Autumn is undeniably here: layers—oh, how I have missed layers!—coats, boots, all of it. It’s this time of year that I get excited to wear fall plaid pieces. Once an illegal cloth (ask the Jacobites), plaid has been a pattern of the establishment and the rebellion.
We use the terms tartan and plaid quite interchangeably these days, but a tartan, originating in Scotland, is the specific colorway of a patterned cloth, which has crossing horizon and vertical bands in several shades. Plaid, meanwhile refers to the piece of cloth itself.
Tartan is often associated with Scottish fashion history—but that's not all-encompassing. Yes, there are tartans assigned to each historical Scottish clan, and you can register a tartan of your own making with the Scottish Register of Tartans. But the colonial reach of the U.K. also increased the global reach of tartans. Massai Shuka cloth, in East Africa, is thought to have been introduced by Scottish missionaries. Indian madras cloth combining several plaids became popular in England and the Americas after increased production by the English East India Company.
Nowadays, tartan has a foothold in street style all over the world—and reimagining on runways from Cos to Khaite. Plaid patterns have been used by royals, dandies, punks and the grunge movement, all adding a historical content for the fashion references we see today. During New York Fashion Week, plaid had a stronghold—layered with a vintage T-shirt and a cowboy hat for a punk twist on Americana prep, mixed plaids in lush, contrasting fabrics, and finally, a kilt like pleated skirt. Plaids always pop, and the legacy of the print continues to reinvent itself in the fashion space.
Modern-day plaids at New York Fashion Week, mixed and matched in various ways.
Revisiting my own closet, all that history has inspired me to take a swing at plaid mixing this fall. I find I tend to purchase tartans and argyles in warmer, comfy materials; it feels perfect for this transitional part of the year. Ahead, see three ways I'm making one of fashion's most time-honored fabrics feel fresh.
The Maximalist Plaid Outfit
My look: Gap Collared Knit Shirt; Thrifted wool school skirts, pinned together; Vintage argyle vest; Brunette the Label Denim Bomber Jacket, Maguire Torza Ballet Flat; Mademoiselle Jules Objet Trouvé necklace
Boisterous and layered: Sometimes a plaid needs to be met with maximalism.
The Plaid Dress Outfit
My look: Eliza Faulkner Tessa Dress, Eliza Faulkner Candice Top, Wray Vegan Leather Blazer, Crocs Stomp Fisherman Sandals, Maguire Sunglasses, Kuyashii Shuriken Necklace
A Stewart plaid dress adds a sprinkle of Balmoral’s charm, flirting with countryside ease and grounded in practical city-dweller outerwear.
The Denim and Plaid Outfit
My look: Nena Hansen Strap Tank, Vintage yellow plaid shirt, Nettles Tale Keats Skirt, Abercrombie and Fitch Baggy Low Rise Jean, Camper Casi Myra shoes
Denim, a cotton tank, a plaid work shirt: Plaid’s workwear legacy meets a newer iteration. It's casual, but modern.
