Pepita (Shepherd's check)

Pepita is a small, strictly geometric check pattern created by a 2/2 twill weave with alternating coloured warp and weft (typically 4 light : 4 dark threads). It resembles houndstooth but is much smaller and straight-edged — the characteristic jagged teeth of houndstooth are missing. It is named after the 19th-century Spanish dancer Pepita de Oliva, whose fashion popularised the pattern.

Classic Pepita fabrics are worsted wool, for suits and jackets, or cotton/blends for shirts and lighter dresses. Weights: suiting 200-300 g/m², shirtings 100-150 g/m². Classic colourways are black-and-white or brown-and-beige.

Used in blazers, jackets, skirts and business dresses; in light cotton qualities also for summer shirts. Pepita counts as a typical British country pattern (shepherd's check) closely linked to the countrywear tradition.