can also work.
TARTAN SHIRTS
Tartan check has come to stand for fashion luxury, from the many Scottish clans that have their own distinctive tartan patterns to the many brands that have adopted them (Vivienne Westwood, Burberry, Aquascutum, and Barbour, to name just a few). It mostly depends on the patterns’ distinctiveness, which will affect shirting just as much as a kilt would.
WINDOWPANE CHECK SHIRTS
Nobody places the windowpane check in the corner, big and bold. It can be identified by the huge rectangular outlines that smugly sit over a background of a different colour. It will attract notice because of the prominent contrasted squares, making it challenging to wear.
PRINCE OF WALES CHECK SHIRTS
The Prince of Wales check is a symbol of dapper British design and is more frequently seen on outerwear items like winter jackets and winter overcoats. Its huge squares team up with a black or brown-and-white check with a vein of contrasting blue, pink, red or green overcheck, giving it the name of a recognised fashion icon the Duke of Windsor when he was known as the Prince of Wales.
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