The History of Houndstooth

Houndstooth is a duotone pattern that originated in Scotland in the 1800s. This simple but interesting print is made with alternating bands of four dark and four light threads in both warp and welt; two over and two under the warp. It was originally made on wool outer-garnments worn by shepards. When it was first made it was nicknamed "shepard's check" and later "dogtooth". When a smaller version was made, it was frequently called "puppytooth". These names lasted until the 1930s when the current name "houndstooth" was coined. This was around the time that the pattern was adopted by the upperclass as a symbol of weath.

This pattern was shown in a Christian Dior  line as a pointed, court-like shoe in 1959 and Geoffrey Beene even paired it with lace in the 1960s. Ann Klein also designed with this pattern in a line of menswear.
Although houndstooth is commonly shown in black and white, it is displayed in many other colors as well. Houndstooth also comes back into style every 20-30 years.
All in all, houndstooth is a classic pattern that never goes out of style.

Ferragamo's Houndstooth Dress