This is the time of year when I can’t get enough plaid. I’ve collected enough plaid over the last five years to pretty much wear plaid every day (sorry, not sorry)! 😉
As I looked through the plaid in my closet this morning, I got to thinking about the history of the different patterns. I decided to do a little research on three of my favorite plaid patterns: black watch, royal tartan, and buffalo check. Below, check out some current photos of me in my favorite plaid, along with some current shopping options, and a little bit of history!
Black Watch Plaid
Black Watch Shopping Options:
History of Black Watch: If you’ve ever read Outlander or watched Outlander, you definitely picked up on the rather violent history between the Scottish and the British. That’s what this reminds me of…
Following the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, in 1725, General George Wade was asked to put together six ‘watch’ companies that could patrol the Scottish Highlands.
The watch companies’ job was to prevent fighting among the clans, bring criminals to justice, disarm men carrying weapons, and essentially keep the peace among the highlands. The companies were known as “Am Freiceadan Dubh”, translating to Black Watch. The name derived from the dark color of the tartan the men wore and their role to keep “watch” over the highlands.
Read more about the history black watch here.
Royal Tartan
Tartan Shopping Options:
Red Tartan
- Dress (as shown above)
- Flannel Blouse
- Ruffle Trim Top
- Sweater
- Pants
- Heels
- Pajama Pants
Black Tartan
Pink Tartan
History of Royal Tartan: This is the best known of Scottish tartans and it is the tartan of the Royal House of Stewart and the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II.
The pattern was first published in 1831 by James Logan in his book, “The Scottish Gael”, but references indicate that the sett (the particular pattern of stripes in a tartan) was known at the end of the 18th century. A light blue and a dark blue are interchanged in the stripe; there are several variants of this tartan (red, black, pink…just to name a few).
An early reference to the Royal Stewart tartan appeared in The Clan and Family Tartans of Scotland by W and A Smith, published in 1850. They wrote:
The Stuart tartan here given is that for which many years has been universally believed in Scotland to be the Tartan worn by our Scottish Sovereigns. Sometimes it is woven with a small stripe of green, bisecting the broad red belt; but we know that this green stripe is a modern innovation, and therefore we exclude it having the best authority for doing so.
Read more about Royal Tartan here.
Buffalo Plaid
Buffalo Plaid Shopping Options
- Shirt Jacket
- Flannel Tunic
- Flannel Blouse
- Cardigan
- Dress
- Skirt (like the one above)
- Scarf
- Dog Bandana
History of Buffalo Plaid:
The buffalo plaid came from a descendant of Rob Roy of the Clan MacGregor, Jock McCluskey, who lived in Montana in the 1800s. He traded with the Natives and used the heavy woven blanket in this pattern as his currency. Today, the buffalo check is easily recognizable by its large and heavy, red, and black check pattern.
Read more about the history of buffalo plaid here.
Let me know your favorite plaid in the comments below!