CHECK, HOUNDSTOOTH, PAISLEY – PART TWO

It has several patterns, many names and an interesting history. Tilted plaid, houndstooth or chicken’s foot. The term pepita, which is used only in Poland, derives from a Spanish word pepita, meaning seeds. “Houndstooth”, on the other hand, is a term commonly used in English-speaking countries. In the homeland of fashion, France, the houndstooth is referred to as Pied-de-Poule, literally meaning a hen’s foot.

The most famous pattern in the history of fashion, originally associated with Scotland, was taken up and popularized by Coco Chanel. It has found its place in our interiors and has embellished furniture, cushions, lampshades and tablecloths for years.

Tessellation (or tiling) means covering a surface with adjacent and non-overlapping polygons, creating a geometric, optically active pattern. In the aforementioned houndstooth, these polygons are associated with dog’s teeth by some people and with a chicken’s footprints by others. They are always contrasted with each other; traditionally and originally they were black and white, and today come in numerous colour variants.