Probably, many women will agree with leading designers’ statement, that check is the most problematic pattern on cloth. It distorts figure proportions inevitably, accentuates attention not on your undoubted advantages at all, and is rejected by dress code resolutely.

 

Probably, many women will agree with leading designers’ statement, that check is the most problematic pattern on cloth. It distorts figure proportions inevitably, accentuates attention not on your undoubted advantages at all, and is rejected by dress code resolutely.
 
And nevertheless, we still love checked materials. However, leading fashion houses also love them and invent variations of check in their collections almost every season. Autumn-winter/2006-2007 season is no exception.
 
Actual collections contain lots of check. Several factors can explain this. Firstly, check is associated with comfort and warmth of childhood in many people. You know, most girls definitely had funny bright checked skirts and trousers. Secondly, check is very multifarious - it can be very motley, life-loving in its color spectrum, and strict, elegant black-and-white. And this means, it can suit almost any case in our many-sided life. Thirdly, check is firstly associated with plaid, and this means that same comfort, warmth and softness of flannel or high-quality woolen cloth, which are so useful in a cold season.
 
 
In general, you won’t be able to hide from this trend, and we should just choose an appropriate variant. By the way, this will accentuate the fact that we are modern sophisticated ladies. You know, check was ignored by Haute Couture until a certain period, as they considered it unworthy of their top-heavy criteria. It managed to take a deserved place only in XX century. And if we choose check today, this shows breadth of our views and tendency for the most modern approaches to fashion.
 
However, we should admit, that this season designers use check not just resolutely, but quite aggressively too. They disprove some common truths. For example, for a long time it was considered that only one number could be checked. Say, in a set with a checked skirt you should wear a monochrome jacket and white blouse, and you could wear checked trousers only with a monochrome trench coat. Checked things were also good with leather jackets.
 
Today everything has changed. Check caused so wild access of tenderness, that it is used to the maximum this season. As a result, we can see, for example a checked russet woolen coat by Sonia Rykiel in a set with a checked cap and skirt. Even Chanel, being a follower of classic elegance, offers a combination of a long shepherd’s check skirt with a slinky short-cut shepherd’s plaid jacket of same color spectrum.
 
 
In principle, today almost all numbers of woman’s wardrobe can have such coloring - from traditional (like skirt and trousers) to most unexpected (for example, handbags, gloves or boots). In most extreme variants you can choose a complete attire of such coloring (especially considering modern passion for thick leggings or tights). However, you still shouldn’t run to such extremes.
For a woman, who is not disposed to radical experiments with her wardrobe, we recommend choosing more usual things. To a lesser degree this concerns trousers or trouser suits today (Emanuel Ungaro, Peter Jensen, Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera). However, they are made in a muted modest color spectrum, check is thin, almost refined, and that’s why such suits are quite appropriate today even for a business-woman. Besides, they have quite classical silhouettes.
 
 
You can see much more variety in skirts and jackets today. Michael Kors offers a long skirt with untreated edge and calm color spectrum (dark-blue, black, brown). DKNY has quite opposite approaches - this is a short checked tulip skirt with asymmetrical lap and strict black-and-white drawing.
 
 
We have the same wide choice as for jackets’ cuts and colorings. These can be baize pea-jackets; military jackets with complicated glamorous check of unexpected colors (even such unexpected tones as turquoise and pink can be used); short-cut A-shape jackets in the sixties style with more graphical, two-colored check; avant-garde jackets with complicated draperies, resembling kilts.
 
 
But if you want to choose only one checked thing, you should choose a coat for this season. It’s clear, that you should search for best variants in Burberry collection. However, actual coats’ silhouettes are softer today, more plastic - big turn-down collars, patch pockets, double-breasted fastener, A-shape bell-bottomed silhouette.
 
Among other variants there’re interesting Etro offers with a traditional plaid coloring and short-cut wide sleeves, meant for long gloves; Max Mara offers long straight “greatcoat” silhouette, very big turn-down collar and very big dark check; Sportmax offers tippets and pelerines.
 
 
And if you want to restrict yourself only with one small detail, then you should choose scarves or pashminas of calm color spectrum in classical plaid coloring - brown, beige, red, black.