How to wear plaid has no one sentence answer despite the wave is an evergreen classic. This guide provides inspirations and tips how to wear plaid in a sophisticated way at any age. Read what to consider, and which pattern works best for your personal style.
- What to Look for When Buying Plaid Items
- How Is the Pattern Created
- How to Wear Plaid Depends on Your Personal Style
- The Easiest Way How to Wear Plaid to Look Sophisticated …
- Which Plaid Looks Sophisticated with Your Personal Style
- East European Classic
- The Romantic Gal
- Gingham Shirt for Posh Casual Style
- Euro Chic
- Gamine Style
- Casual Styles
- Rock’n Roll and Punk
- Mod
- Bombshell and Plaid
- Arty Slick
- Posh Eclectic
- How to Wear Plaid the Alaska Street Style Way
- Wrapping Up How to Wear Plaid in a Sophisticated Way
Disclosure: This post has affiliate links.
Updated: 11/14/2021
Note: You can find a definition of terms indicated with * in the High Latitude Style Glossary.
What to Look for When Buying Plaid Items
Plaid is one of the woven pattern that has made its way into every style. The most important thing when buying a plaid item is to look for a great cut. Furthermore, the pattern should match at the seams. Otherwise the item looks cheap like fast fashion. This fact is especially true for all of us who are wearing less than a US size 10. More on what to look for when buying plaid.
How Is the Pattern Created?
The original plaid isn’t a print, but a pattern. When weaving the fabric different colors are put in both directions, which creates the pattern. Depending on the width of the stripes in the weave the pattern has different names. In gingham, the classic version has two colors – typically white and a crayon-like color. The crossing stripes are about half a centimeter (~0.2 inch) wide. In the Alpine region, a one centimeter wide version is traditionally used for both men and women. More on Alpine traditional clothes.
Buffalo plaid also uses stripes of equal width in the weave, but they are about two inch or so (5 cm) in width. The traditional color combination is red and black. In America, this pattern is made either of cotton for shirts or wool for jackets, trapper hats. More on Buffalo plaid shirt outfit ideas.
Tartan uses different width and more than two colors. In Scotland, the colors and arrangement indicate different clans.
How to Wear Plaid Depends on Your Personal Style
There is a variety of weaves that look awesome with the key elements of a given style, no matter of your what your your personal style may be. If you don’t know your personal primary style find out with this free online style finder,
Since the pattern works with every style, but Black Tie or White Tie, plaid is perennial. The trend is just which of the weave’s varieties is the most It in a season.
The Easiest Way How to Wear Plaid to Look Sophisticated …
… is to pick solids in the colors of the pattern. It’s a fool proof look. However, when the fabric has only two or three colors, you may fast feel bored. Despite the look is stylish and incredibly posh.
Now, how to switch things up?
Which Plaid Looks Sophisticated with Your Personal Style?
Depending on your personal style, you will prefer the one or other variety of the weave. This preference results from what looks best with the other pieces of your personal style.
East European Classic
A Russian floral print wool scarf with silk fringes is a Must-have for every fashionista east of the Odra River. It works well with heavy wool skirts and window panel-like weaves like this pleated midi skirt because the scarf ties the colors of the skirt and turtleneck together. These floral wool scarves are favorites because they permit wearing all kinds of sweaters with one-and-the-same plaid skirt. More on East European style.
The Romantic Gal
Remember when Brigit Bardot got married in a yellow white gingham dress? Gingham is so feminine and can be so romantic with the right cut. Yellow, pink, light blue are perfect for summer dresses. In the cold season, darker colors make a bolder contrast to the white. When your skin tone can’t take this stark contrast look for gingham that substitutes white with a different color. More on Romantic Style.
Stylist tip: Gingham shirts look awesome with capris and ballet flats, the dresses strappy, kitten or medium heel (2.5 inch, 5 cm) sandals.
In the cold season, any weave pattern wool skirt is her thing as long as the colors are feminine and the cut has feminine details like the overlaying wrap in the skirt below. A ruffled skirt in any variation of the weave works well too. The inspiration below works along the concept of
picking solids in colors of the fabric.
