Plaid pants have a punk pedigree, since the V&A dates Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's archetypal Bondage suit to 1976. For her 1993 Anglomania collection, Westwood commissioned a tartan that the ASU FIDM Museum calls a nod to punk. Here is how to choose plaid pants that look sharp and not like a costume.
Plaid Pants: Westwood's Tartan and Punk's Uniform
Tartan with an attitude
The V&A dates Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's archetypal Bondage suit to 1976, and notes that its loop-hung belt echoed early twentieth-century military wear. For her 1993 Anglomania collection, Westwood commissioned a tartan that the ASU FIDM Museum describes as a deliberate nod to punk. Vogue noted that British punks reappropriated tartan, and pointed to Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons' fall 2006 plaid-paneled pants in the Met's Clothes for Heroes gallery. Plaid pants are the polite cousin of a protest.
Scale of the check
A small check is subtle and almost reads as a solid from a distance. A large plaid is bold and graphic. A windowpane is tidy and a tartan is traditional. Choose a scale that suits your height, since tall frames can carry big checks. Look at how the pattern lines up at the seams.
Cut and color
A straight leg looks smart and a wide leg looks relaxed. A cropped pair shows off shoes. Gray and black plaids are easy to wear, and a red tartan is festive. Picture her in gray plaid trousers with a black turtleneck and loafers, walking into an interview with a coat over her arm. Keep one color in the pattern and match it to the top.
Styling
Plaid pants like solids. Pair them with a plain sweater, a white shirt or a leather jacket. Keep accessories simple. For an edgier mood, add boots and a chain belt. A blazer in a solid color makes them look like a suit.
What I would skip
I would skip plaid pants whose pattern puckers at the seams and those with too many colors that clash with your wardrobe. A plaid should be a choice, not a dare.
