Thursday, June 30, 2011

Kenny's In the House of Gingham

It's Not the Man Who Would Be Gingham, It's the man who IS GINGHAM. Long live the Gingham.
30th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Tomorrow is Canada Day which means everybody outside of Quebec will be reflecting on our vast nation and thanking goodness for a day off. We would too, here in Montreal, but the majority of us are moving house, or helping people move house or skulking off to the countryside feeling guilty about not helping somebody move house. Anyway, that's enough politics, time to get on with the show.
Meet Kenny--who took time out of his busy day helping people celebrate the weekend and agreed to this shot. Showing off an ultra fine-thread Black and White Gingham mélange two-toner that is pretty rare in these parts. It's no longer available as far as any rag trade insider I spoke to knew. They used to call it a Jockey Style Cut in my granny's era but that term is going out of circulation these days. Time for a new textile term: The King Kenny.


The Royal Exhange: My Gingham for your Horse
Meanwhile, I promised you footage from London. The editor over at  Livvy Jam's sent this one in of Adam Griffin who shares a triple-tone Not Gingham special, with some artistic atmosphere thrown in.

"OMG! I'm on Got Gingham!"
And lastly, how about some Audrina Partridge, who I understand happens to be getting a lot of work in Hollywood these days. Black and White Gingham rules the set.


GOT GINGHAM? send it to gotgingham@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Game, Set and Matt!

Rolls Royce? Of course it's still for sale...oh, you mean the Gingham? No way.
29th June, 2011 (Montreal)--With Wimbledon in full swing tennis fans are probably wondering who's going to win the title this year. Not our latest star, Matt who couldn't give a toss about tennis. Matt is a historian and cares about the past and sure--tennis is here to stay and good for those who enjoy it. Matt prefers to travel the world and take part in its history, collecting things along the way and sharing them with us. First up is that Beatles pic on the wall, pretty much taken at their prime, if the Rolls Royce is anything to go by. Next up is this amazing Denim-Blue Gingham Rocker Matt is sporting. It must have fallen off a time machine from 1968. He refused to reveal it's source, which frankly, proves he's legit.

John Lennon Storms out of Wimbledon in his Gingham Coat
Another amazing fact is that the Beatles were never Tennis fans. This, together with Matt's own apathy towards the overgrown game of lawn pong make for what historians might call a pretty straight forward connection  between Matt and the Beatles. Basically, Matt is the next best thing we have for the moment, until another bunch of Beatles come along. Now, if you think it's a bit of a stretch, this link between Matt and the Beatles by way of not-caring-about Tennis, that's ok. Here's another reason. John Lennon and Matt both GOT GINGHAM!

Those who got it send it to gotgingham@gmail.com

Tommorow: Gingham from London!
Don't forget, Got Gingham Got Canada Day Off
So July 2nd You Gotta Get Your Own Gingham

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Got Gingham Gets another Contributor

The Greeks might have invented philosophy, but what's the point if you can't think in Gingham?


28th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Thank Jessica Petunia. She's already got a busy camera career without us hassling her for overtime yet somehow Jessica was able to squeeze in this shot for us. Here we have a very pensive Jean-Maxime making it a new day dawning in his Blue Gingham button-down. I think this is our first button-down for a while, so take notice Gingham Getters, could be a while till the next one.

Top reason to visit Amsterdam
Cat's Got Gingham
Meanwhile, this was sent from one of our contributors in Amsterdam. Hats are capping it off with Melissa and friend cruising the Amstel River or somewhere near. Don't tell me this is hounds-tooth. In a blur, we're calling it Gingham.

Monday, June 27, 2011

GIRL'S GOT a FORTY FIVE!

A picture's worth a thousand hits to our website
27th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Introducing our first female Gingham Getter! Meet Shevon, who was quite happy to share with us this vision of perfect Blue Gingham in the sunshine. Caught having a daydream on the steps of Place Bonaventure, she is now taking part in ours. Just thankful enough that Shevon would agree to be a personality for our Street Scenes Feature, I am afraid I never asked so have no idea where this fancy number comes from. Note how the pockets go off at Forty Five°, which is why this cut is often referred to as a Forty Five amongst  the purist Gingham Getters. Generally it's the cowboy-style designers who opt for this orientation of the pockets, whereas dress shirts tend to have the pockets aligned. Either way, Shevon (not pronounced "Syo-ban") has Got Gingham and that's more than enough for us. If I bump into her again I'll see if she'll let us know where to score some more.



