Checks are hot this winter

Come Fall and we quickly fall back into our favourite pattern for the season — checks. There is something instinctively cosy about these squares that come readily in two different colours, preferably — white and black.

According to designer Ashish N. Soni, checks along with plaids share the top positions in the sartorial race for being timeless classics. He says, “In fashion when you cross a minimalism-inspired age, trends become incredibly down-to-earth.   And what’s more down-to-earth than checks? Checks as we know are much simpler and sleeker than a plaid. They are usually squares of two different colours while plaids consist of crossed horizontal and vertical bands. Plaids involve varying widths of striping so you can really get creative with that.” He adds, “We have so many different versions of both these patterns that they can be seen on everything from woollen coats to slouchy cool-girl separates and easy shirt dresses. There are Tartan, Tattersall, Windowpane, Madras, Gingham, Glen, Windowpane, The Prince Of Wales check, among several others.

“Checks are practical and checks are not kooky. They have a pleasantly soothing appearance, like a crisp sheet of graph paper,” says designer Jyoti Sachdev Iyer. Explaining about the styling tricks, she adds, “The trick to styling a check is not to treat it too differently. Simply put — style it as you would a stripe: just as a striped collar peeking over the top of a sweater is a classic approach, and a striped T-shirt looks good glimpsed under a cardigan or gilet, so the check will look chicer in small doses. Ease your way in. But be careful: don’t over do it. This pattern also presents a perfect opportunity for colour-blocking, especially in classic black and white colour. You can style it with basic colours to make its artful grid lines the centerpiece of your look. And if you are game for some mixing-up action, then pairing this print with more subtle and concentrated patterns like polka dots, plaids or even ginghams are fun and chic ways to adopt the style.”

Whether you opt for a large or small check, geometric or diagonal, bold monochrome or a delicate pastel, there is something for everyone — just keep yourself in check, shares Gaurav Raheja, chief product officer at Arvind Fashion Brands Ltd. He suggests, “Men who don’t wear patterns or colours could wear tartan. Besides that, a red long sleeve check shirt is a total must-have when it comes to this pattern. For a smarter take on this classic piece, pop over a suede leather jacket and a pair of trainers. This combination will give you the chance to play around with different textures and fabrics such as plaid and suede. Also, there’s good news for men who want to adopt a classic plaid suit. In contemporary menswear terms, ‘plaid’ refers to three individual fabric patterns that create interesting depth in the aesthetic of the suit: windowpane, glen plaid and Prince of Wales. When it comes to the workday, the plaid suit is super-sartorial. The individual components can be worn separately to more relaxed, stylish events.”