5 Styles To Show Off A Gingham For Any Occasion

Ginghams are amongst the most versatile fabrics that one can think of. Lightweight and soft, ginghams are perfect to keep cool, both in temperature and fashion, during the warmer spring and summer seasons, and equally adept as a comfortable, stylish layer under your sweater for the fall and winter. Ginghams can look smart over formal pants or with a jacket and serve as trendy work-wear. At the same time, they can be thrown over jeans or light-washed khaki for an evening out with friends. Dress it up or tone it down- gingham can be made to give you any look your heart desires. Read on to find out your “Gingham style”.

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The Professional Look

Gingham fabric is widely used in the classical French and Italian tailoring to give a fresh and smart modern look. Pair a gingham shirt with a well-cut suit and a contrasting solid tie, and you will have created an elegant, stylish attire for an important executive meeting. Dress it down a notch with just a well-fitting shirt over formal pants for a trendy workplace look. For the more conservative professional, stick to the regular blue/white or black/white colors and small checks. Try the brighter red/white, purple/white or multicolored gingham with medium checks if you want to be bold.The gingham fabric is also used to make jackets, which look great over solid shirts and add a variation to the usual style.

Tough Look

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Ginghams have been associated with the countryside in the UK and with cowboys in America for a good reason…they can make you look hardy and tough! Don your classic gingham shirt with a leather jacket and boots, and you’ll have just the rough and wild look you wanted. Match it with accessories like a vintage watch and bracelets to complete the image.

Relaxed Look

In the 1963 James Bond movie From Russia with Love, actor Sean Connery is seen in a blue and white gingham check shirt with his swimming trunks, and in the 1965 movie Thunderball, he wears a pink and white gingham shirt with matching trunks. Put on a short-sleeve gingham shirt over shorts or capris for a chill-out day. Add a cap or hat, and a cool pair of shades, with comfortable sandals to finish the look. Alternatively, wear a plain T-shirt with gingham shorts or pants to catch some attention.

James Bond Connery looking Manly in Blue & Pink Gingham

Date Night Look

James Bond Connery looking Manly in Blue & Pink Gingham

“A well-tailored suit is to women what lingerie is to men.” So the key to getting her attention is definitely by “dressing to impress” and exuding confidence through your style. Ginghams are certainly the way to go! Wear a bold color gingham dress-shirt with smart casual pants or a nice pair of dark jeans (depending on where you are going) and a light sports jacket for a night out. Stick to small or medium checks for a more elegant look, and go with large checks for a confident, casual look. She’s bound to be mesmerized by your fashion sense.

Conservative Look

Ginghams have a large variation in terms of colors, patterns and check sizes, such that one can certainly find the style that suits them most. Yet, the conservative who finds an entire gingham shirt to be too bold can simply stick to using gingham in accessories. Bowties, ties, pocket squares, elbow patches- these small amounts of gingham can brighten any attire fashionably. Or simply wear the gingham shirt in trendy layers such that only a little bit of the shirt is showing, like the collars and the cuffs, or with a vest.

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Fun Facts about Gingham you should know

Gingham can be dated back to the 17^th century.
Gingham originated as a striped fabric, although now it’s more commonly seen in checks or plaid.
It got its name from the Malay language word “genggang”, which means striped.
Gingham fabrics have no right or wrong side with respect to color as the fibers are colored before weaving; the pattern is not printed on or dyed later. (Wikipedia)
Manchester United football team’s 2012/13 season’s home kit features the gingham checks to pay tribute to Manchester’s history of producing ginghams in their cotton mills since the 18^th century.
Gingham fabric was a big hit in the UK amongst males with their mod style in the 1950s and later 1970s.

Whether it is casual or formal, winter or summer, ginghams are a must-have for every man. Now that you know some ways to style gingham, it’s time to re-vamp your wardrobe!