You say potato…
I have lots of favorite prints, it seems! One of them is definitely plaid! But, do you know the history of this wonderfully versatile print? Technically, plaid is tartan. Tartan is the weaving of different colors into the blocks we know and love today. Plaid originally referred to the woolen blankets and clothing worn by early Scots. When the fabric made its way across the pond, plaid and tartan were then used interchangeably. The earliest plaid may date back to the 8th century BC! The Cherchen Man was discovered in Central Asia and was wearing “a twill tunic and tartan leggings.” Another source indicated he was from 1000 BC. Whichever it is, plaid has been around for a bit!
A little history…
Sometime in the 1700s, the plaid we recognize today emerged. Different tartans appeared as weavers in the regions of Scotland created unique patterns due to the availability of dyes and materials. Eventually, these diverse tartans became associated with specific Scottish clans. As those families began to stir up trouble (or defend themselves…remember, the winner writes the history), tartan was outlawed in the Dress Act of 1746 with the exception of military wear.
A little more…
Ever wonder why that ubiquitous red/black print is called buffalo plaid? Well, there are a few different stories about its beginnings. One goes that Jock McCluskey left Scotland for the wilds of North America. He traded red and black tartan blankets (the tartan of his MacGregor clan) for the fur (probably beaver) pelts Native Americans had trapped. Another version is that John Rich, founder of Woolrich Woolen Mills, sold the wool plaid to the wives of lumberjacks in Northern and Central Pennsylvania in the 1800s. He called it buffalo plaid after his herd of pet buffalo!
Even more…
In 1924, Pendleton Mills came out with their plaid shirts. In the 1940s, Pendleton introduced plaid shirts for women. And, plaid was off! You could find plaid everywhere…clothing, paper, wallpaper, even car seats! Remember the Pendletones? Probably not. But, have you ever heard of the Beach Boys? Yep! The Beach Boys were first known as the Pendletones because of their uniform of tee shirts, khakis, and a Pendleton plaid shirt! I always thought that was so funny since they were from California! My favorite fact about plaid? Both the late Queen Elizabeth II and Johnny Rotten wore the same plaid, the Royal Stewart tartan. Now, Johnny shouldn’t have been wearing that particular plaid as one must get the queen’s permission to wear it. But, it’s also the plaid on the Walkers Shortbread packages! You can read more about this wonderful print here, here, and here.
My plaid…
This is the Harvard Tunic Dress from April Cornell. It’s one of the items I bought on my trip to Asheville. I just couldn’t walk out of the store without it. I don’t know the name of this plaid (if it even has one). But, it’s a beautiful burgundy (AC calls it beetroot) with navy and ivory creating the squares of the plaid print. The navy is a definite blue navy rather than a black navy. I decided to wear navy tights even though I’ve yet to find any navy boots! I have decided I don’t care! But, I don’t think you can even tell these are navy tights anyway! Even though this is called a tunic, it fits just right on me! I love the embroidery and covered buttons, too! And, it’s on sale right now!
The Lewk!
I think, of all my L’Artiste footwear, these are my favorite! I like the western vibe they give as well as the nod to being a bit of a badass! The floral designs indulge my girly side, too! Add to the fact they are comfortable, and you’ve got a winner! The earrings and necklace are from Kendra Scott a couple of years ago. I don’t wear much gold anymore. I don’t know if it’s that I just like silver better, or if silver likes me better!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I love history! I bet you couldn’t tell, right? It’s so easy now to find out about different things. Thanks, Google! So, can we talk? Are you a fan of plaid? What plaid is your favorite? How do you mix and match with plaid? Please leave a comment or two, and we can talk! I promise to respond as quickly as possible. I don’t know if you get an email when I respond or not. I’m not receiving emails from comments I make on other blogs so just know I respond even if you don’t get emails!
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Stop it with those boots! I want them! They are perfect! Lol.
I love plaid a lot too, especially kind of original ones in green or red. But I like it a lot because in my punk period, when I was 16, 17, I wore it a lot! That tunic, dress, looks fabulous on you.
I love these boots so much, Nancy! They are so cool, aren’t they? Oh, I would love to see photos of you in your punk period! I’m sure you have some somewhere…a possible blog post????
Thanks, Nancy!!!
I do like plaid but rarely buy clothing in plaid. This is such a cute dress and I rather enjoyed the history lesson!
It is funny how we can like a pattern and never wear it. I know there are some that just don’t work for me! I can’t think what they are right now, of course!
I’m glad you liked my trip back to my classroom!!!
Plaid reminds me of my childhood — all those early years in the Catholic school uniform! ha ha My favorite plaid is black watch although I don’t have anything in my wardrobe with it right now. My husband asked me out for the first time while I was wearing a black watch plaid shirt. I still have it! Thank you for the interesting history on plaid. And, your tunic is lovely.
Oh, I was always so jealous of those cool Catholic school uniforms! You all looked so put together and polished! My favorite plaid is definitely black watch. I go nuts every fall trying to track down something I don’t already have!!! That is sweet you still have that shirt! I can’t say the same…it was almost 50 years ago!! Yikes!!!!
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked the history lesson!!!
Always the educator Marsha! Thanks for the background on buffalo plaid, I had no idea.
