“There’s no place like home,” Judy Garland famously said as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz. While Kansas may be perceived as a little more MAGA than “Merry Old Land Of Oz” these days, the sentimental soundbites and iconic tableaus from the 1939 film remain solidly embedded in visual culture more than 80 years later. Dorothy’s gingham dress is arguably one of the most recognisable props from the film – second only to her ruby slippers – and occupies such a treasured place in the public consciousness that the costume is expected to fetch more than $1 million when it is eventually put up for auction, following a fraught dispute over its true ownership.
Skip forward to 2024, and the merry old land of fashion is clearly still feeling the Dorothy effect, as gingham has usurped classic florals as the key dress print of this summer. While historically it may have conferred a certain girlish charm (it summons bucolic visions of, variously, summer picnics, The Great British Bake Off and grass-stained school uniforms), in recent years fashion brands have put a more contemporary spin on the print. For example, for spring/summer 2024, Alessandra Rich showed an enlarged monochrome gingham in a racy, lingerie-baring sheer fabric, while for autumn/winter 2024, Balmain brought a more femme fatale feel with a shimmering sequined gingham gown whose skirt cascaded dramatically from the hip.
Of course, there are plenty of more wearable, daytime options available off the runway, too. California brand Dôen has seen gingham success this season with its sellout Rizzo mini and Mallory midi-dress, which both use strategic smocking to create a more eye-catching, sculptural silhouette. Younger designer brands, such as Molly Goddard and Bernadette, have also delivered in this category, with the former dropping an array of colourful gingham dresses this season that cleverly juxtapose large and small checks in a single garment.
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