CLOSET Rx : Mad for Plaid? There’s a Pattern Here
If you’ve ever wanted to go to Scotland, take a good look around your local mall. There are so many patterns of plaid being displayed, you might start hearing bagpipe tunes instead of Muzak.
Plaids are making a return across the Atlantic in a variety of fabrics, although you’re seeing more in the traditional flannel and wool at this time of year. If meatloaf is considered comfort food, plaid is comfort wear. You know just what to expect from a plaid skirt because you’ve probably worn one similar in the past.
Every few seasons they renew their popularity.
“We’re finding that people are becoming intrigued with plaid,” says Brenda Davidson of Pendleton Sport Shop in Laguna Hills. “They want to know the history behind the traditional Scottish patterns.”
Traditional plaids like the black watch--in forest green, black and navy--are often hard to keep in stock. “There’s an interest in their history that adds to their look,” Davidson says.
Although they’re popular and can add a great splash of color to an outfit, there are ways of getting carried away with plaids. If you’re going to wear a red plaid skirt, be careful of the plaid bow you select for your hair.
“Mixing plaids is a bad idea,” Davidson says. “It doesn’t look like you’ve put much thought into what you’re wearing.”
“The only time it can really work is if you’re wearing the same basic pattern and color, but it has bigger or smaller squares,” says Sandy Miller of Twice the Style in Costa Mesa. “They have to be compatible. Otherwise, the only time a mix of plaids works is if it’s in a patchwork pattern where four or five plaids in the same color range are used.”
Although some people become so enamored with a particular pattern that they match it with a scarf or blouse, “it’s best to wear a solid with a plaid,” says Davidson, “something that draws out a color in the pattern.”
There are more subtle ways of showing off a pattern. “You can wear a plaid blazer with what appears to be a solid, pleated skirt,” Davidson says. “But underneath the pleats is a matching pattern, so it’s only visible when you walk.”
