Monday, October 31, 2011

Neil before Jamie the King of Percalle!

Rialto means 'Royal' in some Latin language. Percalle* means royalty in every language.
October is breast cancer month.
31st October, 2011 (Montreal) The Rialto Theatre in Montreal is a Grande Old Dame so what better place to celebrate Halloween with us tonight where they are showing the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Or so we're told...  We don't have time to confirm it so here's Neil and Jamie in their Gingham outside the Theatre two weeks ago. Jamie has opted for the Classic Coral Red Fine-hatch Kiwi-Style standby while Neil is in full form with Gunship Grey Gingham. Proof that beautiful women fly into your arms whenever you wear this stuff is rarely required, but for those of you new to this site, please notice Rachel bringing even more glamour to the proceedings. We even got Jamie to give us a close-up of  his Fine-hatch for our experts to pour over later. This Halloween, not only do we hope you had lots of sweets and treats but you got the chance to prance around in your Gingham.

"If ever I had a kid I'd name him Gingham"
Kid's in Gingham: "He's just a step away, he's just a step away..."
Gingham in the Streets of Montreal




 
"I'm hot, and when I'm not, I'm cold as ice
 Halloween is the one night of the year when wearing Gingham gives you a free pass to not joining in on the vagaries of costume building. It's a wonderful time for the kiddies, but sometimes you just want to be a man. Or a woman. If you already are a man or a woman and want to be a man or a woman, then you don't need a costume.  You get yourself some Gingham.
"So get outa my way, just step aside, or pay the price."

As you can hear, we've got ourselves an AC/DC fan, singing the words to "Problem Child" as he walks through the streets of Montreal. Not only has he got great taste in shirtage, but he's got a great memory for old 70's Halloween singalongs.

Autumn Bears its Gingham Head

All the leaves are brown but the sky is Gingham...

Even if you're bald, we'd recommend it.
And if you have beautiful hair and don't want to cover it entirely with a wooly hat made of Gingham, do what our special guest Tine does: the Alice band. Straight from Berlin, this rocking chick agreed to show off her locks to the rest of the Got Gingham family. In Montreal to instill in us a bit of the Ich bin ein Berliner vibe, Tine has already had a massive impact on the local art scene. Check out Tine's NYC-style Haarband she scored in some sketchy Eastern Section of the German Capital, pretty much stopping an entire film screening at the Blue Sunshine Theatre so everybody could get a closer look. Watch this space for more contributions, she is here for but a limited time!

*percalle=Gingham in Italian (proving most languages consider it important enough to have their own word for it).
Got any more gingham? Send it to gotgingham@gmail.com

Friday, October 28, 2011

Talibah Gets Us Under Her Gingham Spell

What would you want more, a trick or trachea? Who cares, Talibah's got Gingham.
28th October, 2011 (Montreal) While most Wiccans regard the dress-up parties and spectacles associated with the onset of Halloween as a bit of a sacrilege, we at Got Gingham also find ourselves in a quandary when it comes to the appropriation of our beloved textile pattern.Take a pause and watch Talibah here who is celebrating All Hallow's Eve with a traditional Black and Banshee Pink Gingham Bela Lugosi Special while waving around a skull of some sort. The epaulettes alone prove her ranking as one of Le Plateau's style icons, inspiring copycats in every alleyway.
But it's too bad we can't see her beautiful face, such is the human sacrifice we make here in our efforts to jump on the Halloween Bandwagon and capitalize on the vibe in order to spread the word on Gingham.
It's worth pointing out that the wider culture is currently in a major wave of enthusiasm for the ghoulish and spectral, note the rise in popularity of TV shows like True Blood [see here] and all that Zombie nonsense [see here]. Five years ago you would have to stab us in the neck and drag us to watch any of this camp horror folklore kitsch. Now the poets have got hold of the genre and we are starting to see 'High Art' breaking out. So here's to Talibah showing us the High Art of looking cool, while giving us the chills...  Ask your friends to stare at this pic for at least 30 seconds: it has an in-built spell that will convince you to go out and get some Gingham.


Chictopia is Running Gingham out of Town on a Rail

Chictopia is a paradise of Gingham [See here].

Candid Shot of NYC-Style Gingham on the streets of Montreal
Nobody can corner you if you've got Gingham.