Meanwhile, here is an example of the Sea of Gingham submitted to us the day before St-Jean Baptiste last week:


Those who get it are sending their pics to gotgingham@gmail.com

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Gingham in the Nick of Time

Argot Gingham!
26th June, 2011 (Montreal) Whoa--almost ran out of material. Luckily today's Got Gingham Getter is Nicholas Garnier St-Aubin who just came back from Paris and Poland with this triple-tone TKO Not Gingham shirt nobody else in town can get their hands on. Here we see Nicholas  moonlighting as a special agent for the capitalist system, when in real life most people know him as the Montreal Branch Manager of the Quebecois Arsenal  F.C. Supporters Club.

Fond of travel, sport, politics and of course nice long walks and quiet nights at home next to the fire with an intelligently written book and somebody cuddly, Nick is also a man about town, ready for action and can keep the party going till the early light just by talking in a North Paris Ghetto accent as a joke. Basically he's a do-it-all, as generations of the St-Aubin clan have proved before him. But what's the point of being a renaissance man who does everything? Most people don't care what you do, they just care what you got. Luckily for us, Nick's Got Gingham.

Why go to Paris for your Gingham, when Paris will come to you?
Meanwhile talking of North Paris Ghettos, I passed this 2cv last night ready to take a 'fake' gingham shot pretending the car was actually in France, when some guy called Guillaume came screaming down the street marveling at the sight of this Dolly from his home province in France. The '94' in the license plate number signifies his region, which is what got him so excited. Apparently it's the region of suburbs that surround Paris, but I just couldn't get his North Paris Ghetto accent. My first assumption was that he wanted to start burning it. Since he's almost Got Gingham, and I'm modeling my new Gingham Flannel Grunge Revival shirt bought for $3 last week in a street sale, let's go to the outskirts of Paris together and talk in our North Paris Ghetto Argot in our Gingham.



Guillaume's not the only Gingham Getter, here is a sweet little window display on Blvd. St-Laurent that is cashing in on our weakness for pink, I mean Gingham:
Grab that cloth and make a slit in it to wear as a poncho
Send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Pumping Gingham!

What's the point of working out if you ain't Got Gingham?
25th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Meet Jad, our latest star at Got Gingham. It's amazing how fast news travels, not two days ago did we feature Wassim, and next thing you know his brother here--Jad, finds out about it. Then I realize the two guys are brothers and they both Got Gingham! Here we see Jad in a special Four-tone denim trim Original with special epaulettes you just don't see everywhere.
"Gingham in the Rain...what a glorious feeling, we're happy again..."
Just back from a major fitness-freak session down at the gym, I stopped Jad on his way to work and begged for a family reunion here on the pages of Got Gingham. Of course he obliged, that's what brothers do.
Meanwhile, to prove how Jad is in such great company, here is a random candid shot taken on Sherbrooke Street in Montreal yesterday sent in by a loyal contributor. Even in the rain, this lady's Got Gingham! There is an army of us.



SEND YOUR GINGHAM GETS TO gotgingham@gmail.com

Gas you had to be there
And since were talking of pumping gingham: fave link of the day from
ms gingham.com

