A Tad Bit O' Plaid

I'm so happy that plaid flannel shirts are back in.  ( Did they ever really go out of style?)  I wear ratty-tatty attire when at home and a trusty plaid long-sleeve, but I seem to relish the feeling and comfort it brings me when I put it on, more than any blouse and trousers or expensive dress.   I have a variety of plaid shirts, combining different plaid prints and in different colour schemes.  The best part is all of them are hand-me-downs or thrift store finds.  I wear the ones that you see in Country Living magazines from the late 1900’s.  Ya, those ones! 

I often question if it is ok to wear my plaid shirts to any place other than the barn or the garden... Is it appropriate to wear them to work off-farm?  Believe me, there are days I earn to, however I muster up the energy to change and make myself more presentable. The plaid shirts I wear are not beautiful, fitted, plaid shirts that we see in today’s fashion magazines.  Nope, mine are colourful, over-sized and holey, but of utmost comfort and to me, quite sexy.  Is it odd that I feel my best in an old, holey, over-sized, plaid shirt than a tight fitting, shiny one?  I can get away wearing them to my girlfriends for monthly brunches on a Sunday morning, but even then I get a few friendly stares like, when did Claire’s fashion go so wrong! or a comment such as “Claire, what the hell are you wearing?” but they are my friends, so they are stuck with me and my plaid.

 When asked by many what my wedding colours were, I said “autumn and plaid.”  I got weird stares and a few laughs, but to me that is what it was. They asked “why” and I said, “why not”? I was celebrating harvest on the farm (and marriage, of course!) and what better way to decorate than with plaids encompassing the colours of reds and yellows, browns and oranges and earth tone greens and blues.  And really, what clothing represents a farmer more than plaid?

Once, I created a scarecrow for our annual summer/fall fair.  Dressed in dad’s old, plaid shirt and jeans and stuffed with newspapers and straw, I recall this old tradition that so many families took part in.  I made sure to keep that shirt long after my scarecrow was done wearing it.

Furthermore, I trim my house with plaid and my horse with plaid: plaid horse blankets, plaid house blankets, plaid pillow cases, plaid saddle pads, plaid table clothes and plaid patches and pockets to cover a worn and torn hole.  Did I mention I like plaid?

No, I am not Scottish.  I am Dutch (which may be the reason I shop for plaid shirts at thrift stores!).  Considering that plaid is one of the best things about cold weather fashion, you definitely don’t want to miss out on them.  Some people fancy them up, but I am stuck in the rut of wearing them with jeans and work boots and am happiest that way.  However, there are many other ways to wear a plaid shirt, no matter how casual it seems.  They are so versatile, comfortable, cozy and inexpensive!  Then again, nothing completes a cool spring or late-fall time of year better than a soft, warm (and slightly holey!) plaid shirt.  Whether weeding the garden, scoopin’ poop in the barn, or curling up with a book and hot cup of tea, I prefer plaid all the way.  

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