If you are partying on Halloween, make sure your DJ wears Gingham:


DJ Daisy wearing Gingham before the Dubai Dubfest.

Credit: Laura Byrnes Photography and Gingham
Problem with most Halloween party costumes is they generally look terrible years later in photos--full tacky make-up, one-off cultural references and monsters who don't look the least bit frightening. Don't believe us? Then go check out any random album on fb entitled 'Halloween,' it's next to the album 'Leaving Party' or 'Graduation.' See, you've already un-tagged yourself. What's more, talking through a mask, or trying to imbibe when strapped inside a giant box of Cracker Jack (or whatever) totally cramps your style. The only costume that seems to ever come out good in the later Halloween photos are the sexy girl costumes. Think about it: you're already a sexy girl, you put on a sexy girl costume and what do you look like? A sexy girl. Interestingly, Halloween is the one time when proto-feminists and those who consider the subjugation of the female form to be the last exit to hell can feel totally liberated to dress this way. If you do, please make it in Gingham.

Got any Gingham? Send it to gotgingham@gmail.com

Just for fun, here's one from Eva Blue: http://www.flickr.com/photos/evablue/6271264311/lightbox/

Monday, October 24, 2011

Gingham Proves Geniune Hallmark of Good Upbringing

Chad off the old block: Gingham doesn't fall far from the tree.

24th October, 2011 (Montreal) Told you we'd be getting more and more indoor shots now that the sun is paying more attention to them down South.
Here we are in the warm heart of Santropol Roulant [see here] the world-renowned community outfit that combines Meals-on-Wheels with all sorts of other progressive maneouvres like roof-top gardening, inter-generational support, sustainable urban development and general all-round good feelings. Fact is, people come from around the world to study the way Santropol Roulant functions, using it as a model for their own organizations who want to instill that rare form of magic that give the Roulant its special edge in attracting volunteers, engagement and success. There are actually university theses out there written by students describing this lot, trying to analyze the ingredients of what makes a community come alive in such a way as the one that surrounds Santropol.
But why go to all that trouble of doing a PhD on the subject? Isn't it obvious? Here we see Chad-- the Roulant's Executive Director, standing with his dad Richard, and the link becomes self-evident. Chad is wearing a Fine-Hatch Blue and White Gingham Rainmaker next to his Dad who's got his own Grey and White Railroad-Style Gingham Two-Toner.
You cannot stop progress (because otherwise, it's not progress anymore, it's inertia). Nor can you buy style. You have to inherit it. (Or you have to be adopted at a very young age otherwise the special transmission of information and know-how cannot take place). Right here, Richard is a perfect example of how to administer a proper upbringing: a warm smile, a wide heart and a bunch of patient forgiveness is probably what made Chad turn out so OK. And right here, Chad is the perfect example of how to carry a torch to the next level of development for the folks at Santropol Roulant. Got any doubts? The proof of this is in the Gingham.


Gingham on wheels making a meal of it

Foot power saves fuel.

One less car, one more Gingham Getter.
NYC-style Gingham on wheels.

Josh's Got Gingham!
It's a long way to the top if you ain't got Gingham.


Meet Josh. I found him and his band-mates practicing for their big Montreal gig across from Patiti-Patata on Rue Rachel. There is no way to convey the sounds I was hearing. But that's not what I was there for: check out his Forty-five he probably brought with him from some exotic outpost on the road.






Got Gingham? Send it to gotgingham@gmail.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

CHILEAN OUT IN THE GINGHAM!

"It's traditional that I escort my daughter to the altar, but I'm not giving away my Gingham."
17th October, 2011 (Montreal) Autumn is in full swing now so the Gingham Gets are turning up indoors more and more. Doesn't matter because when you look great, act smart and feel classy--you can sit in any room in the world. Proving this is our friend Brendan who came all the way from Chile to model this Valparaiso Blue Latin Classic Gingham Retornado (Spanish fashion slang for retro) Long Sleever. Brendan haggled this roof-bender from a shop in the rough and tumble back end of Santiago. Don't worry, Brendan can handle the backstreets of any city in Latin America, having been raised in the Old School and versed in the ways of harmony and diplomacy that come with a well-rounded education. When speaking Spanish, he sounds like he's an envoy from the Embassy. When speaking English, thanks to his parents packing him off to school someplace near Marlborough Country sixty miles outside London, you'd be hard-pressed not to think you're listening to the Headmaster himself. But as soon as you open your eyes and notice he's decked in Gingham you can only think one thing: Man of the World. So here's to Brendan who happened to be in Montreal Town giving away his daughter at her wedding to the one remaining decent eligible bachelor left in this city--so no wonder this Man of the World looks SO over the Moon!

