Sunday, November 13, 2011

WIW: Plaid

I felt sporty today so I went with an ascot.

It's also Autumn, therefore I decided to wear my red plaid jacket for the first time.

I've been contemplating what to wear with this jacket for quite some time. It's a mid-1960s wool jacket that was most likely half of a suit at one point in time. It's very well made and fits me like a glove but the wild plaid pattern to it doesn't lend itself to coordinating very easily with other pieces. For that reason it's been in my possession for at least a year now and hadn't been worn until today.


click images to enlarge








Paired with gray flannel trousers, brown suede shoes, a pale green shirt, vintage blue and yellow ascot and vintage Hollywood-style fedora, I'm pretty happy with the results.











In the past loud plaid patterns have routinely fallen in and out of favor through the years. The Duke of Windsor, for example, often enjoyed a loud plaid suit as his tartan lounge suit below illustrates (in America tartan is one form of plaid).



And to further emphasize plaid's waxing and waning popularity throughout recent sartorial history, the Duke's tartan lounge suit was originally made in 1897 for his father, George V and then slightly altered for the Duke, who wore it with such success that is helped create a plaid craze in America during the 1950s.



There's nothing wrong with wearing loud plaids as long as the accoutrements compliment without adding to the loudness. At times this can be difficult but if done well it is very rewarding.

4 comments:

Roger v.d. Velde said...

I don't know there are limits, that plaid suit of the Duke's is a bit too much. I don't think I could go about looking like my suits are made up from cut-offs from a bagpipe maker.

Will said...

Yes, his lounge suit was a bit too much for me. Tartan is best left for socks rather than suits, especially when the pattern is so large. But when you're the Duke of Windsor, one of the most sartorially influencial men of the 20th century, you can bend the rules and wear pretty much whatever you want.

Dan Redd said...

I admire the ensemble sir...great look!

-Dan Redd

Seb said...

Hi, I just found your blog, so apologies for commenting on an old thread. I just wanted to tell you that you really knocked this one out of the park. Good job!

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