Friday, June 24, 2011

Joy Is St-Jean Baptiste In Montreal

Gingham Flag Flying high above Marseille on St-Gingham-Baptiste Day
Jour de la fête Nationale du peuple québécois 24th, June, 2011 (Montreal)--Today is the day we in Quebec show off our uniqueness and special place in comparison to the rest of the rest of the country in such a way that even the Republic of Texas would be jealous. Fact is, I like to view St-Jean Baptiste much like St. Patrick's Day: a day when everybody can celebrate their inner quebecois.
But if your quebecois-ness is on the inside, then how can anybody know? Oh-oh, I've just touched on a heavy subject bordering on philosophy, in otherwords: identity. The best way to ever start an argument or fight is to call into question somebody's identity. No matter how much we strip away our worldly attachments or accoutrements (which is somehow an English word) we still end with one thing: our body. Yet no matter where in the World we stand, in the hot or the cold, we will always find some part of the body we want to cover up, and as soon as that happens, what do you see: identity! So if you have to stand up for something you might as well choose something enduring, something that is instantly recognizable, unambiguous and immediately up front.
So of course I identify with the place of my birth and look on in awe at the fact for 500 years my forefathers and mothers trod these streets in the most extreme weather and conditions, keeping things alive. Of course I identify with the English speakers of the World as they carried this tongue around the globe so now it has become the Global Lingua Franca.
Yet, I've crossed this continent from East to West and North to South several times over, and nothing amazes me more than the Gullah people of the Sea Islands who still speak African dialects. Off the coast of Georgia on little islands, they speak a tongue that relates to the exact era and place in Sierra Leone the speakers ancestors came from. And so too I am amazed by my brothers and sisters around me here in La Belle Province who still speak a rendition of French that time forgot. A taste of Normandy that is no longer there, the salts of Pas de Calais and Boulogne long since dissolved. But here in Quebec, we have treasure.
From Portland to Madagascar, from Quebec to Kyoto, the Gingham Flag is recognized as the bringer of Joy and Inspiration
Moi, Je suis fier d'être quebecois, but more importantly, I am proud to be alive. And if you're alive, you gotta cover up. And if you gotta cover up, then there's no other way unless you Got Gingham. So yeh, long way to say, Vive Le Quebec Gingham, we're making today our day too.

Look like what you are. Gingham Getters are sending their shots to gotgingham@gmail.com

Thursday, June 23, 2011

No Taking the Mickey Out Of Gingham

Partisan or Red Star? Who cares, Miomir's GOT GINGHAM!


23rd June, St-Jean Baptiste Eve, 2011 (Montréal)--Today I had enormous difficulty landing a Got Gingham shot for all you Got Gingham Getters. Just as I would see somebody in Gingham, I'd lose them. I came back to HQ dispondent, then I remembered our new email inbox and find this pic from one of the Got Gingham Getters who follow this page. Quoted with the attachment came the following words: "Young Serbian named Miomir (Mickey) with a Gingham-lined dress shirt attending a fancy banquet for the CACUSS Conference, T-dot, 2011" Sorry I can't confirm the provenance of this shirt, but considering Mickey's flying the mighty Serbian Flag in the form of a True Orthodox Gingham Collar-Cuff Combo (to borrow a Boxing term) we might as well claim it comes from behind the goal of Red Star Belgrade where the home fans stand.



Our contributor Anurag Dhir sent this Gingham Get to gotgingham@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

We Never Met a Mike We Didn't Like!

Follow me to the Land of Milk and Honey and Double Gingham

Got Gingham Hotline, can we help you?
22nd June, 2011 (Montreal)--Here is a double-whammy for you. Never before has Got Gingham featured the same person twice, but it at least proves there's a major wave of Gingham Getters underway. Here we bring you Michael, who I first snapped earlier in the week parting the crowd like Moses through the Red Sea with his triple-tone Double Grenadine Gingham with a view to running it today. Then today I see the same guy in another Gingham Wonder, this time a Lorraine Blue with white collar and couldn't resist. He spends his workdays saving lives and helping people, so it was no problem asking him to help us in spreading the word on Gingham. I don't know any other puns to tie these photos together than using the one under the collar.


You can send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Last Night A DJ Might Have Saved Your Life!

Puttin' the needle is on the record, seemlessly
 21st June, The Solstice, 2011 (Montreal)--Continuing our People with Jobs Series... here is DJ Wassim sporting a very rare track of Purple Gingham. Check how he's mashing-it-up with some Green Gingham on the Collar! This is a total new groove that is getting everybody on the floor. It was with great reluctance that Wassim allowed me to take his pic, "I can't have people stealing my beats, you hear?" As promised, I can't tell you who designed this blockbuster he's wearing, except to say it was once available at La Baie which happens to be one of the OLDEST COMPANIES in the World--founded before they even INVENTED GINGHAM or had even heard of the Industrial Revolution.
Revolution? What am I talking about--right here, with DJ Wassim on the decks, we've got the revolution we've been waiting for. Thirty-three and a third!

MEANWHILE, in other major Got Gingham News, more USER-GENERATED-CONTENT! Paris in the Springham...

