This fall we have introduced yet another plaid group into our neckwear collect. With “Scotland Yard”, and “Neapolitan Plaid” being such crowd pleasers, Steve thought it wise to add yet another traditional woven plaid tie into our collection. Plaid has become a staple of American fashion. From plaid shirts, to plaid neckties and plaid bow ties, plaid has become a consistent and classic part of Bird Dog Bay’s collection.

Plaid is an american translation of the Scottish word describing a blanket in a tartan pattern. Tartan is basically plaid, just in the US of A, we always have our own way of describing things. In Scotland, every tribe would have a distinct tartan pattern that would signify their alliance and family. They would wear their tartan pattern into battle and when traveling to signify who they were. Tartan is made in a unique manner that can trace its origins to the 16th century. It sounds fairly technical, yet is actually quite simple. Each thread in the warp crosses each thread in the weft at right angles. Where a thread in the warp crosses a thread of the same colour in the weft they produce a solid color on the tartan. This is how our ties are made as well… Why mess with an age old tradition!

While crossing over each other the threads produce an equal mixture of the two colors. From here the two base colors produce three different colours including one mixture. This is illustrated below in “Pastry Plaid” Plaid has become a staple in our line, and for good reason. The construction is sound, colorful, and bold. It pairs well with any oxford, dress shirt, and even stripe shirt. Safe to say, a wee bit of plaid is never a bad idea.