Gingham Shirt for Posh Casual Style
More on Preppy Style.
Euro Chic
Every Euro Chic fashionista associates the word plaid with Burberry (see photos above). Their classic pattern on bags, shoes, scarves or lining for traditional trench coats, their awesome signature scarf that we all want to have. Not to mention their plaid printed rubber boots. <3 Who doesn’t wish to own a pair?
Euro Chic embraces wool plaid for everything from blazers to skirts. Plaid in just two colors woven from cotton, i.e. gingham is a classic for summer button-down shirts and dresses to look sophisticated in vacation style.
More different looks with this pink skirt.
More outfit ideas for a plaid sheath.
Gamine Style
In gamine style, usually the pants have a glen-check pattern like in the next two examples.
Casual Styles
Every California Casual style or American Southwest fashionista associates the classic plaid button-down shirt that looks great with jeans. The men’s department is welcome for high quality options with a more affordable price tag. The former has the high-waist, not too tight jeans with Birkenstock. The latter has the boot-cut jeans with cowboy boots. Both styles have in common to wear the shirt as a jacket over a graphic T-shirt or to knot the shirt around the waist for style.
Using the shirt as a shacket makes a great style for open air concerts. Both styles ask for a hat. The Californian girl goes for a trilby hat, the Southwest gal prefers a felt or leather cowboy hat. More on ageless style with hats.
Rock’n Roll and Punk
In these styles, plaid pants are a big thing. Make sure the plaid pattern continues perfectly at the seams over the crotch. Otherwise you look like a clown. Also go for neutrals rather than the classic Rock’n Roll/Punk red and black. You want to be able to wear your wool pants to work, right? 😉
Mod
Mod style is not just super-short mini dresses in A-line cuts. Think argyle sweaters in three neutral colors. Alternatively, you can pick three colors of similar shade, or three neighbored colors on the color wheel. Style them with a corduroy neutral color A-line skirt, and patent leather sandals in a bright color. What about plaid blanket scarves? They are great to add an extra insulation* layer in winter or cover-up on a chilly evening.
Argyle socks are a classic in work and casual style too in neutral colors under neutral color wool pants in winter or in bright colors under jeans with a solid neutral or bright sweater and sneakers on the weekend, respectively.
Bombshell and Plaid
Even a bombshell like Sophia Loren or Marilyn Monroe looks great in a sheer neutral color plaid blouse with tie-neck paired with high-waist jeans, solid pencil skirt or trousers. Don’t forget the high-waist pencil skirt in black-and-white diamond weave with a tucked-in sweater and stiletto pumps! Or Victoria Beckham‘s take on how to wear plaid. Recall her in her western shirt with black pencil skirt, and sky-high heels. So sexy! <3
Arty Slick
A signature item in arty slick is the buttoned tailored plaid cape with pockets and collar. Go for brown with cream and black for ageless style. The plaid itself should look very wide with different widths from 2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm).
Posh Eclectic
The Posh Eclectic style is the trickiest of all how to wear plaid. To get this style right, you have to try out everything with everything. Then look for what looks the rightest way wrong. Think tartan and sequins, plaid button-down shirt with riding pants and wellies. You get the idea!
How to Wear Plaid the Alaska Street Style Way
The Alaska version is the plaid wool jacket. It is cut like a straight button-down shirt, but from a coat-quality thick plaid fabric, two pockets on the breast, two diagonal pockets on the hips. No lining. It is worn with flannel lining jeans, duck boots, sweater, and trapper hat. While it is intended to be worn by men, women wear it too. Both genders prefer the red-black color combination with a little green.
More on how to have Street Style.
Wrapping Up How to Wear Plaid in a Sophisticated Way
The most important thing how to wear plaid is finding pieces with perfect fit where the pattern lines up at the seams.
Otherwise, the look is cheap or trashy or both.
You will look your best in the pattern that matches you personal style. To switch things up, you may try to wear a variety of the pattern of your secondary personal style.
Photos: G. Kramm
© 2013-2022 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved
