Trend Watch: Plaids, Checkers, and Micro-checks
A summer trend born in California heats up for fall
Written by SAM GLASER
As summer becomes a lucid memory, fall fashion traditionally offers an opportunity to stow away summer pieces, retread old outerwear favorites, and experiment with layering new pieces. On the business side fashion trade shows and markets are normally packed with brands competing to unveil the next hot look for the cold seasons ahead.
Brand innovation for fall ’09 was minimal. Designers took already popular plaids and checks, added brighter colors, and shrank the patterns. A surging category of “micro-checks” emerged. Similar to the plaids and checkers from which micro-checks descended, summer’s prevailing trend is just getting started.
It’s not surprising that a trend is born in California. But this past summer, the style of the moment did not gain traction in Los Angeles alone. While Hollywood can single handedly launch a fashion craze, plaid-appeal accelerated even further south. With influence from western Americana heritage, popularized by the action sports cultures in San Diego and Orange County, and certified by the A-list, a fashion movement materialized.
To be fair plaids are not a recent creation. The patterns first appeared with Scottish and Irish “tartan” fabrics dating back to the 3rd century AD. In modern fashion, haute couture has used these patterns for decades, Burberry most recognizably. But once action athletes and celebrities got involved, a critical mass took interest.
With plaids and checkers in at the moment, look for large prints to give way to subtler micro-patterns. Also look for bolder color palettes and unusually bright colors for fall. Judging by what we’ve seen at the past trade shows and markets, these patterned button ups should last well into 2010.
Sam Glaser is the Buyer for Lifeanddeathclothing.com, Solis on Market, Soliscompany.com, and is a graduate of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Comments, suggestions, or questions? samglaser@soliscompany.com
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