The first day of fall ceremoniously shuts the drawer on linen shirts, tucks away swim trunks and flings flip flops to the back of closets—at least until we realize that it’s still a little too hot to go to such extremes. But while we stubbornly shake out the moth balls from our sweaters, what pattern are we seeing flash before our eyes? Plaid.
Plaid, the pattern of lumberjacks and haberdashers alike. We think of both campfire and pipe smoke, of scratchy wool coats and soft cashmere socks. But, you ask, can you mix plaids? How do I wear plaid without looking like Paul Bunyan? What if I want to look like Paul Bunyan? We at MDG have compiled our top tips for how to wear and mix plaid.
1) Choose patterns that vary in size or width. Try a teeny check print with a big plaid or a wide herringbone with small buffalo plaid.
2) Keep plaids in the same color family, i.e. grey, black and charcoal, or two plaids that share the same color, like a navy Glenn plaid coat with navy micro-check dress slacks.
3) Choose one plaid or print that dominates and one to accent.
4) When in doubt, mix plaid with neutrals.
