It’s time to go bold. At least that’s what designers like Christopher John Rogers, Molly Goddard, and more are dictating for Spring 2021. The checkerboard pattern is back, and the ‘90s and early-aughts trend is most reminiscent of brands like Trash and Vaudeville. This season, however, it has a more tailored appeal, departing slightly from its rock-and-roll roots and settling comfortably a few seats away. How to style checkered print pants, skirts, and shirts, you ask?
Consider everything from puffer jackets to high-waisted jeans, mixed in with classics like button-down shirts, black leather pants, and the like. Checkerboard print might be reminiscent of plaids, ginghams, and buffalo check, but it’s definitely the grungier sister of the group.
That said, this Spring, when you grab your favorite checkerboard pieces, consider styling them with some timeless classics to make them feel new, fresh, and yes, a bit more tailored than when they first started trending decades ago.
Ahead, find some inspiration — from the bold to the understated — when it comes to styling your checkerboards. And be sure to style the look with everything in your closet, embracing checkered pants and skirts, or shirts and bags.
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How To Style Checkered Pants
Embrace the print wholeheartedly with a head-to-toe checkered look like Tamu Mcpherson. Or you can even style checkered pants with a white tank top and a denim jacket for a quick coffee run.
How To Style A Checkered Shirt
Whether a light knit sweater or a crop top, the options are endless when it comes to styling a checkered shirt. Go head-to-toe checkered, or mix a top with more neutral elements. Want a more daring look? Go for mixed prints like plaid or polka dot, keeping your entire look in the same color family so it’s streamlined.
How To Style A Checkered Handbag
Dua Lipa chose to mix a checkered pattern into her look by way of a top-handle bag from Off-White. If you’re nervous about the trend, checkered accessories like hers are the way to go. Grab a pair of shoes, a handbag, or even a bucket hat in the print and throw it on with solid-color separates.
How To Style A Checkered Coat
Make a true statement by topping an all-black look with a checkerboard coat. It adds a great pop to an otherwise understated outfit.
How To Style A Checkered Skirt
Preen’s Fall 2020 show featured a harlequin take on the checkerboard trend, turning it on its side and slightly distorting the squares into diamonds. Styling this midi skirt with a graphic tee is a great way to get that high-low style everyone wears.
