Last summer, while we (the design team at Mata Traders) were looking over the trend forecast, one of the interns had her heart set on houndstooth. This traditional geometric print has been seen all over the fashion world and we decided to try to make our own version of the pattern. At one point she mentioned that she was having difficulty finding the repeat. I spent an afternoon trying to not only find it for her but to teach her how to find it on her own. While doing so, I made a mistake and it came out like the print you see now. I immediately laughed because all I could see were cats!
Left: Catstooth. Right: Traditional Houndstooth.
Hundreds of cats were repeating on my computer screen and together we decided this was a fantastic twist to the classic houndstooth: It would now be our Catstooth pattern! I kept thinking about how my friend Haley, a feline lover, would possibly walk into work wearing this dress. She would subtly state her love of cats while still looking work appropriate. This was a classic happy mistake moment that is now available not only on the Mata Traders site under the Half Moon Dress Catstooth, but on ModCloth as well as the Curriculum Vitae Dress (ModCloth even has plus sizes).
Textile design "Catstooth" print by Shifra Whiteman. Dress available on ModCloth & Mata Traders.