How to Wear Tartan in Any Season
- Julie Diana
- Sep 11
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 11
Tartan is the ultimate heritage print.
It lends a garment—no, an entire outfit—a conservative vibe without being stuffy.
How? By symbolizing the warm comfort of family, community, and homeland.
Best of all, it’s equally suited for both daytime and evening, casual and dressy.
What other fabric can do that? Cotton eyelet? Nope. Silk charmeuse? Eh. Denim? Not even a little.
Every year, the appearance of tartan in clothing stores heralds the arrival of fall. This is good.
The stores keep stocking and we keep wearing the perennial Scottish classic through December and early winter. Also good.
But they stop adding and we start overlooking when the daffodils (or daffy-down-dillies, as they say in nearby Yorkshire) start to bloom.
This needn’t be the case.
Tartan is for all seasons, I declare. (My family’s Edinburgh roots bolster my credibility here.)
Keep reading to discover two dozen plaid pieces waiting to enliven your wardrobe, any time of the year.
Let's start with black watch tartan.
Duchess Kate in Dundee, Scotland.
Black watch tartan's navy and deep emerald tones make it the most versatile of the bajillion different tartan color combos.
One of my favorite scarves features a black watch motif in 100% silk. It's so breathable, I wear it even in the summer heat.
While it's now sold out, the one below is made of the same luxurious silk.
Alas, the key to adapting tartan for spring and summer is fiber. (Not the kind of fiber in prunes, ahem).
We're talking breathable, hot-weather-friendly fibers like linen, lightweight cotton, rayon, and the aforementioned silk.
Exhibit A: a black watch pencil skirt I sewed a few years ago. Instead of using wool, I used a cotton flannel. It was from Mood Fabrics in NYC. While wool is a breathable fiber, the cotton is more lightweight. This cotton and this one, also from Mood, would have worked too.
The blouses below have a similar idea. They're made of 100% cotton, with a brushed texture. (Think less fluffy flannel).
They're both from UK retailer Boden, which is a good place to find tartan, plaids, and check prints any month of the year.
This next black watch beauty is made of chiffon. Although it's polyester, it's light and airy.
Give the dress' hem some extra length by wearing a skirt extender.
A-line layering skirt, choose 23", 25" or 27" long / Right: Esteez pencil layering skirt, many colors; S-XXL here, plus size here
More tartan pieces in cotton
Lightweight tartan scarves
Tartan hats
And last but not least, some tartan whimsy
Thank you for reading!
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