 |
This page requires Flash player to view. Please download it here |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Cop a classic country tweed look by mixing two different kinds of plaids, stripes, or tweeds by staying within the same color family. Plaid's royal pedigree can be traced to the dapper Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor (shown here in 1946), who favored a gray Glen plaid that became known as "Prince of Wales check," after his original title. The Bay City Rollers' teenage fan base was mad for plaid in the late 1960s. The band, although named after a Michigan town, hailed from Edinburgh. Paradoxically, plaid has been claimed equally by prepsters, hipsters, cowboys, and rebels—which has only assured its continuing popularity. |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
When we think of plaid, we envision blankets and bathrobes, cozy flannels and cabins—in short, comfort, security, and tradition. With mesmerizing checks and lines, this pattern is reassuring and steadying. After September 11, 2001, New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham observed the resort to plaid, writing, “Scottish tartans, plaid, checks, and tattersalls are a sign of fashion’s change of mood since Sept. 11, a time when exaggerated silhouettes and theatrical flourishes have seemed out of touch. Many women reached into their closets for the toned-down style of plaids, which suggest the security of tradition.”
In an uncertain world, plaid is a sure bet, so with today’s tumultuous economic and political climate, we are once again seeing a vigorous return of plaid. The pattern is as reliable a fashion barometer as hemlines, and its perennial resurgence has long been linked to periods of both tradition and turmoil.
No other pattern has been as ubiquitous since its introduction than this dyed-in-the-wool wardrobe staple. The fabric officially known as tartan was initially produced by sixteenth-century Scottish Highlanders, who found that by crossing colors in the warp and weft during weaving they could create easily distinguishable patterns.
For centuries, Highlanders wore different plaid patterns and colors to identify their various clans. However, in the eighteenth century, plaid became politically charged when the clans lent support to the Jacobite cause. Scottish Army uniforms were cut from plaid and became a symbol of patriotism. After the Jacobites’ rebellion and their resounding defeat in 1745, the wearing of tartan was banned in an effort to eliminate the clan system. When the laws were repealed thirty-seven years later, Scottish pride soared and tartan was back with a bang.
In the late nineteenth century, when Queen Victoria established a residence in Balmoral, Scotland became a tourist destination and its fashions became a fad. Until this point, plaid had been heavily associated with the military and was consequently worn mostly by men, but under the eminent Queen Victoria’s influence, softer fabrics were introduced and plaid became an ultra stylish accent in women’s apparel.
But plaid’s greatest proponent was a different member of the royal family. During the early twentieth century, the sartorially adept Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII, the former Prince of Wales) displayed a passion for the pattern. Plaid was a staple in his bold wardrobe, popping up in everything from his plus-four trousers to dinner jackets to swimming trunks. In fact, he was so very taken with tartan that his favorite gray Glen plaid—a woolen fabric with small and large checks that is named after the valley of Glenurquhart in Scotland—was eventually nicknamed “Prince of Wales check.”
Thus entrenched among the sophisticated and affluent, plaid wove its way into other markets. In the 1940s, bobby-soxers wore plaid pleated skirts and swooned over Cary Grant and Fred Astaire. By the 1950s, plaid was rampant, from Ivy League collegians to Rocky Mountain ski bums to Hollywood starlets like Ava Gardner and Lucille Ball.
Having been firmly established as a smart-casual basic, plaid took a sharp left turn when it was adopted by the punk movement in the 1970s. Designers like Vivienne Westwood, who attired the Sex Pistols, deliberately ripped and tore the fabric, adding zippers, chains, and safety pins as a statement of discontent with the status quo. Plaid’s rebellious streak carried through to the 1990s grunge scene—think Angela Chase in My So-Called Life or Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. The pattern’s ubiquity propelled it to the forefront of street culture, while maintaining its prominence in high fashion.
What becomes obvious in reviewing plaid’s checkered past is that its popularity depends on its versatility and adaptability. Timeless and unisex, plaid is simultaneously provocative and flirtatious and prim and proper, the province of prepsters, hipsters, cowboys, and rebels. “It’s a pretty amazing print if you think about it,” says stylist and former Elle style director Isabel Dupre. “It’s British, American, punk, and preppy. You’ll see it used in super-luxurious gowns and in western, cool, easy ways,” she explains. “Plaid never really goes away as a trend because it’s a classic, like the little black dress.”
It’s no surprise that numerous designers showed versions of this fall classic on their runways. Women will see a throwback to a 1990s rock-and-roll aesthetic with darker-colored plaids, says Dupre. “It will be used in a city way, kind of chic-grunge. Pair a button-down plaid shirt with jeans and a T-shirt so it’s tough and edgy,” she advises. The men’s palette will feature toned-down shades of olive, brown, and burgundy, says Kwesi Blaire, a senior associate at luxury-consulting firm Robert Burke Associates. “The actual plaid is getting bigger and bolder, and is reminiscent of an early ‘90s grunge movement,” he adds.
As far as mixing plaids with other colors and patterns, Blaire recommends determining one base note in the plaid and using that as a point of reference for the rest of your outfit. He’s a proponent of mixing stripes or tweed with plaid, but suggests doing so with caution. “Pair a stripe with a ’like‘ plaid as opposed to a bold or thick stripe with a muted plaid, or vice versa,” he explains. Mixing plaid with textural tweed “reinforces the subtleties in both patterns,” says Blaire. “They should complement each other in color, balance, and contrast.” One more tip—check the seams on a plaid garment before plunking down your cash. On a well-made shirt, for instance, the stripes’ grid should line up where the shoulders meet the body.
With now-classic status and its deep roots in British high culture, plaid smacks of refinement and privilege—which is also what makes it so fun to subvert. Plaid has been both a sign of the establishment and of the rebel—and like denim jeans, a plain white shirt, or a leather jacket, how you wear your plaid speaks volumes about you. Do it prep or do it punk, but for maximum impact, make sure your plaid is just a little off-kilter.
Julia Kelly is a freelance writer based in New York and has written for Interview, InStyle, and InStyle Weddings.
Photography credits:
- Courtesy of Carter Berg
- Getty Images
- Evening Standard
- Arnaldo Anaya
- Maria Robledo
|
|
|
|
 |
|
