I have tried to identify timeless styles as a fashion and decor designer. One such style is houndstooth, which you have probably already seen on coats, skirts, furniture, and accessories. But do you understand what makes this particular pattern so peculiar?
In this article, I will explore the history of houndstooth, its variations, and how to style it in clothing and interiors. So let’s learn about “Houndstooth Style: What It Is and Trendy Ways to Wear It.”
Curtains, tablecloths, and other types of rustic home decor items have grown in popularity within home aesthetics due to the increase in popularity of cottage core and the Nancy Meyers aesthetic. Gingham and plaid fabrics have become staples in homes across America. Checkered plaid is familiar to most, yet there’s a famous yet almost lesser-known pattern that is just as well recognized.
According to Deborah Young, a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Arizona State University Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, houndstooth is modern, chic, and sophisticated. She describes houndstooth fabric as having not only strong and durable but also an elegant side. “It suggests history and tradition,” Young says. “It’s got a life of its own.”
What Is Houndstooth Fabric?
The houndstooth pattern has ambiguous beginnings, but the earliest evidence of the fabric was found in Europe from 360 A.D. Young states that the pattern gained popularity when it was incorporated in the costumes of British hunt clubs. It is traditionally made from wool, which is known to be comfortable, warm, and athletic, making it suitable for hunting.
As highlighted by Young, houndstooth fabric saw a surge in demand from fashion enthusiasts approximately two decades back. She noted, “It went from British and conservative to trendy and sexy.” Designers used this fabric to create dresses, skirts, suits, and warm trench gowns. The patterned fabric has also continued to trend in clothing and home furnishings, although, in modern times, its printed version is more popular than the woven version. “It’s enjoyed its longevity,” remarks Young, “It has its personality, its prestige.”
Houndstooth is a twill fabric famous for its distinctive diagonal weave. Nevertheless, houndstooth twill has breaks; therefore, although there is a diagonal pattern in the fabric’s weave, there are also breaks. These breaks are thought to result from the jagged edge of a hound dog’s tooth, which is also the reason behind the name. As in many designs, the jagged pattern is available in miniatures and is commonly referred to as micro-houndstooth or puppy’s tooth.
According to Young, color is essential in developing houndstooth fabric’s color structure. She notes that the fabric undergoes yarn dying with two light-colored and two darker-colored yarns. “I think it’s kind of mysterious how the pattern vanishes if it isn’t two colors,” Young explains.
How to Use Houndstooth Fabric in Your Home
Houndstooths remain popular in home decor because of their durability and timelessness. Young recommends houndstooth fabric for upholstery. Consider the houndstooth designs for your dinner chair or ottoman covers for an elegant touch, or even as throw pillow covers for the living room or bedroom.
Young urges people to consider the item’s traffic regardless of their preference for a larger pattern. For more frequently used furniture, like couch and armchair covers, a finer weave micro houndstooth fabric is more durable and, therefore, recommended. “The smaller the houndstooth, the more durability it would have,” she explains.
Young also advocates for considering whether the houndstooth is woven or printed. Printed fabrics aren’t nearly as durable as woven ones because a print is not woven into the fabric. She further comments that a woven houndstooth fabric could sometimes be too heavy, so she avoids recommending true houndstooth as a fabric for window coverings.
Regardless of how you choose to use the houndstooth pattern throughout your home, you can adjust the scale and color of the motif to suit your design style best.
A Pattern With Bite
Four-pointed, timeless patterns in which twill lines tangentially extend from the edges of the squares are what sets Houndstooth apart. The style is named after its similarity with a dog’s back tooth.
Even though Houndstooth was traditionally incorporated exclusively into wool cloth, it is now prevalent in tweed cotton, corduroy fleece, and some synthetic materials. With its roots in winter wardrobes, it is surprising to see oversized Houndstooth patterns dominating haute couture summer collections, but that is the norm nowadays.
