House Envy: Plaid Revival

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Plaid Revival

It's no surprise, really, that plaid has managed to re-emerge as a 2013 trending pattern. Plaid, or tartans, have been around since before the Scottish made them their national symbol in the late 17th century. And by the early 18th century it was even popular for Scottish Hylanders to mix different plaids together.

via: Scots Connection

In the 19th century the British company Burberrytm was a favorite of the Royal family and earned Royal warrants. This gave them the rights to advertise their goods as official gear of the Royal family and army. Hence their flagship Burberrytm Check pattern is still a symbol of wealth and privilege.

via: Wikipedia

Of course, we Americans decided to hijack the pomp and circumstance of this old world pattern and it became the banner cloth of grunge throughout the nineties. Nirvana. Pearl Jam. Stone Temple Pilots. The west coast grunge movement spread like wild fire. Before we knew it, high school and college kids everywhere were sporting stringy hair, perfectly tattered jeans and plaid flannels (at least one size too big).

via: Let The Music Do The Talking

By the late 1990s, the grunge movement had buried Kurt Cobain and (luckily) let the plaid flannels die with him.

In 1999, Brittany Spears briefly revived the pattern in her "Baby One More Time" music video.

via: Fan Pop

But the sex appeal of the plaid Catholic school-girl jumper was quickly countered by the comedic relief of Molly Shannon (aka Mary Katherine Gallagher) on Saturday Night Live.

via: Christmas TV History

Hello 2013! Taking a page from those Scots, the fashion runways are bursting with plaid on plaid.

via: Fashion Magazine

And as runway fashions are so often translated into home fashion, 2013 looks like the year of plaid. Enjoy and Haste Ye Back! (which in Scottish means Return Soon!) And don't worry, this is not your grandma's plaid. .