…and Classic Design. FABRIC THAT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME: You can resort to wearing this even if it’s not exactly considered “RESORT” wear.
STYLE! Kirsten Dunst (cute in gingham dress), Jackie Kennedy (this woman made even wearing gingham look chic) & Marc Jacobs (a sophisticated gingham shirt on model.) A little bit goes a long way with this fun fabric.
Personally the design reminds me of an old fashioned Italian style picnic. But that is why I love my gingham lined wicker picnic basket & pieces of gingham paper lined small wicker trays for storing cheese in the fridge. In summer I sometimes wear a head scarf on the beach with denim on one side & you guessed it….gingham on the other, conjuring up images of Annette Funicello in the movie beach blanket bingo. Don’t even remember the movie but I’m sure they had loads of fun shooting it. Gingham is a timeless piece when it’s not overdone – or It can be too cutesy.
my picnic basket requires nice weatherSean Connery wears a manly Gingham shirt as James Bond – nothing cutesy about him.
FYI The word “gingham” is derived from the Malay word “genggang” meaning striped. Gingham fabric first started off as a stripe pattern when it was first imported to Europe in the 17th century, but crazy folks making fabrics in Manchester England experimented with check versions. Over time the word gingham evolved to be mostly associated with the check pattern.
In the 50s, women wore gingham dresses, but men rarely wore gingham shirts. We know this from watching a few episodes ofMad Men.
In 1963, James Bond (Sean Connery) sported a large blue and white gingham check shirt with his swimsuit in From Russia with Love. Casual stuff.
At some stage (guessing it was in the 70s) someone designed a tablecloth with this pattern and became very successful. Since then gingham has been cursed with the name “table cloth pattern”.
In the 80s and 90s, bankers never took gingham seriously. Neither Patrick Bateman nor Gordon Gekko would even consider wearing it to work.
Even Nike has a cool Gingham style print
At some stage, perhaps due to marketing of Ralph Lauren, gingham dress shirts went mainstream. Natty British socialites wore them to rugby matches. Suburban WASPS embraced gingham as the perfect shirt to wear under their blue blazer with their white pants when they went to the country club. Glenn Beck wore them on TV. Frat boys wore them to class. Now wearing a shirt or dress can be fashionable when kept simple.
Fun Fact: Dorothy wore a blue gingham dress in the Wizard of Oz –One of my all time favorite movies.
My very first Henley was a waffle cotton knit bodysuit in dove grey ordered from the Victoria’s Secret Catalogue. That started my love for this type of casual shirt.
I find this one from Garbe an impeccably constructed shirt in one of the most luxurious mercerized cottons. It’s a take on the classic henley but with a bit of an edge with details like italian buttons and raw seams. Comfy yet sophisticated. Note: It is NOT a bodysuit.
grey henleyI wear these 3 more than I’d like to admit.Monique in her Garbe
Trivia: They were so named because this particular style of shirt was the traditional uniform of rowers in the English town of Henley-on-Thames.
Originally quite popular in the early 1970s, Henley shirts have recently made a fashion comeback.
In his biography of Ralph Lauren, the journalist Michael Gross quotes a New York merchant who recalled showing a vintage shirt to a Ralph Lauren buyer: “I showed this fellow underwear—a three-button long-sleeve shirt by Johnstown Knitting Mills. He said, ‘This is a new shirt.’ That’s where he got the idea for the Henley shirt.”
Let’s revisit the artful jesus (pronounced he-zeus) fernandez lingerie collection from Buenos Aires. Incorporating the fine art of corsetry, every piece is hand made by a dedicated team that put passion into every single stitch.
You can take an additional 20% off purchase with mention of this blog for the whole month of November. Please note: whatever you see on website is what is available – no more of these limited editions or one-of-a-kind will be produced. French Sizes as marked – please check sizing sheet to find your equivalent size.
Le babydoll – in Italian satin – all different designs“Le Bodie” Couture Collection
It’s called footcandy….that IS the name of the store in St. Helena (Napa) California. What I realized is that a good MANolo is never hard to find in this town.
VINCE CAMUTO…to name just a few. All this while in the midst of a camping trip in Napa wine region. I had the nerve to set foot in this store wearing comfortable Naotsandals from Israel – the equivalent of Birkenstocks only slightly better looking.
Never enough studsMore studs pleaseThis brings the flat up a notchLip service I can handleSo very Kate Spade – oh it is Kate Spade
Bring out your inner geek
The real question is…can I get away wearing any of these CAMPING?
Dorothy wore a blue gingham dress in the Wizard of Oz – One of my all time favorite movies.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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