Some dood in Paris can't afford a Citroën, but least they GOT GINGHAM (try translate that into French)
------------------You can send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

Monday, June 20, 2011

Got Any Colombian in You?

Telecommunications? Let's make deal; Got Gingham? Non-negotiable!
20th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Enough street scenes, today's Got Gingham Getters are in the workplace, just to prove to you we meet  people with jobs. Here is Elkin, who works as a major negotiator in the Telecommunications field, taking a break from teasing his clients with his Colombian sense of humour, to show off this Green Gingham Masterpiece. I asked Elkin, what kind of Colombian name is Elkin? And he responds, "Look, I'm a very busy man, I thought you wanted to ask me about Gingham." So the best I can tell you is this great catch is STILL ON THE MARKET (the shirt, not Elkin) available only in Quebec at Simons. Otherwise you'll have to catch it online. For those of you reading this as part of your cultural studies/textile theory dissertation five years after this post, too bad.
That's me standing next to Martin Luther Gingham--our diagonal sash look is very trendy here in Montreal
Meanwhile, more workers are UNITING under the Gingham Flag. Here is Luther, who kindly asked to keep his face out of the frame, because he says, he's actually a PRINCE OF WALES CHECK kinda-guy and doesn't want to upset his loyal friends in that camp. No problem! Got Gingham has had a long running peace accord with the folks in the Prince of Wales Check Brigade so this is an honour that Luther would fly our standard, just for the day. Point is, for today, LUTHER'S GOT GINGHAM!









---------You can send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Eire is Top of the Table

Yes, I'll have the Gingham Tikka Massala with some naan bread, please
Gingham and Tonic is all the rage
20th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Gingham is of course well known as a grand table-topper, so today's Got Gingham Street Scenes goes for those sitting at tables. In this case, it's gotta go to Montreal-based musician and singer songwriter Rory Griffin, who went all the way to Ireland to model this Black and White northern-style classic Gingham special. (This shot looks suspiciously like a London Curry house going by the shirts in the background, but the point is, Rory wore this shirt mostly in Dublin.) To keep him company, we've included a random shot sent in by another contributor who was at the St-Laurent Street sale this past weekend.



-----You can send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

David Baumann's Got Gingham!

Kentucky Friend Gingham
19th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Continuing our Got Gingham Street Scenes series: Here is David Baumann from Kentucky in his straight-up bang-on and-in-the-middle Black and White Gingham keeper he claims to be more than two years old. We frightened him as he came out of Copacobana on the Main this past weekend. So this is fresh footage Got Gingham Getters. Meanwhile... if you're gonna paint the town:


Graf's Got Gingham! When breaking the law, break it in Gingham

Saturday, June 18, 2011

The People are Taking To the Streets

Fashion Riot: Red, White and Blue Official Not Gingham
Pierre: Let's go to a Stoning
Doing his bit to help suppress Vancouver Real Estate prices: careful inspection shows the man in the distance has Got Gingham!




18th June, 2011 (Montreal)--In light of the radical street behavour in Vancouver after their hockey team did something to upset everybody, Got Gingham hit the streets of Montreal to guage the reaction. We waded through the happiness and found people willing to share their love of Gingham with the Got Gingham Getters.
Not wanting their role in the action being blown out of proportion, thinking I'm with the fashion police, most people yesterday were unwilling to show their face in fear of being tagged by their friends. Got Gingham is impartial, we just want to document what's going down, so this is in no way meant to incriminate anybody. The bloke on the right, Pierre from France was totally convinced I'm from the U.N. Security Council. With great reluctance he allowed me to capture his 1970s-vintage green marvel.  


----You can send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

Friday, June 17, 2011

Gingham Street Scenes Via our Contributors...

No! I don't have any clue where The Arcade Fire is.
17th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Got Gingham fan Anurag Dhir snapped this shot on St-Viateur in Montreal. Most people head to this district for their world famous bagels or to make fun of visting scenesters looking to meet Arcade Fire.  Not Mr. Dhir--he goes there for Gingham Street Scenes. Proof there is an army of us out there digging this stuff. Although a real beauty, this is in fact, officially Not Gingham-- a red, white and blue glory that almost passes for a cowboy shirt. Thanks Mr. Dhir! Your contribution to Gingham Culture is duly noted.