Lately, modern styles of Houndstooth have become bolder in color usage and even incorporate different flashy designs along with the original pattern. Uses of Houndstooth are no longer limited to vests, ties, and other formal wear. Patterns are now common on shoes, casual shirts, and even home furnishings, such as bedding.
Houndstooth, Dogstooth, or Puppytooth; What’s the Difference?
Houndstooth has many names that mean the same thing. However, some differences may be subtle. For example, dogtooth (or dog tooth) is mainly British. It is for this reason that in Fleming’s novels, one reads of England’s super spy James Bond wearing a “battered dogtooth suit.”
French terms corresponding to the houndstooth pattern include the name of a smaller scale, Pied De Poule, meaning “hen’s foot,” and a larger scale, Pied De Coq, meaning “rooster’s foot.” And in English, again, one of the terms for a petite houndstooth is “puppy tooth.
Houndstooth’s Origins
Houndstooth was primarily a design for tweed fabric. Tweed is a manually woven cloth with coarse fibers. The yarn is primarily solid colored, with dull hues of brown and green that resemble the color of the Scottish lowlands where the fabric was woven.
These attributes made tweed the preferred sporting cloth. Its use as a fabric during the earlier periods of British colonialism served as a disguise within the beautiful rolling hills of Scotland and England, making tweed ideal for outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting. During this period, the English gentry began to adopt tweed as the standard outdoor fabric for their country estates. The fabric started to grow increasingly popular throughout the 1930s.
Early Houndstooth Uses
Old Tom Morris and other golfers were not limited to hunting and fishing; they sported tweed houndstooth patterns on the golf course.
Houndstooth or Shepherd’s Check?
Depending on the Woven size, a houndstooth pattern could have a different name. A pattern, for instance, that measures 6 yarns by 6 yarns or is larger might qualify as a shepherd’s check. The colors used also matter since most of the shepherd’s check patterns have a brown or black base with white or light threads used as a contrast.
Maybe not surprisingly, the shepherd’s check is a design derived from the simple checks associated with shepherds who worked in upland northern regions of Great Britain. This design often adorned heavy, warm capes, which they used to protect themselves from the elements, and even some stopped newborn lambs in these capes.
The Gerum Cloak
The Gerum Cloak, which dates back to around 360-100 BC, has one of the oldest cases of a woven houndstooth pattern. It is exceptionally well-preserved outerwear found in Sweden by Johan Fredrik Klasson in the 1920s. It represents the class of garments that gave rise to the term ‘shepherd’s check’ outerwear.
The pattern was so associated with shepherds that the public rose to call it the shepherd’s check. Similarly to houndstooth, shepherd’s check is also a typical pattern in robust tweeds, but its size is more suitable for relatively informal settings. Shepherd’s check is still present in many different sizes and color combinations. In German-speaking countries, the term ‘pepita’ check is used for the smaller version of the shepherd’s check.
How To Wear & Pair Houndstooth
Houndstooth is a timeless design in numerous textures, colors, and size ranges. An outfit utilizing it will yield more styles than a basic wool fabric. Unsurprisingly, houndstooth has its roots and is best suited for various traditional autumn and winter activities. For instance, houndstooth is well suited for colder weather golfing, trout fishing, or even bird hunting. The opposite is true for more rigid and traditional business settings, where a plain worsted fabric is much more appropriate. It’s safe to say that houndstooth patterns are welcome in other dress codes, including business casual.
Houndstooth Jackets and Sport Coats
Many consider an unusual jacket or sports coat the best way to introduce houndstooth into the wardrobe. Since the pattern is already more casual, it would be best to stick to single-breasted styles with 2 buttons or a 3-roll-2 button style. Colors that would work both for men and women include brown, green, beige, some red, and grayscale, while muted blues are also an option for the bolder.
The sporting nature of the garment permits a single vent on the back of a houndstooth jacket. Naturally, you may choose the more prevalent style of a double vent, and both are fine nowadays.
