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Let me tell you a little story about Tartans (what we, here in North America, call plaid). Those who know me well, know that I love plaid. Plaid anything and everything. There are many kinds of plaids, so many colors, so many combinations, some more popular than others, some old with deep history, some new with history to be made and all categorized by different names. So here's the scoop....
Tartan is most often thought of as a fabric but it is in fact a design pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands of up to a maximum of six colors. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns. As mentioned, tartan is often called plaid in North America but in Scotland, a plaid is a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder as a kilt accessory, or a plain ordinary blanket or throw, such as one would have on a bed.
Tartan is made with alternating bands of colored (pre-dyed) threads woven as both warp (in weaving cloth, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom) and weft (in weaving, the weft is the thread or yarn which is drawn through the warp yarns to create cloth) at right angles to each other. The weft is woven in a simple twill (twill is a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs), two over –– two under the warp, advancing one thread at each pass. This forms visible diagonal lines where different colors cross, which give the appearance of new colors blended from the original ones. The resulting blocks of color repeat vertically and horizontally in a distinctive pattern of squares and lines known as a sett....and that my friends is how tartan patterns are made.
Although tartan is thought to be Scottish, its origins trace back to the ancient Celts who flourished in the 8th to 6th centuries BC. The oldest examples of tartan textiles found to date were on Celt mummies in Western China. Today, the Scottish Tartans Authority contains the world's leading and most extensive database on the nearly 6,000 known tartans and more appearing every day. Literally anyone can design their own tartan using online software programs or professional designers. Despite the tartans designated clan affiliation, anyone can wear any tartan. There are no rules stipulating otherwise. Today there are ceremonial tartans, fashion tartans, commemorative titans, corporate tartans and individual tartans. The Authority's Brian Wilton, past Director and now Consulting Director, is one of the world's leading experts on tartan. He is also one of the world's leading tartan designers and is Managing Director of his own tartan design firm, Tartan Ambassador, LTD.
Wilton has designed tartans for many clients including Brooks Brothers and Saks Fifth Avenue to name a few. Tartans, now widely used around the world have their place in the consumer market for a variety of decorative and commercial purposes like frames, artifacts, curtains, drapes, furniture and all sorts of other accessories imaginable. But for long, tartans have had a niche especially with many
designers such as Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Yves Saint Laurent, DIOR, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Hermes, Moschino and many others, all having designed things with tartans at some point and some continuing to do so season after season. Here's a look at some popular stylish tartans and plaids most commonly seen in the world of fashion today....
• TARTANS
- Most popular (Blackwatch & Royal Stewart)
• BLACKWATCH •
• BURBERRY •
• ROYAL STEWART •
• GORDON DRESS MODERN •
• MacLEOD DRESS LEWIS •
• BUCHANAN MODERN •
• OGILVY MODERN •
• STEWART DRESS MODERN •
• MacKENZIE DRESS •
• MacQUEEN MODERN •
• TATTERSALL PLAID •
- Most Popular (Classic Black & Red as seen below) - common pattern for shirts & suit vests
• WINDOWPANE PLAID •
- Most Popular (Men's Suits - commonly in grey or navy flannels and charcoal grey as well)
• GLEN PLAID •
- Most Popular (Men's Suits - either in classic grey tones or earth tones with a dash of color)
• GINGHAM PLAID •
- Most Popular (All colors - commonly seen as sportshirts/dress shirts in cotton or linen)
• MADRAS PLAID •
- Most Popular (Usually bright colors - very light coton - used for shirts, shorts, jackets & ties)