Tattersall is a cloth design pattern that has long been one of the most popular patterns used in men's shirts. The tattersall pattern is made up of two thin, regularly spaced and differently colored lines that are set against a lighter background; there are also some patterns that have light colored lines on a solid, darker background. The rectangles formed by the check pattern generally have longer vertical sides in comparison to the horizontal sides. The check pattern comes in two forms, large checks and small checks.
The checkered fabric gets its name from the famous race horse auctioneers of London, Tattersall's London Horse Auction Mart. This celebrated auction house, which is still in operation today, was established by Richard Tattersall in 1776. Until he decided to go into business for himself, Richard Tattersall had been a groom to the Duke of Kingston. At the time the familiar pattern was commonly used on horse blankets. The name and pattern began to be used in men's shirting around 1891.
The tattersall pattern grew in popularity as it was bright and attractive in appearance, and it has since become a must-have item in a man's wardrobe. The checked shirt can be worn on both casual and formal occasions, as it looks good with jeans and also with a suit and tie. It is usually best not to combine a check pattern shirt with a plaid coat and trousers; the effect can seem rather loud and jarring.
Aside from having a pleasing look, tattersall shirts can prove to be quite economical too. These versatile shirts can be worn throughout the year without spelling a fashion disaster. Some people like to wear the bright check pattern shirts in summer and the darker check pattern shirts in the winter. Generally, small checks look good on tall, muscular people and large checks suit more slender types.
The check pattern shirt provides a good combination of comfort as well as fashion. The shirts manufactured by the Pendleton company were worn by the members of the musical group The Beach Boys, starting a craze for this type of shirt in the USA. The pattern still remains on top of the line in men's clothing.