Plaid & Tartan Plaid Fabric

I LOVE plaid. Now and then I would make a dress in a small, flowery print, but there is something special about plaid that has always attracted me. After researching for this article which I enjoyed very much, I now know why. Plaid is organized and will make the person wearing it feel organized and at times secure. The intricate grids and squares repeating in the design, in various colors, has a soothing effect. Lately, I have been able to purchase several plaid fabrics at thrift stores. Not sure what all of these will be made into, but I am sure over time they will be used.

With many Blessings, Lisa

Left to right: A blue striped 2 yd. fabric piece,
although not plaid, is a very organized design..
Black & White: 'House of Stewart 2.5 yd. piece.
This would be considered a 'tartan plaid'
because any way you hold the fabric
piece, the design remains the same.
Light blue, peach and green plaid.
Perfect for a young girls' dress.

Plaid has its origin as far back as 100 B.C., when it was created by ancient Celtic populations. Thus, the plaid pattern in fabric is older than Jesus, but younger than dinosaurs. Although the print had been around for centuries, it didn’t take off until the late 17th century as the apparel of Scotland. Although Scottish plaid came in the form of kilts and not trendy button-downs, plaid became a sign of rebellion against the English so much so that authorities banned it after the Scottish rebellion of 1746.

What is a Tartan Plaid?

Banks and De La Chappelle began their research into tartan six years ago after New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham, who tracks fashion on the streets of Manhattan, noticed an odd phenomenon in the days following 9/11: women were wearing a lot of plaid.

"The world was rocked and they were looking for something that they could hold onto, that they knew would not deviate, because so much had changed overnight," Banks said.

"A tartan plaid, first of all, is Scottish, as opposed to American or English. It's Scottish," De La Chappelle said.

Beautiful Burgandy/Cream plaid.
Courtesy of Gehman's Country Fabrics.

A tartan plaid pattern has to be made up of perfect squares, or it is not 'tartan'. Technically, a tartan plaid can be turned 180 degrees and is exactly the same.

A plaid, on the other hand, can have stripes that clearly run in a specific direction. In other words: all tartan is plaid, but not all plaid is tartan.

But whether authentic tartan or simply plaid, the stripes and squares seem to have a lasting and universal appeal. "It's one of the few patterns men wear, you know" Banks said. "You may find the most conservative man, if he wears a pattern, more than likely it's tartan."

Left to right: Medium green plaid with blue and cream lines.
 Planning to use as binding on a Saddle Pad.
Mauve and cream plaid with very faint cream and green lines.
Planning to make into a early 1800's Regency Short Coat.

"Plaid is very organized," De La Chappelle said. "It has grids. It's possible that these grids make you feel organized."

But tartan wasn't always a symbol of security. At the same time colonists in America were demanding their independence from England, there was trouble in Scotland as well. Scottish Highlanders caught wearing tartan to signify their clans faced arrest, or worse. "It became the symbol of rebels who were against the Crown," De La Chappelle said. "And the British were so angry that they banned the wearing of tartan for 37 years. If you were a Highlander, men in particular, you could not put on tartan without being accused of treason and banished to the colonies for six months." As is often the case, banning tartan only made it more desirable.



"When they were able to wear it again, it came back with a vengeance," De La Chappelle said. Later, it was actually English royals - the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson - who made tartan stylish for the international jet set.