Pulse Check: Checkerboard Is Still Fashion's Favorite Print for 2021

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Stine Goya, Simonett, Holiday the Label, Vans, and Paloma Wool)

Checked print has always been in style, coming to the market in various forms from summer-ready gingham to old-school plaid. Checkerboard may not be a new print, it's been championed by brands like Vans for a long time, but it's certainly taking the fashion scene by storm like never before. In the winter we saw fur coats donned in the print, and now handbags and accessories. It was even a central point in the dressing of Netflix's popular series The Queen's Gambit (well in her case, chessboard) so there was even more reason to add to the hype. 

While certain print trends fade as faster as you can get your hands on them, this certainly isn't the case with checkerboard. It's a clean and classic graphic that became popular in interiors in the '60s and '70s, so when you take something that has a historical context and put a fashionable twist on it to make it relevant to today's audience, it's sure to get tons of love. Brands like Paloma Wool, Sandy Liang, and Holiday the Label have turned the print you saw only in retro interiors on a board game into a must-have in your wardrobe with fresh colors, unique textures warped designs. Below, view how we're seeing how fashion girls are styling the print and how you can shop the trend too.

On the Fashion Set:

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(Image credit: @kristengracelam)

Don't be afraid to pull out all the stops and pull out all your patterned pieces. We're very accepting of the maximalism style here.

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(Image credit: @alyssainthecity)

Try out a colored check with pairing it with contrasting colors, like Alyssa did with a cobalt blue and celery green.

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(Image credit: @laurenegg)

A pair of these well-loved pants will make any basic black top look cool.

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(Image credit: @champagnemani)

Same with a checked top. Basically, the print looks good on any clothing item (or accessory.)

Shop the Trend:

Associate Fashion Editor
Yusra Siddiqui is an editor who resides in New Jersey but bounces between the suburbs and NYC. (She's a Jersey girl at heart.) After interning at Who What Wear in 2019, she found her way to the team after graduating from LIM College in 2022 with a fashion media degree. She's also spent time writing and working for publications such as Fashionista, Coveteur, and Nylon, but she always knew that Who What Wear was where she was meant to be. When she's on the job, she's perusing runway shows, analyzing the latest thing fellow Gen Zers are up to on the internet, and sharing what she can about the modest-fashion market. You can also catch her dabbling in entertainment, talking about the costume choices of the latest Netflix series or diving deeper into how the plotline affects the viewers in a myriad of ways. Lastly, she likes to create content for Who What Wear's TikTok. Her personal time is spent doing similar but also different things—deep diving into almost every new TV show (Bridgerton, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things are favorites), planning her next local getaway (whenever that may be), and reading the latest Emily Henry or Sally Rooney novel in one sitting.