Fashion Moment: Tartan

Tom Ford A/W 2010 lookbook

 
William Wallace did battle in it. Queen Victoria decorated Balmoral in it. The Bay City Rollers were rarely seen out of it. Tartan, the beloved emblem of kin, clan and nation of Scots, has evolved into one of the world’s favorite patterns.
   Tartan can be dated back to the 3rd century AD. But it was during the Highland romantic revival of the 19th century and the royal visit of George IV to Edinburgh in 1822 that tartan became the official national dress of Scotland.
    As traditional as mince pies and nearly as old as the story of Christmas, tartan is synonymous with the season of goodwill and a pattern that never fails to make an appearance on A/W catwalks. This
year saw Tom Ford’s male models sporting tartan suits of muted greys and the quintessentially British velvet smoking jacket with bold tartan evening trousers.
 Associations with aristocracy and military gave tartan an air of dignity and exclusivity. Because of this, the fabric went on to become a symbol of the anti-establishment movement of the 1970’s (the punk revolution).
    In 2008, Henry Holland’s psychedelic mini-kilts and skinny trews paid homage to ‘punk.’ Vivienne Westwood’s “Fabric of Scotland,” made waves in the 70’s with tartan bondage wear, created for the Sex Pistols. Westwood is thought of as the pioneer of tartan in mainstream fashion. However, she follows in the footsteps of many designers including Jacques Fath famed for his red tartan jacket and Paul Poiret’s simple unstructured dress with enlarged tartan of black, white and pink.  
   Alexander McQueen, famed for his Highland Rape collection, constantly reminds us of his Celtic roots, boasting that it was a McQueen who rowed Bonnie Prince Charlie over to Skye. He even uses his own clan tartan in his designs. His A/W 2010 collection displays an abundance of luxury materials with traditional patterns of hounds-tooth and tartan.
   The grunge movement and ‘Kurt Cobain’ style flannel shirts are now experiencing a revival and can be seen on Olsen twins, Kate Moss and many other young stars. So, lads and lassies who live for the styles of bonnie Scotland can rest assured that tartan will never be far from the fashion scene, whether you are channeling a traditional look, punk, grunge or preppy- you can do it in tartan.