Vichy and fashion, a love story since the 19th century

Everyone knows gingham. Before being used in fashion, the famous two-tone checked fabric was used to make aprons, tablecloths and napkins. For a few seasons now, it has been making a comeback on the catwalks. Here is the story of gingham, a fabric that has not finished seducing us.

Vichy, a very simple cotton canvas

What you like most about gingham is its simplicity. A checked cotton canvas, made by interweaving a white thread and a colored thread, available in many colors and lending itself to multiple interpretations. It doesn't take more to become a classic!

The origins of Vichy

There are checked fabrics all over the world, but gingham is French. To find its origins, we must go back to the 19th century, under Napoleon III. At that time, the textile industry was flourishing. The spinning mills were working at full capacity to satisfy the needs of high society, who liked to dress in pieces requiring large lengths of fabric. Emperor Napoleon III took advantage of his travels to visit textile factories. The town of Vichy, in Allier, was one of his vacation spots. In 1863, he took advantage of a stay in the region to visit the Grivats spinning mill, located near Vichy.

The factory has been producing this cotton canvas for about forty years. Empress Eugénie found that the fabric would be perfect for making some pretty rags. She left with trunks full of this fresh cotton, which now bears the name gingham. For elegant women looking for something new, there was no question of missing out on this find. Very quickly, they snapped it up, in France and abroad. But, like all fashions, gingham went out of fashion. At the beginning of the 20th century, it found its utilitarian vocation again, in kitchens, to make tablecloths, tea towels, aprons and napkins.

Gingham in cinema, a fabric that has its effect

Over the last century, many actresses have contributed to the popularity of gingham. It begins in 1939 with Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz , in which she wears a delicious blue gingham pinafore dress. For the record, this dress, which was thought to be lost for forty years, was finally found in a box destined for the trash. After being authenticated, it was sold at auction in 2015, for the modest sum of 1.47 million euros! Not bad for a small, unpretentious cotton!

Vichy has made many other incursions into cinema, notably in The Philadelphia Story in 1940. Katharine Hepburn wore it in the form of a long belted dress, designed by the couturier Adrian. In 1944, the very young Lauren Bacall made her film debut, in a very fitted gingham suit, in The Port of Anguish . A few years later, in 1959, Brigitte Bardot swayed her hips in a blue gingham petticoat Do you want to dance with me? Ten years later, it was Jane Birkin's turn to stroll nonchalantly around The Swimming Pool, in a white and black gingham mini dress.

Brigitte Bardot and Vichy

We cannot talk about gingham without mentioning the most famous French star of the 60s: Brigitte Bardot. The actress contributed greatly to popularizing gingham, wearing it in the city as well as in the cinema. Between her and the fabric, it is a love story that begins in 1953, the year when the young leading lady is on the cover of the magazine She in a pink gingham dress. She was still wearing gingham on her wedding day in 1959. The pattern for her wedding dress, designed by Jacques Esterel, was published in the magazine She the day after the ceremony. It is the beginning of the great Vichy years. French women want to imitate the most popular actress of the moment, and, like her, have a few Vichy pieces in their wardrobe.

Azzedine Alaïa and Vichy

By the early 1990s, interest in gingham had long since faded. It would make a comeback through the Parisian label Tati and the designer Azzedine Alaïa. Since its creation in 1948, Tati's logo has been the four blue letters of its name, set against a background of large-checked pink gingham. The designer took up the large-checked gingham to interpret it in a short jacket, capris, tight skirt and daring shorts. For the first time, haute couture rubbed shoulders with a very popular label that gave it a glamorous and trendy touch. The small world of fashion flocked to Tati to discover the gingham pieces from the brand new Alaïa collection. The magazine She gives him a double page, which mixes the designer's creations and pieces taken directly from the shelves of Tati.

Gingham, more Gingham, always Gingham

Since then, the fresh cotton has continued its merry way, making regular incursions into fashion, notably at Versace and Alexis Mabille. More recently, at Christopher Kane, Fendi, Michael Kors…, and also in ready-to-wear brands and major retailers, Sezane and Zara, among others.