“Tartan plaid.” This is a phrase you are likely familiar with if you have ever spent any time looking into what colors or patterns are popular during the fall and winter seasons.
Tartan has become popularly associated with the Christmas season so you will often find people wearing it in the winter months, especially December. This is not too surprising from a simple aesthetic standpoint. Popular tartan patterns prominently include colors like red, green, and white- “Christmas colors.” But simply referring to tartan as a plaid or relegating it to a holiday would be a mistake… one that would skip over a significant amount of history and culture.
Definition
So what exactly is it? A tartan is a pattern of interlocking stripes, running crisscross, made up of two or more colors. If that sounds like a pretty broad definition, one that would place many different plaids in the tartan category, well- that’s because it is. Its said that while every tartan is a plaid, not every plaid is a tartan. The difference lies in what family or organizational name is associated with a plaid, which makes it a tartan. More on this coming up.
Origins
Tartan has been around for millennia, with archaeologists having discovered cloths dating back to 3,000 years ago. Ancient peoples across the world developed their own basic tartan patterns. More recently though, tartan has become deeply associated with Scotland in the last few centuries.
The earliest tartan cloths discovered in Scotland are from around the 3rd and 4th centuries ADE, but it didn’t become culturally popular until the 18th century. There was really no deeper meaning to any particular tartan patterns or colors at first. Nor were they based on clan or family name. The pattern was based on the desire of the customer, the skill of the tailor, and the colors available from locally sourced dyes.
After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the British government attempted to suppress the rebellious nature of the Scottish Highlanders by making it illegal to wear tartan. This suppression lasted until 1822 when King George IV visited Edinburgh and all of the clan chiefs were requested to wear their clan tartan patterns. By this point the wearing of tartan had all but vanished. Many families and clan chiefs were no longer familiar with the tartans their ancestors might have worn and much the skill with weaving such patterns had died out. This caused a rush to re-create and officially relate certain tartans to family name or clan name- forever sealing tartan culturally as Highland dress and setting the precedent that in order for a tartan to be a tartan, it had to be tied to an organizational name.
These days, anyone can create and register their own tartan creation on the official Scottish Register of Tartans. There are over 7,000 recorded tartans, all which are tied to an individual, family, clan, military unit, and even corporate entities. If you were to create and register a tartan today it would be as official as one recorded 300 years ago.
Popular Tartan Patterns
Royal Stewart
This is the best known tartan of the House of Stewart and is still worn by numerous military units today. This pattern seems to be the quintessential tartan during the winter holidays where it can be seen on everything from bow ties to pocket squares to table runners to napkins to wrapping paper.
Buffalo Plaid
The Rob Roy of clan McGregor aka “buffalo plaid” is perhaps the most recognizable tartan pattern in America. This tartan was actually introduced by Jock McCluskey, a descendant of Rob Roy, after he immigrated to Canada and then the United States from Scotland. McCluskey was a man of the land who made his living hunting bison, fur trapping, and trading with Native American tribes out West.
This look has become synonymous with both rugged outdoor work and cozy winter wear. Its been worn by cowboys, lumberjacks, frontiersmen, and even legendary American icons like the Marlboro Man and folk hero Paul Bunyan. Nowadays you can see it worn on anyone regardless of age, gender, or social background, from modern outdoors men to Instagram models to families taking professional photos.
Black Watch
This tartan has a military background dating back almost 300 years. In 1725, six independent companies of troops were raised to police the Highlanders of North Britain. These troops came to be known as the Black Watch and later came together to form the 43rd Royal Highland Regiment.
This tartan is a great choice for men who are branching out into being a bit more festive (perhaps involuntarily by their significant other) but could do without being so colorful or looking like a napkin. It is excellent for wearing in the evening due to its muted tones.
How to Wear Tartan
There are different ways to wear tartan depending on if you’re dressing it up or keeping it casual. My advice is to remember that tartan is a bold look. Pair it with articles of clothing which have more subtle patterns or micro-patterns. One of the worst things you can do when pattern mixing is wearing 2 or more bold patterns because they will clash with each other and compete for the attention of whoever is looking at you.
Tartan fabrics are traditionally made from wool due to Scotland’s climate and abundance of sheep. Today it can be found in a variety of cold weather fabrics. Keep this in mind when deciding what to wear it with. Tartan will be more at home with things like flannel, denim, and layering, and boots rather than warm weather wear like linen, chinos, and sandals.
Dressing It Up
You’ll really be standing out if you wear a full tartan suit so make sure you have the confidence or really enjoy attention if you try to pull that off. For a more conservative but still festive look, try wearing a tartan odd jacket. If you’re new to tartan and want to start somewhere small than a neck tie or bow tie is a good place to start.
Keeping it Casual
There’s virtually no limit to where and how tartan can be worn casually. There’s even a good chance you already have a tartan item in your fall-winter wardrobe, likely in the form of a buffalo plaid shirt. This is something that can be worn while lounging by a fire or while chopping the wood that will later make said fire. It can be worn to an office where smart-casual attire is allowed, happy hour, or a date. You can find almost any article of clothing or accessories in a variety of tartan so feel free to discover which patterns you like and get creative.
Conclusion
There are thousands of individual tartans with their own brand of patterns, colors, and history. Try finding one you like and incorporating it into your wardrobe. What is your favorite tartan?