Mad Men are back, this time in plaid

Since Mad Men’s conception in 2007, its influence on women’s fashion has been intense.

A short stroll up any high street in Britain should be evidence enough of that.

But tomorrow night, at 9pm, as the TV show returns to our screens on Sky Atlantic HD for a fifth season, it won’t be just the wardrobes of Betty and Joan that will set a fire in the bellies of style fanatics across the capital, but those of the boys too.

Picking up from where Don Draper left off at the end of season four, this latest insight into the lives of New York’s debauched advertising execs sets itself in the late Sixties. Widely considered to be a boom period where men’s fashion is concerned, 1966 onwards is remembered as a time in which boys embraced colour like never before.

While drab tobacco-coloured suits (as seen on Don, Pete and Roger in the past four seasons) occupied the early Sixties, towards the end of the decade printed tailoring and, more specifically, checks and dogtooth prints came into their own. It’s a reference Mad Men’s costume designer Janie Bryant was clearly keen to explore in the latest season of the show and, in particular, in the outfits of the younger members of the cast.

Championed by the handsome Ken Cosgrave and the slimy Pete Campbell, who both sport checked tailoring in tomorrow night’s episode, jackets in this style look set to become summer menswear’s must-have.

Already a favourite with a host of designers who pre-empted this late Sixties revival during the spring/summer shows, printed tailoring is certainly enjoying a moment. At Gucci, grey slimline suiting came detailed with a dramatic oversized check motif, while at Costume National, checks featured on mod-style biker jackets.

The trend is already picking up serious pace with London’s style set. E4’s Nick Grimshaw chose a threepiece checked suit for Stella McCartney’s decadent London Fashion Week dinner last month, while David Gandy (the capital’s answer to Don Draper, perhaps?) wore a woollen checked jacket to this year’s Elle Style Awards. It seems it is only a matter of time before the high street is awash with Mad Men-inspired imitations.

Move over, Betty, the boys are back in town.