Plaid is a timeless print that will always be spotted on the streets, no matter if it’s spring, summer, or winter, and there will always be great ways to wear this trend. Red-based tartan (this winter season’ Roberto Cavalli), and yellow-and-black tartan (this season’s Christian Dior) are testimony that tartan is definitely still in style.
What is Tartan and Plaid?
Pronounced 'played' and sometimes spelled plaide, it was first recorded in Scottish Gaelic around 1505 as a word for a blanket or wrap. Since then its usage has expanded to include any regular or irregular woven or printed pattern with intersecting bands or stripes running both horizontally and vertically, or any fabric with such a pattern. Plaid can both be a noun describing the pattern or fabric itself and a modifier as in plaid suits, plaid skirts, plaid jackets, etc.
- Plaids are any crisscross patterns of two or more colors
- Tartans are plaids with a name to identify a community
- Checks are plaids with a regular pattern, usually of only two colors
- Plaid sometimes describes the crisscross pattern of tartans
- Plaid can also mean the fabrics or cloth woven in those tartan-style patterns
- For Scots, plaid is mostly a type of traditional garment worn in various styles, such as a belted plaid, fly plaid, arisaid plaid, shepherd's plaid, and piper's plaid or drummer's plaid
Embassy London's collection of Men's Designer Boots and Shoes showcase an array of Tartan styles, making this the perfect men's designer footwear for the holiday season.