How to Wear Gingham
The classic picnic aesthetic brings together three of my favorite things: food, sun, and most importantly, fashion. On second thought, maybe the food ranks higher than the clothes... Nevertheless, picnics are more than just eating yummy food outside— they’re also conducive to flaunting this year’s hottest spring and summer trends.
While browsing one of my favorite shopping sites, Revolve, for some new spring/summer outfits, I kept scrolling by color and clothing style for variations of the same material— gingham. Gingham, the cotton fabric consisting of white and one other color in a checkered pattern, is featured all over Revolve's website. The gingham skirts, crop tops, and dresses immediately sparked a vision in my head of the quintessential picnic, and specifically, one with the classic red and white checkered, or rather gingham, blanket and tablecloth.
From this, I found a new definition of picnic: an activity to engage with friends and enjoy the warm weather as well as a distinct style and/or outfit, perfect worn both apart from and for picnicking.
Some History for the Nerds:
The History Channel traces elegant outdoor meals, the predecessor of the universal picnic, as dating all the way back to the Middle Ages with the rise of hunting as a pastime for the upper class, and thus, hunting feasts. The word “picnic” actually derives from the French word “pique-nique,” according to the History Channel. In Winterthur Portfolio, Mary Ellen W. Hern writes that the “picnic’s” first documented use in America was by Lord Chesterfield in 1748, “to describe a gathering involving card playing, drinking, and conversation.” During the Victorian Era, however, with the rise of industrialization and urbanization, picnicking became an activity for both the upper, middle, and working classes as a means of returning to the rural world and simpler living; the popularity of picnics grew out of a nostalgia for the past and a desire to reconnect with the natural world and escape industrialization. The mental and physical health stresses of urban life provided another reason for picnicking, to improve one’s health and well-being by experiencing the outdoors and engaging in physical activities in a large field.
But, where does this fit in with gingham and fashion?
Well, The Clothing Trade in Provincial England, discusses how stores with an “emphasis on cotton prints and check aproning… appealed to the working-class consumer, particularly to women.” As more and more of the working class participated in picnicking, gingham became a historically important part of the picnic aesthetic. Additionally, Hern notes that clothes for picnics were made of summer cottons with brighter colors and prints, a style which did not ordinarily fit into city life, further hinting at how gingham became so popular to the picnic aesthetic and couture.
An 1889 Picnic featuring a Gingham Blanket
Gingham in Past Fashion:
For those skeptical of wearing a pattern emblematic of a tablecloth, rest assured, many key American figures have worn the style, legitimizing its fashionable quality and adding to Gingham’s popularity.
In The Wizard of Oz, of course, Dorothy’s signature look rests upon her blue gingham dress. As a working girl on a farm in Kansas, her wardrobe signals the history of gingham as a material of the working class, illustrating how the inclusion of non-upper class in the picnicking through the Victorian era led to gingham’s now prevalent picnic presence
With her wicker basket to hold Toto, Dorothy embodies a picnic-inspired look in a 1930s fashion context, of course, with her puffed sleeves and chic basket bag/dog carrier.
Besides Dorothy, first lady Jackie Kennedy was also a gingham queen to the extent that the souvenir issue Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady; Her Fashions - Her Home - Her Words actually used a picture of her in a yellow gingham print as the cover for the photograph portfolio. In a picture with her eventual ex-husband, actress Elizabeth Taylor wears a black gingham suit with white gloves and a white hat, serving as an icon of American beauty, success, and talent. Even recently, in a 2014 fashion show, Oscar de la Renta showcased many gingham looks, such as a pink gingham jacket, further solidifying the once lower class cloth as crucial to modern fashion.
Where to Buy:
More ~to die for~ gingham clothing can also be found at Urban Outfitters and ASOS
How to Accessorize:
Most importantly, a good picnic cannot exist without food. Naturally you must have proper transportation for that food, preferably a large container to carry all the delicious treats for you gorge on under the warm sun. The picnic basket can not be underemphasized as a necessity for a successful picnicking endeavor.
“Luncheon and Picnic Baskets.”
Hern states that wicker baskets were normally used to transport food, and that their popular use for picnicking can be seen by companies designing high-end “picnic sets” and “lunch baskets” filled with dining-ware for eating outside the house. In 1885, a hotel and dancing pavilion by Bowery Bay promoted “basket parties” as a synonym for picnics, demonstrating the picnic basket as central to the popular outdoor activity and thus, a necessity in the picnic-inspired wardrobe.
Picnics symbolize a return to nature, an embrace of one’s carefree and frivolous side. As Hern states, “the picnic ritualized and made acceptable […] marginally inappropriate behaviors such as operating and flirting with the opposite sex”— huge for us college kids. My interpretation of this free-spirited picnic quality means adding sunglasses to the inspired look. Not just any sunglasses, however, I am talking about ditching the classic aviators for a fun, bold choice.
Urban Outfitters’ sunglasses collection is the perfect place to go to find the accessory to spice up your classic picnic look and embrace the core values of the festivity: recreation, cheerfulness and fun
Last, but certainly not least, the footwear of the picnic-inspired look must be a sandal. Although sneakers are a hot spring and summer trend, frolicking in the grass— to play catch, a lawn game or just dance— defines the picnic, making wearing shoes which can be easily slipped on and off a must. The quintessence of the picnic, relaxation, leisure and activity outdoors, can not forgotten in the picnic themed outfit
Some favorites from Ancient Greek Sandals
Where to Picnic:
While the Evanston/Chicago area may be treacherous in the winter, during the few months of gorgeous sunshine, there are many places to have the perfect picnic. Local to campus, of course, are the Lakeville, Long Field, Fraternity and Sorority quads. Deering meadow, the beach, and our unknown but beautiful Shakespeare Garden are also great picnic locations. In the larger Chicago area, anywhere along the lakefront, Jackson Park, Maggie Daley Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion and the Chicago Botanical Gardens are perfect places, just to name a few.
Chicago also has a variety of of places to make your picnic basket, a more convenient option than schlepping down food from Evanston on the L or in an Uber if you decide to picnic downtown. You can order a picnic basket to pick up at Pastoral Artisan, choosing between a fresh, savory or sweet plate and then customizing it with specific cheeses and other food options. The Goddess and Grocer, a grocer with three locations throughout Chicago, is very similar to Foodstuffs in its high quality, variety of options, such as salads, traditional deli items, prepared foods, homemade bakery items and sweets, and more. While you can go to a Goddess and Grocer the day of to pick out your food, you can also place an order by noon the day before. I recommend looking at their website for full details and a menu. Of course, Giordano’s or Illumaniti’s deep dish pizzas are a low maintenance picnic food option which also makes a picnic in Chicago even more festive because of their hallmark as a Chicago speciality.
Goddess and Grocer Instagram highlights