From the tablecloths at Italian trattorias comes this season’s most ubiquitous trend—gingham tops. Indeed, the checkerboard print has quietly staged a comeback for 2025, saturating hot days with a sense of charm and class. In my opinion, there’s no better way to cement summer’s arrival than by method dressing in the print that is synonymous with warm weather activities—long picnics in London’s parks, alfresco lunches, sipping Aperol Spritz and roaming through long wild grasses in prairie fields.
“Gingham has that lovely mix of nostalgia and freshness,” explains Morgane Sézalory, the founder of perennially chic Parisian-based brand, Sézane. “After a few years of bold, graphic patterns, I think people are drawn to something that still makes a statement but in a softer, more timeless way,” she explains of its return. “It feels familiar, yet new again, especially in unexpected colours or silhouettes. And honestly, I think there’s something quite joyful about gingham. It lifts your mood instantly.”
Are Gingham Tops Still in Fashion?
Of course, the classic print has long held appeal to those in the know. The chequed motif’s most visible moment came in the form of Dorthy Gale’s iconic blue and white apron dress from The Wizard of Oz. (And subsequently Harry Styles’s custom Gucci rendition of this look during a Halloween performance in 2021 as part of his Love On Tour.)
Since the 1940s, it has been quickly adopted as part of the gamine uniform, with the aesthetic’s poster child, Audrey Hepburn, often spotted wearing gingham capri pants, including while off-duty in Rome, filming the film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 epic, War and Peace.
These days, however, the style has been adopted by discerning dressers wanting to inject their balmy ensembles with a sense of ease. In 2023, Margot Robbie kickstarted its comeback in a custom pink and white Prada two-piece set during the early stages of the Barbie press tour.
Style Notes: Margot Robbie wears a custom Prada look comprising of a pink gingham balconette top and mini skirt to the 2023 Cinemacon in Las Vegas.
The piece referenced the Milanese maison’s spring/summer 2023 menswear collection, though the print wasn’t touched again by the eponymous designer until Miu Miu’s most recent autumn/winter 2025 collection, where she presented a series of gingham trench coats and candy-coloured skirts.
Style Notes: Gingham on the Prada SS23 runway.