These pockets are great for highlighting the less formal side of houndstooth and are a good choice, but they are not the only choice since classic flapped pockets are just as acceptable. If you choose to wear a houndstooth sports coat, do not be afraid to make it the focal point of the outfit and go bold with the configuration, but keep in mind that more than one houndstooth pattern combination tends to clash.
A Houndstooth Collection
If you were to try to wear a full houndstooth suit featuring a larger style houndstooth check, it would verge on looking like a costume. Go for something smaller and you will look more distinguished. Raphael is a keen fan of this timeless pattern, and you’ll spot him wearing a few different houndstooth suits on the channel.
Houndstooth Suits
Despite the recent acceptance of the houndstooth pattern in womenswear, it can still be found in some men’s suits. This indicates that the jacket, trousers, and possibly a vest were all made from the same houndstooth fabric. If one opts to wear a houndstooth suit, a subtle check would be preferable, as anything else would be overwhelming.
Fitting a larger-style houndstooth check into a suit would flirt with the edge of looking like a costume. There’s little distinction that can be had in a suit with larger houndstooth patterns; then, smaller has greater appeal for sharpness. Raphael is a big fan of the Houndstooth pattern, and you can see him wearing a couple of Houndstooth suits in the channel.
Houndstooth Dress Shirts
For dress shirts, a fine houndstooth pattern is often used, which is why the term puppy tooth is used. This design is usually monochromatic. Now, for the more relaxed-style shirts, a larger houndstooth check is sometimes used, and this can be multi-colored as well. This is usually done for the more casual shirts, which are most commonly made out of thicker cotton flannel fabric.
Houndstooth Accessories
Add a touch of elegance to your look with houndstooth-patterned scarves, hats,bags and shoes. This classic design instantly elevates any outfit!
Houndstooth Ties
Houndstooth ties remain one of the most popular neckwear options. You can find houndstooth on neckties made of printed silk, which is relatively softer, and on a woven burette fabric, which has more texture.
Many men will first choose a houndstooth necktie in burgundy or navy. Each of these colors is classic for houndstooth patterns. Additionally, if you wear brown tweeds, pair them with a beige houndstooth tie.
Houndstooth Bow Ties
Bow ties also come in a popular houndstooth pattern, which can be an interesting way to incorporate this specific pattern into an outfit. A Houndstooth bow tie looks great with casual knitwear like sweaters and loose-fitting pants.
Houndstooth bow ties can certainly add character to a more sophisticated look. The secret to accomplishing this is keeping the rest of your ensemble basic and understated. Take your time, and the houndstooth bow tie will work perfectly.
Houndstooth Pocket Squares
The same common rules of neckwear apply to pocket squares. A silk pocket square with a houndstooth pattern can enhance the visual interest of an otherwise bland jacket.
On the other hand, if you are wearing a houndstooth jacket, it is advisable to select a more subdued pocket square, either in silk or moderately textured fabric.
Houndstooth Hats
Flat caps are perhaps the only classic and equally fashionable selection of caps today. You can find all kinds of flat caps in tweed fabric, including those with houndstooth patterns.
Quick Tip: Balance bold houndstooth accessories with solid colors to keep your look stylish and sophisticated without overwhelming your outfit.
FAQs
What is the houndstooth pattern?
Houndstooth is a two-tone pattern with broken checks or abstract four-pointed shapes, often in black and white.
What is the origin of the houndstooth pattern?
It originated in Scotland in the 1800s and was traditionally woven from wool.
What is the difference between houndstooth and dogtooth?
Dogtooth is a smaller, sharper version of houndstooth, often used in fine tailoring.
What patterns match houndstooth?
It pairs well with solids, stripes, and subtle plaids for a balanced look.
Why is the houndstooth pattern so popular?
Its timeless, bold design makes it versatile for fashion and home decor.
Why is it called the houndstooth pattern?
The jagged edges resemble a hound’s teeth, inspiring the name.
What does puppytooth mean?
Puppytooth is a smaller, more delicate version of houndstooth.
Is houndstooth old-fashioned?
No, it remains a classic, frequently reinvented in modern styles.
