Glen plaid
Glen plaid (short for Glen Urquhart plaid), also known as Glenurquhart check or Prince of Wales check, is a woollen fabric with a woven twill design of small and large checks.[1] It is usually made of black/grey and white, or with more muted colours, particularly with two dark and two light stripes alternating with four dark and four light stripes, which creates a crossing pattern of irregular checks.[2] Glen plaid as a woven pattern may be extended to cotton shirting and other non-woollen fabrics.
Name[edit]
The name is taken from the Glenurquhart Estate in Inverness-shire, Scotland, where the checked pattern was first used during the 1840s by the Countess of Seafield[3] to fit out her gamekeepers,[1] though the name 'Glen plaid' does not appear before 1926.[4]
Glen plaid is also known as the Prince of Wales check, as it was first made famous by King Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.[5] The pattern was later popularized by King Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales.[6] In other words, despite its internationally known name (French prince de Galles, Spanish príncipe de Gales, Italian principe di Galles, etc.), the Prince of Wales check is not a Welsh pattern but a Scottish one.
Notable wearers[edit]
Pee-wee Herman was famous for his light-grey Glen plaid suit, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan was considered "unpresidential" in a gray-and-blue Glen plaid suit on a European trip in 1982.[7] In addition, Cary Grant wore a grey suit in a subtle Glen plaid during the 1959 American spy thriller film North by Northwest.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Glossary: Glen plaid". Ralph Lauren Style Guide. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
- ^ Dictionary.com
- ^ "Glenurquhart Estate Check". Scottish Register of Tartans. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Merriam-Webster Online dictionary.
- ^ How to Identify a Glen Check
- ^ GQ
- ^ Hugh Sidey, "Live Men Do Wear Plaid"
External links[edit]
- Glenurquhart Estate Check – Scottish Register of Tartans
- How to Identify a Glen Check
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