There are more checks in fashion than shades of grey, including the aristocratic Prince of Wales and perennially chic houndstooth. This season, however, designers are getting down and dirty with the type of working-class check usually associated with grease beneath your fingernails and Cold Chisel playing in the background.
The bogan black-tie shirt, better known as a “flanno” or “flannie”, is a staple of many Australian wardrobes. It even appeared as a costume in the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where Adam Garcia led 1300 tap dancers in a routine paying tribute to generations of workers. Seeing similar check patterns on the Paris runways, without tap dancing and sweat, is as jarring as eating a meat pie with a glass of Ruinart champagne.
Chanel, Burberry and Celine have all given plaids the biggest luxury update since the grunge movement of the ’90s, launched by Nirvana and Marc Jacobs’ collection for Perry Ellis in 1992.
The latest luxe revival started in 2022 when supermodel Kate Moss appeared in designer Matthieu Blazy’s collection for Bottega Veneta, wearing a blue shirt that looked as though it could have been found on the racks at Lowes.
On closer inspection, the shirt was made of leather instead of flannel and came with a price tag of £4,300 ($8079), which you could normally spend on two or three whole racks at the Lowes checkout.
The same shirt recently turned up on Jacob Elordi in the final season of Euphoria, demonstrating the pattern’s unisex appeal.
(worn throughout). Senso “Bateau” shoes, $259.Hugh Stewart
Now the pattern has trickled through collections and is being worn in ensembles better suited to the lines outside Louis Vuitton than mosh pits.
At Celine, creative director Michael Rider layered plaid shirts over white turtlenecks and beneath black suit jackets, providing an unexpected burst of colour.
At Chanel, contrasting check skirts and shirts delivered the type of cool clash deserving of second looks, while plaid overshirts added edge to ladylike tweed skirts.
Rather than merely tapping into the pattern’s workwear roots, fuelled in the 19th century by US brands Pendleton and Woolrich creating the unofficial uniform for lumberjacks, Parisian designers are tapping into plaid’s distinguished origins in Scottish tartans and Indian madras.
Senso “Astro II” loafers, $249.Hugh Stewart
How to wear it
Worker style Just layer over a T-shirt, or singlet, jeans or trousers and your favourite pair of Blundstone boots (R.M. Williams if you’re going for squattocracy rather than city squatter).
To make the look intentional, give your shirt a light iron and roll up your sleeves with purpose.
Sunday style Wear a matching shirt and skirt set in unexpected fabrics such as silk or cotton. Boots will anchor the look in its working-class origins, but knee-high styles are a step ahead.
Saturday night Copy Celine’s styling trick and wear it beneath a blazer and over a turtleneck. Pick a cool night and prepare for a striptease inside warm restaurants.
Treat checks like animal print, offering instant interest to neutrals. Maintain the illusion by avoiding humming any Cold Chisel or Nirvana tunes.
