how to wear plaid after the holidays
it’s true. all of us are mad for plaid all through the holidays. plaid ribbons, plaid bows, plaid placemats, plaid napkins, plaid… well, you get the point. plaid is seen everywhere from November through December. by definition, plaid is a twill woolen fabric with a tartan pattern worn as a kilt or a shawl with a name to identify a community. somewhere along the line, plaid expanded to include any woven or printed pattern with intersecting bands or stripes running horizontally and vertically. but technically, plaid and tartan are two distinct entities. even Scotland can get a wee bit confused in the 21st century. all i know is i love plaid, whether it’s a plaid blazer, plaid pants, or plaid napkins. but how to wear plaid after the holidays? can it be done? let’s see.
it’s hard to decide which plaid i love most. Blackwatch plaid is a favorite with navy blue, green, and black as its backdrop. on the other hand, i’m always game to wear Stewart plaid with vibrant red, navy, and black. both plaids are on hand in my closet, ready to be worn to any holiday shindig. but plaids are perfect to wear all through those dreary months winter likes to dish up. in fact, plaids brighten my day with pops of red infused with shades of blue.
how to wear plaid after the holidays
today’s ootd is a little bit of this with a little bit of that. some old and some new, but every piece is from Talbots except for the red handbag and blue puffer. the merry tartan pants are on major sale as they were rolled out pre-holiday. the pants look fantastic paired with an ivory bobble stitched turtleneck with a stylish high low hem. a denim shirt is layered underneath for warmth, but the sleeves look so cute peeking out from the sweater and tie back to the pants. shoes are the easiest accessory to exchange to suit your climate. a pair of booties would work, as do the Francesca driving mocs (old, similar here and here). a navy blue puffer jacket (old, similar here) complements the plaid pants and grounds the neutral color scheme. but i added a red handbag (out of stock, similar here) for a pop of color. how to wear plaid after the holidays? it can be done. all in all, this casual chic outfit works for January. or any cold winter month.
pants | denim shirt | sweater | similar puffer coat | similar shoes | similar handbag
pants | denim shirt | sweater | similar puffer coat | similar shoes | similar handbag
it’s Wednesday, ladies. time to put a smile on someone’s face, including yours.
I had no idea that plaid was considered a “just holiday” thing!
Love your look today. I have had my eye on that sweater. I like the flats too.
Love that outfit! I wear plaid from October to end of March on the frozen prairies 😉.
I love that jacket – collarless! I find vests and that kind of jacket really annoying with a collar, as they usually won’t lay flat and bother my neck. Very difficult to find these days – yours is perfect 🥰
Love the post! I’ve been trying to come up with a way to wear a Stewart tartan shirtdress so that it doesn’t look like I missed the Christmas parade. I’m going to take your post as a green light and bust it out tomorrow with navy tights and a denim jacket.
Just ordered those pants Love the look Will wear with denim shirt and black cardi
You look TERRIFIC Beth
There is no confusion about the difference between a plaid and a tartan in Scotland unless that person has had their head in the sand. Tartan has specific requirements and each one is registered…often for a Clan but also for other purposes. Each “Set” that repeats must be the same number of threads, the colours of the threads following specific order in the Set (square) and the colours are also exact. Each Set is balanced side to side and top to bottom evenly. If you want to learn more look up Tartan and lear about all the Clans.
A Plaid on the other hand is not registered, can vary in colours depending who makes it, are often not an even thread count, can be unbalanced in a square….but inspite of all that kind of looks somewhat like a tartan to the untrained eye. Plaids can be made of more wild or fashion colours.
Both Tartans and Plaids have a place but they are not one and the same and not to be confused.
I’ve always loved plaid and like to wear it in any form. And definitely not just for holiday season. Especially love my various pairs of plaid ballet flats and pumps acquired over the years from Talbots, primarily, but other store too. It’s such a classic and always looks wonderful grounded with neutrals. Your outfit is adorable.