Houndstooth

Houndstooth is a term that first came into use in the 1930s, though the item it represents has been around since at least 100 B.C. We will examine the meaning of the term houndstooth, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

Houndstooth is a two-tone textile pattern made up of broken checks. Most often, houndstooth is rendered in white with black broken checks, though it may consists of other colors. The first known example of houndstooth was found in the Gerum Cloak, a piece of clothing found in a peat bog in Sweden, dating between 360 B.C. And 100 B.C. Modern houndstooth began in a wool cloth woven in Scotland in the 1800s. Alternate names for houndstooth are hounds tooth check or dogstooth. The French term for houndstooth is pied-de-poule, or chicken foot. Note that houndstooth is a closed compound word, which is a word composed of two separate joined together without a space or hyphen.

Examples

The Savile Row inspiration could be seen in the collection’s Spencer suits — cropped jackets with generous lapels paired with high-waisted trousers hemmed to mid-calf and served up in bright green crepe or black vegan leather — as well as a black-and-white houndstooth check that could be seen on vests, dresses, suit dresses and inserts in the sides of evening gowns. (The Los Angeles Times)

Arriving in a dapper houndstooth suit and white fur, he exemplified the in-your-face luxury of Ford’s collections, an aesthetic that carries over into Boomin’s personal life. (Vogue Magazine)

The next day the duke and duchess toured the Karolinska Institute, and there was a touch of ‘80s Princess Diana to Kate’s red and white houndstooth coat (again by Catherine Walker). (Parade Magazine)