First White Club Collar spotted in Montreal: BOULEVARD ST-LAURENT (this season):

You don't need a daughter's wedding for an excuse to sport Gingham.

 STREET GAZER PHILADELPHIA TAKES US SOARING WITH THE EAGLES:

Everybody in Philly is beautiful, according to Street Gazer's Rueben Harvey [see here].


TOP TEN ENTRY ON WORST RECORD ALBUM COVER EVER:

One got prison, the other's Got Gingham. [see here]

And One Last Hurrah From the FASHION TUMBLERS:

Glasses make any woman appear more beautiful, but Gingham makes men want to drive them wherever they want to go.


Got any gingham: send it to gotgingham@gmail.com

Monday, October 10, 2011

Robby Demonstrates the Tradition of (Canadian) Thanks Gingham.

Each year so many extra bottles of beer get produced in Canada, they stage a grand cull whereby they beat them over the heads with... bottle openers. We'd like to say this is an annual event, but actually, this savagery happens pretty much every day.
10th of the 10th, 2011 (Montreal) You need to take a quick step back and think about what on earth you're doing with your life, and just give absolute thanks for waking up with lungs full of air and a brain full of thoughts and a day full of food, every now and then. Today across Canada the citizens have been doing just that. Unfortunately, we can't be out there documenting this particularly private affair in all the dining rooms of the nation, so we have to thank photographer Jessica Petunia (see here) for getting behind the Maple Curtain and seeing what exactly these Canadians have to be thankful for. You got it: Gingham. Jessica managed to snap our man Robby here in a Gingham Thanksgiving Special which Robby is fortifying with a brave shot of WD40 or Colt 45, or perhaps it's some lethal homebrew? The great thing about this is we get to let YOU choose what colour Robby's shirt is. That's the magic of black and white photography, counting our blessings and drinking regular amounts of alcohol.

USA bows out of Canadian Thanksgiving in favour of Memorial Day:

Philly's Streetgazer has a long memory. That's why we credit him with this snap. And Columbus for us requiring an eventual Memorial Day.


Montreal Proving Thanks Gingham is in full gear:

Purple Gingham is rare. Shorts in October on the streets of Montreal is rare. Every Get is a gift. Thanks Gingham.


Striping out on his own:


Fact: Sunshine is attracted to Gingham. Skeptical? Where ever there is sunshine, you will find Gingham.

GERMANY CELEBRATES TOO: 
Photo Credit: Irwin Kee via twitter at Oktoberfest (Gingham Month) in Munchen, 6am.
 Our Bavarian step-uncles have long been celebrating Gingham on an annual basis. They don't like to confuse people by calling it Thanksgiving or Columbus Day or
Tag der gingan (Gingham Day). Instead they make it easy on everybody and name it after the month it occurs in.



Got any gingham? Send it to gotgingham@gmail.com

Friday, October 7, 2011

GOT GINGHAM GOES DARK

"Yeh, I'm anti-Social Networking." Sorry but Gingham has been around long before the Intertoob.
7th October, 2011 (Montreal) This post is dedicated to all those Gingham Getters who have agreed to share their Gingham. Today outside Cafe Olympico in the Mile End we met a guy in Gingham and asked to take his picture. His immediate answer was "No, I'm anti-Social Networking," which is cool. But listen, this thing called Got Gingham isn't about Social Networking.
Our meeting was more medieval than that. There I was crossing the village square and talking to him in live conversation. I was asking him about his Gingham, a pattern with which he was not even familiar. It's about awareness, folks.
Doods, if you walk around in DREADLOCKS and a Rasta comes up to you, you better know the legacy you are imparting, although it's hard to part the hair with dreadlocks.
Same with Gingham. This man said with a derisive manner that he was anti-Social Networking, but how many people had come up to him today and asked in plain sunlight a question to him with breath that he could feel against the newspaper he was reading? I can guarantee he's gueugled us right away... Our suspicion is that he was anti the fact that he'd be supplying copy for free, as opposed to having us 'work hard for it.'
For those who missed the beginning of this "blog:"
It is an art project, an investigation into a phenomenon and proof that you can reference just about any cultural tie-in to something so simple as this curious pattern. It has absolutely nothing to do with electronics and my clear voice across the foggy blue air if I ever come up and ask you if you have ever heard of Gingham is proof enough of that. And it isn't free, this going around town asking people to be contributors. I could be twiddling my hair instead, which I am addicted to doing in my time off work.

