Fashion Brief
Gingham has an image problem – it is too squeaky clean for its own good. Homemade jam, Dorothy’s pinafore in The Wizard Of Oz, pigtail ribbons and picnic baskets. This is all very appealing, but the thought process when I see gingham in a shop goes something like: 1) “Oooh, that’s pretty.” 2) “That would be a perfect dress for days when I’m… um, skipping through meadows?” 3) “On second thoughts, maybe I need another pair of grey trousers instead.”
But gingham can be grown up. Our icon here is Jackie Kennedy, on holiday in Cape Cod circa 1961. (She had an excellent gingham set of capri pants and matching shell top; also, a full-skirted sundress.) Worn this way, gingham is relaxed and summery, but polished. It’s a look that still works: Taylor Swift, in gingham shirt with high-waisted shorts, tennis shoes and red lipstick, is a modern version.
The New York shows for this season went crazy for gingham, and since no one does crisp, urban summer dressing like Manhattanites, I paid close attention. First, colour. Yellow and pink are a little babyish, so stick to blue (sky or navy), or black. Black and white gingham is pure 50s bombshell, as Diane von Furstenberg knew very well when she opened her spring/summer 2015 show with Bardot-like model Lily Donaldson, honey-blond hair cascading over the shoulders of a curvy monochrome gingham wrap dress. Worn like this, the challenge is to keep it chic and sophisticated rather than bubblegum-sexpot. (Unless bubblegum-sexpot is your go-to look, in which case: go, you.)
Blue-and-white gingham is much less racy, but it feels aspirational to wear, in a perfect-summer-lifestyle kind of way. To elevate it, go for slightly grand shapes: the sort of thing Audrey Hepburn would wear, with a ponytail and ballet pumps – a full skirt, balloon sleeves or a crisp collar. Jackie, Brigitte, Audrey: those broads wore gingham, but they did not wear pinafores. They looked great at picnics, but you can bet they weren’t the ones making the sandwiches. And summer doesn’t get much better than that.
• Jess wears top, £15, and skirt, £25, both monki.com. Sandals, £220, kurtgeiger.com.
Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Fashion assistant: Hannah Davidson. Hair and makeup: Sharon Ive at Carol Hayes Management.