This dress is so cute on you, I am mad for plaid (wearing it today actually) and those colors are festive without being in your face holiday!
xo,
Kellyann
Hahaha!!! You are so right, Kellyann! I am always in teacher mode…Mike can definitely attest to that! It’s always so interesting to find out what’s behind a print or a fabric! I had no idea about buffalo plaid even though I’ve always been curious about it!
And, thank you for the compliment. I really love this dress! I think I say that about every AC dress I buy!! But, I definitely mean it!
Thanks for all the scoop on plaid and tartan! This dress is fabulous. I adore the color especially!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks, Kathrine! I do love learning!!!
Such a yummy color, Marsha! Very pretty dress / tunic. And the whole outfit looks fabulous on you. Fun history lesson. I like plaid on other people, but don’t really like wearing it myself. I have no idea why. My favorite plaid is navy and green.
Michelle
https://funkyfashionstyle.com
Thank you so much, Michelle! I have learned what kinds of AC dresses fit me best due to my short waist. My favorite plaid is also the navy and green black watch. I once had a Pendleton pleated skirt in that print. How I wish I still had it! I think you should look for some plaid leggings and see what you can do with them!!!
I just love the edgy vibe of those boots with the plaid dress. It really gives it a yin/yang element.
Can you believe I didn’t have plaid in my closet much until I retired. Oh, I had that menswear plaid in jackets and pants, but not the fun plaids,
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thanks, Jodie! I love these boots and wear them with most everything! I’m not sure I had much beyond that in my closet when I was teaching. Now, florals are a completely different story!!
Those boots are absolutely amazing, and I love the vibe they bring to the dress. I like plaid a lot, though I have relatively little of it in my closet at the moment.
Thanks so much, Sally! They make me feel a certain kind of way! Just like your red/black post, I think plaid is a fall/winter print, don’t you? That’s a shame because it’s so much fun!
Great post and love the history.
I love plaid and/or tartan.. But of course, although brought up to be as English as English could be my Mother was a Campbell and that has a lovely blue and green tartan, And my father was a lowland Scot with no tartan. Although I ought to wear the Campbell tartan I actually love a good strong red tartan.
Those boots! They’re fab!
Thanks, Penny! Is it wrong to wear a tartan that doesn’t belong to you if you actually have a clan tartan? I didn’t google that! My favorite is the Black Watch, but that Royal Stewart is quite nice, too!
The navy tights work well with the black boots! Not much plaid in my closet. I do have that cream plaid shirt dress that I do love!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thanks, Mireille! Oh, yes, that cream plaid dress of yours is gorgeous!! You should wear it lots because you are beautiful in it!
What interesting information! We believe we have Scottish in our history, but can’t trace it back farther than the late 1700s because the documentation is lost. So clearly my love for plaid is in my DNA! Such a lovely dress on you!
Thanks, Laura! My husband has traced his ancestry back to the Middle Ages! He used Ancestry.com until his free version ran out. Hmmm…that just might be a great idea for a Christmas gift! I can’t remember if he has any Scots blood or not. I don’t think I do yet I do love plaid!
Those boots are a bid badass, Marsha! I love them! One of my closest friends, Sarah, is absolutely mad for plaid. Whenever we go shopping, she always laughs at me when she hears me saying (quite loudly), “Step away from the plaid, Sarah!”. LOL!! Your tunic dress is fabulous, perfect on you!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
Hahaha!!! Poor Sarah! Does she, indeed, step away from the plaid? That would probably be me and florals!!! I love these boots…they are just the best! I wish they had them in navy as that’s a big hole in my closet right now!!!
I enjoyed your entertaining history lesson. We are Scottish and my granddaughter had a gift and talented project to do last week on a Scottish holiday. She chose Hogmanay. I suggested they decorate her poster board with plaid wrapping paper. It looked very Scottish and very holiday festive!!
And so do you in your darling dress. That plaid looks very pretty with your coloring. And I bet your preference these days for silver is because it, too, is lovely with your coloring. I have always worn gold. But now that my hair is graying (or silvering??), I think I might prefer silver.
Love the way you displayed your ‘jewels’ on the tip of your darling booties. I am in need of some new tights. Didn’t see a link to yours but I like the thickness of them. They look a little more like dark hose than super thick tights. I keep seeing these tights advertised that are semi-sheer but strong like tights. Next time I see the commercial I need to stop what I am doing and look them up. Can’t remember anything from one minute to the next.
Oh, thank you so much, Leslie! I would love to see that project. I hope you’ll be able to share it in a blog post! I always wanted to be able to claim some Scots blood, but I’m pretty sure there is none. In fact, we thought my dad’s side of the family was English. Turns out they were Swiss (maybe). Our name was Raussis and was Anglicized to Rose when they emigrated. I really should do some more research, but that’s more Mike’s scene than mine!
Thank you! I love plaid and have learned the colors that work with my new coloring! Isn’t it funny how your coloring changes as you age? Just another gift, I suppose! I have always worn both silver and gold, but my jewelry cabinet no longer reflects that! Most of my gold pieces are actually white gold. As far as displaying my “jewels”…I’m just trying to do something somewhat artistic!! Hahaha!!!
As for my tights, I think they’re from Hue. I have overly large legs so my tights usually don’t look as dense as others!! But, these wear like iron and wash up quite well.
Thanks, my friend!!!