Houndstooth: fashion with bite!

Just as we’re heading for spring amidst a wash of floaty florals, that coveted northern hemisphere is pumping out a multitude of bold fall styles. That means something to look forward to in six months’ time and, unless you’re a regular on US fashion blogs, you can say you heard it here first.

Houndstooth has re-emerged as a must have for the colder seasons up north, and I must say it’s a trend that I could certainly take on. It takes confidence and finesse to wear it en masse, but in small doses it can be the win in an otherwise dreary off-season outfit.

I will forever associate houndstooth with Gwen Stefani. She’s incorporated it into her signature style ever since the days of No Doubt, and then introduced it as attainable fashion for the world through her L.A.M.B empire.

Whether you’re a fan or not, you can certainly see it makes a bold statement if done with taste, and a blurry-eyed can of crazy if you take it to the extreme. But what more would you expect from the Gaga? Both KK and Gaga are rocking Salvatore Ferragamo’s Fall 2011 dress – and like the Miu Miu swallow print, the pattern is the feature of the entire fall line. However, I would suggest working one element at a time – unless you’re looking to jump on the insane Gaga bandwagon. The ad shows you all the pieces together, but that’s not necessarily how anyone in their right mind would stomp that out in everyday life.

Evan Rachel Wood does it nicely here, making the houndstooth shoes pop as a feature of her androgynous suited style. Similarly a flat clutch against a plain black (or white) backdrop would ooze old-school glamour and fashionista prowess. Or for a more subtle look, a pair of houndstooth tights carry over some fashion factor to an otherwise plain outfit. I’ve seen some sweet ones in Farmers with the pattern in dark purple and black, and I’d say you could find some in other muted colours like grey or blue, if you didn’t quite want the contrast of black and white but you otherwise like the look.