One check piece looks sensible and straight-faced, but two worn together looks surprising
I’m torn between whether to call this look Checkmate, or Squares Squared. Either way, you get the idea. You take one checked piece of clothing and add another. Fashion maths often has a skewed geometry all of its own and this is one of those moments. Adding check on top of check has the opposite effect from the one you would imagine. One checked piece looks sensible and straight-faced. This blazer, for example, bought a few years ago from Topshop, looks responsible-but-not-totally-boring when I wear it with a midi-length dress; this tartan blouse from Rag & Bone is an old favourite for the shot of instant energy it will add to a pair of black trousers. But two checked pieces looks surprising. When I wear these together, the tone shifts from workmanlike to positively woo-woo.
A similar thing happens when you pile up florals: two or more pieces is far less pretty, less tame, than one. Checks have been happening in fashion for a few seasons and, this autumn, the check-on-check trend was everywhere. At Chanel, woollen coats in oversized windowpane checks were layered over houndstooth tweed trouser suits for a look that was both dapper and flamboyant. At Victoria Beckham, a muted checked wool blazer and a softly checked shirt – either of which would have looked like traditional, understated, English-country-weekend chic on their own – made an eyecatching ensemble worn together, and styled with a crossbody bag and highlighter-neon court shoes.
Related: How to wear: bourgeois chic | Jess Cartner-Morley
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