Signature Plaid? - YouLookFab Forum

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Signature Plaid?

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

Is this crazy? I ordered this sweater, am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. Cobalt is one of my favorite colors. I will be vastly disappointed if it doesn't become an immediate favorite.

Angie linked to this outfit that I adore, would prefer it in cobalt rather than red. And now this smoking jacket shows up in the finds?

Some do leopard print as a signature print. Some wear the Breton stripe enough I'd think it's part of your style. Why not buffalo plaid? It fits into the western mystique/Hollywood cowgirl vibe I'm after. Or do you think I would get sick of it sooner rather than later? Do you tire of your signature pattern?

SMYTHE Plaid Smoking Jacket

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Saks Fifth Avenue RED Buffalo Plaid Mixed Media Cape

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15 replies

Latest reply was from Aida

Tanya

Veteran

Not crazy at all. The jacket is stunning, and I love the idea of plaid as signature print. I wear a lot of different prints so I do not think I have a signature one.

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

I think it would only take 2-3 items to try it out without getting so deep into the investment that it would hurt if it doesn't work out. Maybe a shirt and a scarf to go with the sweater. Not worn all at once!

rabbit

Veteran

Both jackets are great. I think plaid in general (not necessarily restricted to a certain color) would actually be a great signature print, it's very versatile and has a myriad of historical connotations and has been paired up in outfits many ways from traditional tartan to UK punk, to grunge, to work and ranch wear.

MsMary

Veteran

Oh my gosh that Smythe jacket is awesome! And I love the look in the pin you linked. I think having multiple Buffalo plaid items sounds like fun!!

Anonymous

I really like the sweater you've ordered - the second picture, right? I have seen the Smythe jacket up-close-and-personal, and was not knocked out. I found it a little weird looking in person, colours were not quite "right" and the lapel looked wrong against that fabric (can't explain it) . The bracelet sleeves were not working for me either - not with this kind of heavier blazer. Anyways, that has nothing to do with anything I know, sorry I like the idea of having a signature - plaid, animal, paisley. whatever it is - it's fun!

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

Yes, it's a classic. And I think you've just dispatched me back to the mall to get the black/gray buffalo plaid scarf I was mulling over yesterday ~grins sheepishly~

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

This scheme could rationalize my desire for cobalt shoes too.

MsMary, do you ever get tired of your leopard prints?

Lisap, yep, second sweater. I hope they didn't send it that dratted Fedex/USP abomination, as we have a rural PO box and I don't get there very often. Good to know about the jacket, but it probably wouldn't be in the cards for my lifestyle anyway. Even my rich fantasy life doesn't extend to opportunities to wear smoking jackets.

Thimbalina, if you see one in cobalt/black, do tell!

Isabel

Veteran

I LOVE your idea of a signature "pattern". I have never considered that before. I also spied that jacket and really love it. I think that as long as you don't go overboard, it is ok to have a few things. The problem becomes, in my mind, when everything is in the pattern or color and then if you tire of it, the whole wardrobe needs replacing. I say go for it. They are beautiful pieces.

MsMary

Veteran

RA, I do not get tired of my leopard pieces! I love them and wear them a lot! Ditto my stripes and polka-dots!

Joy

Veteran

I never get tired of prints that I really love or Breton stripes. I am having to take a break from polkadots but think that I will return to them.
The Smythe jacket is gorgeous in the photo and would be a great addition in a black/white/denim/grey capsule with jeans, pants, skirts and sheath dresses.
I saw a silky polyester black and cobalt plaid shirt at Target, but it was not a buffalo plaid. I like the fact that the blue/black buffalo plaid is not high contrast.

L'Abeille

Veteran

To me, a signature print is like this: You wear it before it becomes trendy, you rejoice when it becomes trendy because now it is easier to find everywhere, and you will still be wearing it when it is no longer trendy, because you love it and it feels like "you". If you see an item in that print, you immediately want to at least try it on, no matter that you already own several. Other people recommend or give you items in that print, because it makes them think of you.

For me, the signature prints are Breton stripes and any kind of plaid, tartan, or houndstooth. I will probably get bored with leopard and zebra eventually, and maybe with polkadots, but I will still be drawn to every striped T I ever see.

My suggestion: get some items in the buffalo plaid. But limit it to 3 or 4 for now. If you feel great in it now, and 2 years from now you still love it, reach for it, and crave even more of it, you will know you have found your signature.

(A caveat: every fall, tartan is very briefly the new IN thing, and I think everyone craves it because of back-to-school associations. If this is one of your signature prints, you will still want to wear it lots in January.)

bj1111

Veteran

I'm with LA. If this is a new print for you, then a few items would tell you whether this is going to be your signature print. I would go for different silhouettes or items that you can integrate into multiple outfits...a jacket, a scarf, a top eg.

I noticed that both were bluish. Maybe that is what appeals, rather than just the buffalo plaid?

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

LA: if I have to be cool before anyone else, there's no hope, LOL! I'll just have to start as a lemming or not start at all.

I have the sweater on order and am looking for the right weight shirt. With my limited needs, that might be enough to try it out. A winter scarf would be cool, if I found the right one.

BJ: definitely the blue is part of it, and I think Joy id'd part of it, the low contrast. Other plaids with cobalt and other colors just don't have the same appeal. And it works with all my lapis & silver baubles.

Polka dots and stripes look great on others, for some reason I have a poison eye when I see them in the store. Same with animal prints. My closet is full of solids, maybe 3-5 garments with a pattern of any kind. So testing this out slowly would be a good idea. I saw some leggings, but I think I'll skip those, hehe.

WRT to textiles in general, I am a huge fan/small collector of Pendleton blankets. This pattern fits right into my cowgirl aesthetic. I am now deeply curious how a buffalo plaid shirt would look under my Pendleton jacket. There will be some K/R posts in my future. You all of YLF are showing me how to wear it without looking like a grunge throwback or a lumberjack. That rocks.

rabbit

Veteran

Ooh I'd love to see some styled pictures sometime, especially under the Pendleton jacket.

Aida

Veteran

My signature print is checks so I'm quite happy to have multiple plaid items (pants, tops, jackets...) That said, I tend to avoid similar items in similar colorways. That first jacket strikes me as more classic and the second as more trendy.