-----You can send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Jon Michel Laurin Accepts Our Sponsorship

Keyword: Jon Michel Gingham
16th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Got Gingham is pleased to announce our stealth marketing campaign in the form of having the current wave of doers and shakers hawk our wares. Here is musician Jon Michel Laurin probably actually playing music, but most importantly--concentrating with exactitude, the composure required to wear what is essentially a Gingham Black and White classic. (Photo credit: courtesy of my spies in Hamilton, Ontario)




You can send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com like this one:


Great News: Our delivery man just brought back some Gingham!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

What's He Got That You Haven't Got?

15th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Comparing yourself to others is a slippery fall down a slope into a narcissistic hell where the pool at the bottom is too rippled to see your own reflection. Despite that, let's take a look anyway.

Easy come, easy stay as they say when it comes to Gingham

Green with hunger: Brown baggin' it in Montreal
In our continuing Gingham Street Scene reportage in the deep middle of Le Plateau Montreal today we came across Alan sporting Gingham the way it was always meant to be.  Generally I get three responses when ambushing somebody. Worst case is they tell me to get lost and "No I don't want my godamb picture taken you poof" thrown in, as happened to me yesterday (turned out the guy was my next door neighbour). Secondly you get people who have never heard of Gingham, but seeing me wearing Gingham brings back memories of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, or that girl from Wizard of Oz and they are totally fine. The third type know instantly what I'm talking about, there is no hesitation at all and we just get on it with it. It's because this type's GOT GINGHAM. Thanks Alan.





--Some types don't even realize it: here is my neighbour. I am not really cool with the idea of candid shots nor am I cool with the word 'type' except in the written sense, but look at the man--totally making up for his taste in beer with his taste in textile.

If it's at least past noon, then it's time you went to the store and GOT GINGHAM

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Stand Up And Be Counted!

Overpaid Supermodel
14th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Today's GotGingham street scene is the famous Boulevard St-Laurent in Montreal. Here we have a Census Bureau Officer going around town counting people so we can figure out how much Gingham we need to make on an annual basis. He refused to give his name, but was happy to be a part of the next generation of Not Gingham Getters. Notice the delicate stitching of his shirt, and the three colours making it an Official Not Gingham item. They must earn a fortune as Census Bureau Officers, going by the twill. I'm all for the rounding up of the population and figuring out demographics so we can distribute resources and target places in need more accurately. However, I filled out the Census, and I checked out his forms, and there is really no big differential save for your sex, mother tongue and place of birth. It used to have all sorts of detailed questions about ethnic background. Next Census, if we do our job here correctly, they'll have the question that really only matters to anybody at all: Got Gingham?

Monday, June 13, 2011

Gingham Without Borders is Now Canvassing the Streets for Donors

Supermodels with humility
Anna Belikova looking good in Green Gingham and her friend Jac Jagaciak doing her best to keep up
13th June, 2011 (Montreal)--Here is some gingham street action. It's your job to figure out who is the highly-paid executive runway model and who is the Montreal-based writer and illustrator who accosts people in the street and asks them to pose in their gingham. Obviously some of us photograph better than others, but what's most important is do they Got Gingham? And in each of these three scenarios, we've got some major success stories. Keep watching for more street action where I've managed to convince people to kindly give of themselves in order to support this amazing cause.
Frida Gustavsson in Blue Gingham

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Meanwhile here's some old news from The World of Blue Wonderland: Apparently some people are unaware that gingham was the original Industrial Textile.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

GotGingham Goes F1!


Photo: Irwin Kee & Associates
June 12th, 2011 (Montreal)--The Formula 1 was in town bringing the streets alive with all sorts of hawkers vying for our attention. No surprise considering all the fashionable types from across the world who descend on our city to watch and be watched, so why not promote GotGingham  while the crowds are thick? Here is my indefatigable research assistant modeling the latest purple-and-pink rage. I let her wear my glasses in order to make her look more intelligent and me more down-to-earth. Just our taking this picture caused a crescent of people two deep as they tried to figure out what on earth we were doing. Remember people, in the streets, it's not what we do--it's what we got. And we got gingham.

