FURNISHINGS : Falling Into a Pattern

Traditionalists who believe that plaids are for stadium blankets and school uniforms are in for a surprise this fall. The home furnishing and fashion industries are embracing the variegated pattern in all its forms: authentic tartans, classic glens and Western ombres, windowpanes and buffalo checks.

“From outerwear to underwear, plaid is the whimsical pattern that ties every category of fall fashion together,” says Chip Tolbert, fashion director for the Men’s Fashion Assn. Inspirations for the revival include the offbeat combinations on TV shows like “Twin Peaks” and “Northern Exposure.”

Plaid is the cutting-edge pattern for both sexes now, but this isn’t the first time. Plaid socks in 1935, pajamas in 1947 and tailored jackets in 1959 were all style-makers. The difference this time is that the options seem limitless. You can sleep in a plaid bed, brush with a plaid toothbrush, sport a plaid outfit with matching jewelry to the office and come home to a meal on plaid dinnerware.

Los Angeles designer Patti Cappalli takes a regal approach to plaids, showing a fitted tartan wool blazer trimmed with gold crests (pictured). It will be available for about $600 in September at Nordstrom and Amen Wardy, Beverly Hills.

At Butler & Wilson in Sunset Plaza, plaids are interpreted for a collection of gold-plate and enamel earrings, bracelets and coordinating pins (pictured), priced from $78 to $115.

And Ralph Lauren, inspired by his personal collection of 19th-Century Scottish boxes, will introduce a line of china (pictured) and Queen Anne-style mahogany furniture, including a 12-drawer tartan chest priced at about $6,500, in September.