Style 101: A History of Tartan

Who Wore It Well?

Having been popularised by the Royal Family, tartan had become synonymous with society’s upper classes, and the misconceived idea that one must belong to a clan in order to authentically wear it was common. As well as its aristocratic background, tartan had always come with a set of rules - nobody, for example, may wear the Royal Stewart tartan without the express permission of the Queen. But, as with most rules, these were begging to be broken, and the seventies served up the perfect excuse to do so.

The adoption of tartan by punks at the time was just one of their ways of sticking a middle finger to the upper crust. Furthermore, they had their own monarch, punk princess Vivienne Westwood, and those who honoured her anarchic aesthetic included punk-rock bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols. Johnny Rotten, with his shock of red hair and permanently startled expression, would take to the stage in clashing tartans and safety-pinned leather. Malcolm McLaren, who managed the Pistols, was also a visionary and worked closely with (then-girlfriend) Westwood on the Chelsea boutique 'SEX'. Douglas Cordeaux, Managing Director of British clothmaker Fox Brothers, calls him “the original influencer”, his tartan ‘bondage’ kilt a key moment in style history. Controversy, nonconformity and an anti-establishment attitude became intrinsically linked to the textile, and has invited designers like Alexander McQueen to exploit its semiotics to comment on politics, history and culture in the UK.

Tartan Today

While tartan’s endurance may in some part be down to the myths that surround it (one such myth explained the dominant use of red as a result of warriors in battle wanting to disguise bloodshed), its appropriation by punk and grunge culture propelled it from an eccentric British textile to a fashion-forward design feature, and today to a sartorially savvy choice of cloth. The variations are virtually infinite, making pattern a viable option; if florals feel too feminine, stripes too boring, spots too kitsch, tartan is neither masculine nor feminine, neither youthful or mature. Whether it’s a classic flannel shirt, the lining of a Burberry trench, a Baracuta jacket, or the interior of a 1950s Mercedes 300SL, everyone – and everything – can wear it their own way.

Scottish tweed specialist Walker Slater’s Director Paul Walker explains the allure; “Tartan is a tribal fabric, so it will always attract designers to use it and customers to buy it. The preppy American collegiate look used it particularly well, while still holding on to the appeal of being part of a group.” Ralph Lauren was one of the first designers to tap into this, channelling his brand’s strong sense of identity. “Ralph Lauren made tartan a menswear hero cloth in the US,” Cordeaux agrees. “Tartan patterns have now evolved from bright family tartans associated with Scottish kilts to understated subtle checks used by houses around the world.”

For a long time,Black Watch tartan stood in the shadow of its louder, lairier older brother Royal Stewart, but in recent years has come into its own. Once reserved for the regiment after which it’s named, its contemporary colour combination makes it an effortless addition to a modern wardrobe. “It’s so wearable,” Walker says. “It’s masculine and links to that unity of a regiment again – it’s classic, and an easy entry into tartan before you build up the courage to embrace full colour.” Savile Row tailors have always looked to tartans, checks and tweeds to draw on British heritage in line with their own.“It carries the colours of our countryside, the heathers, gorse, ferns and the soil,” Cordeaux reflects. Far from its roots in the Scottish Highlands, via a stint on the cutting edge of fashion and culture, tartan can now deliver a considered approach to pattern. Subtle, neutral colourways make it a versatile suiting fabric, especially in muted tones of black and green, and is more apparent in luxury designers’ collections, cloth company offerings and even high street brands. Last year, Jigsaw sourced a soft Black Watch from Biella mill Subalpino, while Oliver Spencer, Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren continued to play with the proportions of the check in suiting and outerwear, harnessing British sentimentality with a rebellious streak and a more minimal design. If tartan continues on its current trajectory, we’ll be seeing it on the streets for a while yet. Just don’t let Theresa May put you off.

Ways to Wear

From left to right: Jonathan Edwards wears an Edward Sexton suit in Black Watch tartan with peaked lapels and heavily roped shoulders over a white pin collar shirt and knitted tie, a more formal take on tartan (photograph by Jamie Ferguson). Gianni Fontana and Karl Edwin Guerre wear their respective tartan jacket and trousers with individual style and pops of complementary colour. Layering a single-breasted Black Watch wool jacket over a dark roll neck results in a casual, seasonal look, updated with Beats headphones and shades (photograph by Jonathan Daniel Pryce).