The whole scene was rather droll, considering he was reading a Newspaper (remember them?) which I used to write for. Just glad he wasn't anti-newspaper,  because like any old hack, I love the old time feel of a Newspaper and those ads sure helped pay for my popcorn back then. Incidentally, if I am with a group of friends or co-workers, I never get refused. So that's why I want to welcome you to my gang. Thanks Gingham Getters, you know what you're wearing, why you're wearing it, and what you're doing in it. It's about the Gingham, not the Get.

Got Gingham? Then go stuff yourself. Or if you have a sense of humour or understanding of the important mantle you are carrying send your gingham gets to gotgingham@gmail.com.

GOT GINGHAM IS FREE. You can give it away yet the words keep coming.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Tara Makes Easy Work for Most-Glamourous-Couple Voters.

We made Tara laugh during the shoot. She only let us take one pic. They had fashion to attend to.
5th October, 2011 (Montreal) While Wall Street becomes a place noted for where people actually walk, we hit the streets looking for new faces to grace the pages of Got Gingham. From a mile away we could see Tara's flowing skirt and disarming stride transmitting an air of grace and gentility. We just had to ask for her autograph. Of course she's not that famous in Montreal like she is in Korea, but now Tara's on Got Gingham everybody is going to know about her. Finally we are seeing on these shores more and more designers working Gingham into their patterns while leaving us open to guesswork. Here is an example taken off a placard from the Ambiguous Movement* of the Sixties where we see more than one guage of Gingham being used. In fact we have several. Breathtaking. But remember, you can only pick up this kind of skirt in Korea. As for a boyfriend, well once you get a skirt like this you'll be able to pick one up just about anywhere!

Girls Go For Gingham.

Dress for success or if your life's in a mess, Gingham works every time.


And if you're just on your way to the other side:

The sky might be grey, but the Gingham life is easy.

And this submitted off Candid Paparazzi:

Europe looks so much more interesting to visit when you've got Gingham.

Got any more to submit?
Send your Gingham Gets to gotgingham@gmail.com

Hoops are out. Gingham? Sign right here and get this deal done.
UPDATE: LeBron James is in the news about the current NBA contract talks. Somebody in management better get some Gingham or the Union's gonna win this one.








*Nobody's really sure about this Textile Craft Movement.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Dreadlocks Go Better With Gingham.

Gingham gives cyclists the edge they need over the Urban Obstacle Course.
4th October, 2011 (Montreal) Autumn is in full swing, and that means it's the last of the live Gingham Gets we're going to be able to get off the streets of Montreal. Don't you worry, Gingham looks great indoors so there's still plenty to look forward to. Take this cool cat we got here biking it in Midtown Montreal wearing NYC-Style Gingham last week, kindly submitted by our contributor Amelie Sauvon. If you've got a bike you most certainly need a lock, but dreads aren't gonna keep your bike secure. For that, you need Gingham. Gingham--the magic security system for all purposes.
In the meantime, let's just relax and watch the summer fade in time for Canadian Thanksgiving.


One day a real rain's gonna come and sweep all the gingham from the streets.

Street Sweepers in Montreal have a dress code to live up to.


The Sun Never Sets on the Gingham Nation...

Getting bargains never looked so classy.

And if that's not enough to get your sails full, Shoeperwoman.com's Got Gingham:
Remember foodies: waiters can always tell how much of a tip you'll give them by the shoes you're wearing.



Ready for Autumn? Send your Gingham Gets to gotgingham@gmail.com