Not all shirts can claim to unite cowboys, country music stars, Hollywood royalty and rock ‘n’ roll legends. The checked shirt is one of them, however, somehow becoming the brushed-cotton uniform of both lumberjacks (historically) and off-duty supermodels (presently).
It’s always had the stamp of cool, with fans including Kurt Cobain, who used to layer his shadow-plaid shirt over a band tee by The Stooges, and Kate Moss, who famously heralded its return on Bottega Veneta’s SS23 runway. But its foray into the world of high fashion started in earnest this spring, with a timely endorsement from The Row. The Olsen twins’ version is called the Nesson, a red-and-blue tartan which retails for £1,200. (The fact that you can source a checked shirt for £20 from most vintage stores did not seem to deter customers.)
The Nesson cropped up at the recent shows for Copenhagen Fashion Week, with one influencer pairing hers with the low-key bottom half of loose black trousers. Compared with other prints such as big-personality polka dots, it makes for a quieter display but one that suits multiple settings, from the down-to-earth (Adwoa Aboah’s Nesson went for a spin in a teacup ride earlier this summer) to the decidedly dressed-up (Tracee Ellis Ross wore a checked shirt and checked skirt to a private viewing of the Mona Lisa).
This is part of its beauty, of course, because while it happens to be trending, the checked shirt is as timeless as it gets. With Nothing Underneath, the shirting brand founded by Pip Durell, introduced two checked shirts in 2019. “Both sold out so we knew the demand was there,” she says, adding that her brand’s plaid-shirt offering has increased by 91 per cent this year compared to 2024.
The demand only looks set to continue this autumn, where the catwalks delivered classic versions, sometimes with a twist, at Willy Chavarria, Missoni, Isabel Marant and Calvin Klein Collection, whose checked shirt was a new spin on Americana (worn over a Henley, styled with khaki chinos). (It was a stand-out look in the first collection by the brand’s new creative director, Veronica Leoni, hence why it’s guaranteed to be on moodboards come next season.)
It’s also a headliner in new-in sections on the high street. Uniqlo makes some of the best checked shirts, period, with a cropped ombré version that’s £29.90. Marks & Spencer’s Western checked shirt, meanwhile, is 100 per cent cotton and similarly priced at £30. Influencer Louisa Hatt just owns one checked shirt from the menswear department at Uniqlo, which she wears on a weekly rotation to work, although she’s got her eye on another from WNU, “a green-and-blue plaid shirt in a cotton and merino blend. It feels classic but a bit moodier in tone, and the fabric makes it perfect for layering once it gets colder,” says Hatt.
Moody is one way to mix it up this autumn or simply opting for a slightly less everyday check (Massimo Dutti’s £89.95 cupro shirt has the fine lines of graph paper). Our Legacy’s Iowa flannel has a corset-inspired silhouette to cinch the shirt around your mid-section, while its collar is extra pointed and its cuffs pre-rolled. R13’s frayed hem gives it grunge credentials that could be lifted from the school of Cobain.
Whatever your check of choice - preppy or graphic, plaid or grid - your shirt doesn’t need much when it comes to styling. “It’s all about balance. I like pairing it with tailored trousers or dark barrel-leg jeans because the sharpness of those pieces plays really nicely against the laidback, oversized feel of the shirt,” says Hatt.
Bella Hadid, of course, went full cowgirl to compete at the PCCHA Derby Amateur Finals, held in Las Vegas, with a cherry gingham shirt, fringed chaps and a Stetson. If that feels too literal, use your shirt as a layering tool. Jalil Johnson, digital creator, packed his checked shirt for Copenhagen. His Polo Ralph Lauren plaid almost performed the role of a jacket, sitting on top of a white tee and a white button-down. He’s also fond of wearing a checked shirt like a belt, tying it around the waist or hips to give definition or a hint of print to block-coloured outfits.
Start experimenting now — and prepare to stand out in the sea of polka dots this September.
