Thanks to the Missoni craze at Target (you remember the one), everyone and their brother got on the chevron patterns party train.

I don’t have a problem with that at all. The only thing is… I’m still seeing the same basic zig zag repeat pattern all over the place and it’s been at least a year if not more since the Missoni craze.

And designers, it doesn’t take that much work to take a trend that’s been around for a while and put a little spin on it. Let’s step up our collective game!

I found myself exploring chevron patterns on pinterest this week – I even created a Pinterest board devoted to the trend. Check out all of the great examples of basic and less than basic uses of the chevron pattern that I found, along with handy dandy shopping links below.

Sorry, Phil’s been watching lots of Blue’s Clues lately. Everything is handy dandy thanks to that dang notebook.

1)Turquoise and White indoor/outdoor fabric – This turquoise and white stripe is nice and fat, but also super basic. It’s a pretty good representation of what is runnin’ rampant these days.

2)Zoom Zoom Twill Harmony Fabric – Add a little color, and it’s already looking like a fresh new take! I love the secondary repeat pattern created by the grey chevrons between each of the pop colors.

3) Black and White Chevron Pattern Dress – Up the drama factor with stark black and white, and give it a colorblocking element so your zig zag doesn’t overwhelm.

4) A. Byer Chiffon Chevron Print Blouson Dress – Limon, lemon lime, chartreuse, acid green – whatever you call it, this colorblock paired with a thin chevron packs a visual punch! The other thing I really liked about this chevron is the thin line weight mixed with the fat white space around it.

5)Aqua, Navy and White Zig-zag Print Dress – Your chevron patterns don’t all have to be at 90 degree angles! Experiment with shallow and deep angles, like the dramatic highs and lows created on this print.

6)Aqua Chevron Pattern, Chiffon Shift Dress – Skip the white space and go tonal! This zig zag could’ve gotten even more subtle by darkening up the aqua a little and lightening up the royal blue.

7)Dwell Studio Chevron Crib Sheet – Chevrons aren’t just for adults, and I love the airy quality of this particular repeat pattern. Think about separating out your chevron into segments and then exploding them outward to create white space.

8)50 Ripple Stitches Crochet Book – The one thing I thought of when I saw this book cover is how every zig zag you see these days is super crisp and clean. Why not think about adding a little texture? Creating a crochet textured zig zag would be crafty-cool for sure, but cement, wood, or any kind of distress definitely adds a little edge.

9)Triwa Lomin Chevron Pattern Watch – What stood out to me in the blue repeat pattern on this watch face is that, like the crib sheet, someone had the good sense to break the chevron up into up and down pieces, and then recolored the pieces so there was a little visual interest. I really love this repeat.

10)Sockaholic Navy, Pink & Yellow Chevron Knee-High Socks – What stood out to me here was that the repeat pattern designer offset the pieces of the zig zag, so the chevron doesn’t just go straight across. It totally takes things up a notch! I tip my hat, this took a little more thought than just hitting the zig zag rear endon in Illustrator.

11)Chevron Pattern Studded Skinny Belt – Who says you have to beat people over the head with the trend you’re rocking? This belt is such a great understated representation of the chevron stripe. It’s a great example of how to take a trend and interpret it, rather than just parrot it in a bold blocky zig zag.

12)Missoni Zigzag Sleeveless Sweater Dress – You can’t really talk chevrons without talking Missoni, and they do their own trend up right. I mean literally UPRIGHT. Don’t be afraid to give a new direction to something everyone else has been doing another way for ages.

13)Colorful Bold Retro Inspired Chevron Pattern Binder – I like the idea of making a zig zag pattern that is so tall, it takes a while for any of the colors to repeat themselves. This 3 ring binder’s on the right track!

14)Arrow Head 3/4 Sleeve Shift Mini Dress – Pattern added inside of one of the stripes of this repeat pattern gives it whole new playful feel, and curving the zig zag lines ever so slightly loosens things up a bit. This chevron feels a little more laid back and a lot more fun.

15)Missoni Zig Zag Chevron Blue Sweater Mini Skirt – What can I say, Missoni knows chevron patterns. This one they threw into a 45 degree angle for a more fun vibe.

16)Turquoise and Brown Scoop Neck Bell Sleeve Shift Dress – One thing that really freshens up a chevron repeat pattern is changing up the line weights. There’s something so… expected about the same ol zig zag line over and over and over. Thick lines, thin lines, let em all play together. Throw more than 2 colors in the mix and you’ve got yourself something that’s way more visually interesting to look at!

17)Missoni Sleeveless Sweater Dress – This is by far my favorite of the chevron patterns I saw in my searches this week. There’s no rule saying your chevron has to cover the entire surface. Try containing it in a smaller section, try mixing other patterns or stripes in with it. Just play with it!

Have you seen any good chevron patterns lately?

Share links in the comments!