Love it or loathe it nothing quite says summer like a gingham. At Bombshell HQ we are huge fans of all things check, tartan and plaid. I wanted to include a gingham print dress this summer but wanted to deconstruct the check. Making it less twee. I designed a print using large paint brush strokes and increased the size of the check to the perfect scale. The bight yellow and the lilac are both key Pantone colours for 2018 and I think they both lend them selves beautifully to this print.

Ever wonder where gingham came from? The name may originate from Malay geng geng meaning 'ajar, or separate'. However,  it is speculated that the fabric now known as gingham may have been made at Guingamp a town in Brittany France. 

When it was first imported in the 17th century from Europe it wasn't checked at all. Back then gingham was a striped fabric, though now it is distinguished by its checkered pattern.

By the 18th century we had started making gingham in Manchester. Gingham fabric started to be woven into the checked or plaid patterns we recognise today. Checked gingham became more common over time, though striped gingham was still available in the late Victorian period. The French actually call gingham Vichy. So there we have it. It's a melting pot.

When we think of pink gingham we think of Brigitte Bardot who famously wore a pink gingham dress for her wedding. This caused a gingham explosion! We still associate gingham dresses with her to this day. I can't wait to wear the Bombshell Brittany check dress this summer. Love Katya x