GotGingham Goes Around the World

Baby blue Gingham dress, circa 2011
They deserve at hand at styleabaad.com
12th June, 2011 (Montreal) Today GotGingham starts a series of looks at other Gingham lovers on the web. Here is a random shot from somebody called Elsa who has a unique love for fashion, and a particular gift in displaying it. She can be found at www.styleabaad.com.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Got Gingham is on its way! Here is a preview...

GOT GINGHAM! This is a blog dedicated to my appreciation for gingham. What follows is a kick-off for the site gotgingham.com with a selection from my own finds. Eventually I will reveal the deep psychological analysis behind my obsession, but for those who need an introduction, here is the wikipedia reference:
Gingham is a medium-weight balanced plain-woven fabric made from dyed cotton or cotton-blend yarn.[1]
The name originates from an adjective in the Malay language, ging-gang, meaning striped. When originally imported into Europe in the 17th century it was a striped fabric, though now it is distinguished by its checkered pattern. From the mid 18th century, when it was being produced in the mills of Manchester, England, it started to be woven into checked or plaid patterns (often blue and white). Checked gingham became more common over time, though striped gingham was still available in the late Victorian period. Some sources say that the name came into English via Dutch.
Gingham is made of carded or combed, medium or fine yarns, where the coloring is on the warp yarns and always along the grain. Gingham has no right or wrong side with respect to color.
Along with muslin, gingham is often used as a test fabric while designing fashion, or used for making an inexpensive fitting shell prior to making the clothing in fashion fabric.
Gingham shirts have been worn by mods since the 1960s and continue to be identified with fans of indie and mod music with brands like Liam Gallagher's Pretty Green, Fred Perry, Rough Trade and Merc producing gingham shirts.

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Although this is not strictly a journalistic exercise, I have acknowledged the sources of the garments to add a bit of legitimacy to the reporting. However, I have no intent on promoting one brand over another. The point of GotGingham.com is to find and collaborate with the most diverse and varied sources possible. So let's start the blog with a few samples from my personal collection:
 
Here we have my red hanky, bought from an independent artisan in Montreal, called La La Land Factory. Given as a gift, I have no idea where to get another.




.



West Coast influence:
Short-sleeved shirt I got from Vancouver, circa 2003. Designer: famous international brand with same last name as Naomi-doesn't-want-anything-to-do-with-No-Logo.


Moving across the country, here's a dress shirt from a Calgary friperie who had no idea what they were doing when I walked in the store, circa 1998. My obsession hadn't materialized yet, so this is now for display only as my patient zero for the oncoming gingham epidemic. Designer: Obscure Italian boutique from Milan mentioned further below.


.

How about stopping in Winnipeg where if I'd had this beauty I would have totally fit in. Circa 2011 this has a black pin-stripe that almost makes it Not Gingham, a textile that differs slightly from Gingham. Designer: infamous international high street manufacturer they're always telling you to avoid if you ever ride the London Underground.




Here is one from that renowned outfit from Barcelona, that I hate to say, I was given in Barcelona. I flew back over New England. Designer: rhymes with "Horror" circa 2010





Reflecting the Spirit of '76:

Here we have a purple passion I wore to the airport once in Philadelphia. Designer: Montreal-based mill rhymes with Mwexx circa 2009.








How about some Grunge? Here is a felt/flannel I picked up from a Rag Trader giving out shirts 3 for a tenner. This is a steal makes me want to cry in Winter:

No Gingham No Cry: Fly a little closer, I want to write a book about the place.
  

And don't forget the French:






Here is a steal I scored in Montpelier. Less than twenty bucks in an Omniprix. So cheap I can now afford to visit New York. Designer: Pierre Cardin probably. Circa 2009.












 Or the Americans:
Gingham is like certain wines--it can be of different vintage (which should only ever have remained a wine term) and different sizes (which with Gingham, truly doesn't matter). This one I haggled off the street from a guy who promised me it wasn't hot but still could've been a disgruntled ex-employee for all I know considering his price. I figure it's no more than ten years old. Designer: rhymes with American Schmapparel but was bought in Canada on Bermuda Day this year. Possibly Circa 2001.






