Plaid Shirts

In terms of clothing that is versatile, suting both casual and semi-formal occasions, plaid shirts are one of the easiest and cost-effective fashions.  Although they consist of crossed lines on fabric, this simple design is given infinite variations by changing the color, thickness, number, and arrangement of lines.  There's loud, happy plaid, dark and serious plaid, and just normal plaid. That's just the pattern, too, as plaid shirts come in a a wide variety of cuts even just within the long sleeve and short sleeve button down styles.  The choice of fabric also has a big effect on the look, obviously, with a plaid flannel shirt being more casual/ rugged looking and other, thinner fabrics more suitable for less casual circumstances.  Plaid shirts for women are often cut differently to account for bigger busts and slimmer waists, although women can and do wear mens plaid shirts. Because plaid is a pattern, it is usually best worn with something neutral or plain, like jeans or other one-color items.  Women look fine in plaid if they wear leggings, too.  But plaid has come a long way along the spectrum of fashion, and it appears in a wider range of applications than just about any other pattern.  Read on to learn about this pattern that people love, and about the range of plaid shirts we have the good fortune to choose from today.    

The widespread popularity and appeal of plaid belies its very interesting history, one that involved not just fashion but also war and repression.  What we know as 'plaid' in North America is actually called 'tartan' in Scotland, the originator of the material and pattern.  This is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands of multiple colors.  These were originally of woven cloth, but nowadays there are fabrics of many different materials that use this pattern.  Also, in a true tartan, the pattern must consist of perfect squares that form a symmetrical pattern- something that does not have to be true for plaid.  Tartan was accorded very high importance in Scottish society, and served as the identifying mark for clans in the highlands and islands.  In the 1700s the British banned the wearing of tartan in Scotland, claiming it was a sign of rebellion against the empire.  The ban lasted 37 years, and once it was okay to wear tartan again, it came back with a fury.  There are many people who are keen collectors of the fabric. 
In more recent history, plaid became part of the visual identity of punks when it was used in the punk movement.  High profile fashion designers like Vivienne Westwood then fed off of this to incorporate plaid into their own designs.  Today we have, in addition to plaid worn by the "common people", plaid items in the world of high fasion.  The boldness of the plaid patterns has been used to interesting effect and the the like of celebrities such as Madonna have become part of this new vision of plaid.

Plaid flannel shirts are perhaps the most popular plaid worn these days, at least in North America. They are associated with the outdoors, with lumberjacks being the quintessential flannel wearer. Plaid flannel shirts owe their popularity to the cooler climes to these countries, as they tend to be made of thick cotton and do an admirable job of keeping the wearer warm. The darker colors especially have a cozy look which only strengthens this effect. Flannel shirts have a casual look to them.

Plaid shirts that look a little dressier will often feature smaller squares and thinner fabric which may be ironed. They will also feature patterns that look more contemporary. These are becoming more popular too, and offer a crisp, clean look. You'll find a lot of these in Japan, certainly more than you will see flannel plaid shirts.

Another distinct variety of plaid is the western plaid shirt. These are worn by people looking to cultivate more of a "cowboy" look and may feature patches on the shoulders, a feature unique to western plaid shirts. These patches may be of the same or contrasting material, and the orientation of the lines often run in a diagonal direction instead of the vertical and horizontal stripes on standard plaid shirts. Western plaid shirts look good when worn with jeans, and are perfect for a day outdoors. They are relaxed while still looking presentable, much more so than a t-shirt. These are great for when you want to have fun but want something more than a t-shirt. Since plaid is one of the few shirts that men wear, a western plaid shirt could be considered one of the few "fun" shirts that are acceptable for men to wear without crossing into the realm of silly or obnoxious.

Of course, there are also those who will want to wear a plaid t-shirt, though this is somewhat more for novelty's sake than anything else. The look is rather interesting, as it consists of plaid printed onto a t-shirt as opposed to the pattern being a part of the weave of the shirt. Think "fashion statement" when it comes to plaid t-shirts, perhaps the newest new incarnation of plaid.