There are many, many ways to wear large-scale plaids. You can wear them in neutrals or non-neutrals, and in high or low-contrasting colours. You can wear them in a clothing item, accessory, or pair of shoes. Wear them with solids or pattern mix them with other plaids. Of course, a large scale plaid in bright or high-contrasting colours is the loudest version of all.
On to some dressy and casual colder weather outfit ideas for Team Loud Plaid.
1. Skirt
Here’s a flared plaid maxi skirt in a woolly fabric that looks nice and cosy, especially if you wear insulating hosiery underneath. A white shirt is tucked into the skirt and matches the creamy white components of the plaid. The outfit is topped with an unstructured tan trench coat, and heeled dressy refined boots in the same neutral. The complement pulls the outfit together. The refined boots add a fab bit of tailoring. I like the fluid fits of the items, and how showcasing the waist adds some structure. The long loosely unfastened trench over the long flared skirt is a fashion-forward addition. I see a tan, red, white, navy or light blue bag too.
2. Scarf
If loud plaid clothing items aren’t for you, try a plaid scarf. This one is bright, gigantic and bulky, but by all means opt for a more streamlined version. The palette is an interesting mix. The components that match are the pants, boots and the model’s dark strawberry blonde hair. The magenta pullover creates a delicious clash with the cinnamon pants. The scarf is a mix of all sorts of colours, but does not repeat the cinnamon and magenta. It does though, complement the solids in the outfit and works well to my eye.
3. Pants
Although the plaid pants are loud because the colours are high contrasting, they are neutral, and so is the rest of the outfit. This makes the look the least loud of the four. A graphic black and white tee matches the palette of the plaid pants. It’s been tucked to elongate the leg line of the pants from the hips upwards. White sneakers match the white in the outfit. An oversized and open grey denim shirt creates a shacket effect over the top. I see a crossbody bag to finish things off.
4. Suit
Last is the loudest combination. There are three plaid items worn in one outfit. Two of them match, one is mismatched, and all are bold. The repetition of the plaid in the culottes and gilet creates visual harmony. Instead of adding a solid layering top to the loud plaid suit, a bold and bright plaid is chosen. The mismatched plaids match in colour palette, which allows the eye to find peace amidst the chaos. Dark grey boots are almost black and bookend the model’s hair. Add jewellery, watch, bag and topper as desired.
I bat for Team Plaid. Tartans, checks, ginghams, and window-pane checks are among my favourite patterns. I like plaids small and large, loud and subtle, and neutral and non-neutral. Outfits #1 and #4 are my faves here. But I like #2 and #3 too. I love plaid!