Capital Expense:




Original Baby Blue for the National Capital of Canada. This was a gift from well known high street shop. Designer: logo removed, but was red white and blue and the founder's first and last name rhyming with Omni-pilferer. Circa 2008



Now some Vittorio Lorini from Italy: 

Here is a green Gingham dress shirt from the House of Vittorio Lorini of which very little is known. That way I can wear it in Toronto and pull the wool over their eyes. Circa 1998, bought in Vancouver.


More Maritime Splash:

Similar to the Blue Gingham from Vancouver, this short sleeve shirt has a slightly different tone and a completely different texture. Purchased at a famous national supermarket chain in Canada which also does double trade as a quick garment pusher, this one came in under ten dollars and I promise to make it last as long as possible. At least we got it in a run-down section of town. I make no apologies, it was acquired by my research assistant for the benefit of the GotGingham Getters. To make it look cooler on you, try walking around Halifax Nova Scotia in it. Designed by Joe, circa 2011.




Now we go back to Montreal:

Here is a lemon and lime Gingham short sleeve shirt given away to me by a friend who used to work in the rag trade, had scored all these freebies and just let it go. Probably sourced in the schmatta district, circa 2001. Designer: Donna (BRB)KNY.






And here we return to the shores of Catalonia:

How about a visit to the Ramblas, where the cover shot for this blog was taken. Here we have a Not Gingham shirt that most purists would make allowances for considering the subtleties. Real Gingham should have four tones, Dark, medium, light and white. Here, if you look carefully, we see only three distinct tones. I walked all around the trendy parts of Barcelona and nobody called me out on it. Designer: Alfred Sung or his understudy, circa 2009




A return to l'Isle de Paris for a Black and White Gingham you can compare to the one above for the difference between Not Gingham and Got Gingham. This one was designed in Paris by those lizard logo people, but I wear it around le Plateau here in Montreal to remind my neighbours of our roots (as Francophones, not lizards) Circa 2009.




 You won't find this on any table in Mulberry Street:
 
Meanwhile I told you I could afford to go to New York. Here is a Green Gingham that I scored in Vancouver circa 2001. I wore it for many a year when finally somebody had the guts to tell me it didn't really fit. So I gave it as a gift to a friend the right size. He allowed me to take it from his prized collection and present to you here. Designer: Don't go to the London Underground and Fall between the Platform and the Carriage.





Not just Shirts!


 Here is a pink beauty case of unknown provenance. It is vinyl but still qualifies as a Gingham pattern. It was purchased in the Schmatta district of Montreal circa 2002.










 A bra that was kindly lent for show in this story by a part-time employee no longer with us. Notice how it is offset with the yellow ribbon--something about Gingham lends itself easily to these polite embellishments that you couldn't effect with other patterns. Purchased in the last six months from a well known store that rhymes with "Mercedes-Benza" based in the Island City circa 2011.






Now for some examples of NOT GINGHAM:

Here is a cap outsourced by the major high street shop with two letters available all over Europe and now North America. Notice how it is a combination of two gingham sequences: Dark Red + Light Red on White entwined with Dark Blue + Light Blue on White. This is called by the academics in the halls of Textile Theory [1] Not Gingham in reference to it being Ginghamish, but Not Quite. Since about the mid-1970's street gazers have been referring to it is as NYC-Style.  (As this blog develops we'll be hearing more about this different clashes in Gingham that have come out in the latest wave.)
Designer: Hm... Circa 2010


Let's wind this up on the south coast of Spain, Costa Blanca. Outside of town in the middle of an orange grove we came across a thriving market the size of several city blocks selling every item you might ever want to wear or eat and much you've never seen before. Where all this stuff comes from is a legend that goes back before the invasion of the Moors and the defeat of the Visigoths.  This pair of ladies shorts were less than the cost of two espressos, making them a very affordable gift to an ex-employee no longer with us. The most I can say of its provenance is from the label which has the size in European and US and the logo "Basics." Which is a great place to end since that's where Gingham finds itself in the pantheon of streetwear and textile classification: under "Basics." So even though I might have infused you with the same passion and zeal that I have for this all-enduring identification, remember to be careful about overdoing it. As Christie Blatchford (who, like me, prefaces by saying she has no idea what she is talking about when it comes to style) recently remarked, you don't want to be walking around looking like you've got a table cloth on. Which only just makes me think: Italian Restaurant Table Cloth (of real cloth)  + Slit = Gingham Poncho! Timeless.