Plaid Midi Dress and Booties for Fall

Are you mad about plaid? Once again, plaid is a big trend this fall. Since fall is actually a very warm time of year here along the coast, I prefer the lighter-weight fabrics. Fortunately, there are lots of them available. Like this plaid midi dress.

Plaid Midi Dress Outfit

The History of Plaid

On our recent trip to Scotland, we saw plaid everywhere! It makes sense, of course, since plaid fabric is a big part of their history. The word itself is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word plaide, meaning blanket. But the official term is tartan, which was first used to describe the individual colors and patterns used to decorate the clothes of different Scottish clans. While they often came in the same colors, “plaids” were actually heavy traveling cloaks worn to ward off the bitter cold of the Scottish winters. The word plaid replaced the actual name of Tartan only when the English military co-opted the pattern in the form of “black-watch plaid,” the tartan worn by the Royal Highland Regiment.

If you’re wondering how and why Scottish clans wore their own tartan patterns, that is due to available dyes used by weavers in each area. Weavers would make one pattern and locals would wear those. This is how each clan became recognizable by their own particular tartan.

In terms of fashion, plaid has become a staple. For example, buffalo plaid made an entry in the 1800s, from the Scottish owner of the Woolrich Woolen Mills in the United States. I wrote about it in the post, Buffalo Plaid Shirt Outfit Styled Three Ways. Pendleton introduced plaid in men’s shirts in the 1920s and began producing women’s shirts in 1949. In the 1970s, The Beach Boys made the Pendleton plaid shirts trendy for men. Today, designers integrate plaid fabrics into dresses, skirts, shoes, bags, you name it, and almost anything is now popular in plaid. This year’s styles show a lot of mixing of plaid–with other plaids, stripes, and florals.

I’ll bet you can find lots of examples of plaid in your own wardrobe, right? But, really, can you ever have too much of this pattern? How about a plaid midi dress?

The Plaid Outfit

Plaid doesn’t have to be heavy and woolen. And it’s not only for fall and winter. This plaid midi dress is sleeveless and lightweight in a fabric that can be worn for all but the hottest days of summer. In a twill weave with rayon, this dress is machine washable.  Yay!

Plaid Sleeveless Midi Dress: Misses |  Plus Size

The details, as always, make this dress unique. The ruffled bodice and collar give definition to the blue and rust plaid pattern.

You can belt the dress or not–the column shape looks great with or without a belt. I’ve added an older belt from Chico’s.

 

Another good thing about this dress is the price–under $30! There are lots of very cute casual plaid dresses available. Here are just a few at various price points, all well under $100:

The blue plaid pattern is interwoven with rust and white making it easy to wear with almost any shoes and bags in your closet.

 

Plaid With Booties and Denim Jacket

Here I’ve styled it with my rust slouch booties for a fall look, but it would look super cute with sandals or sneakers for a summer casual look and feel. These booties are both cute and comfy.

Snakeskin boots in a Western-style are a great neutral with this plaid dress. These are my absolute favorites and they go with almost anything!

For a final touch, wear it with a denim jacket, for an outfit that easily transitions from late summer to fall.

 

Are you looking for an easy way to add more plaid to your wardrobe? Try this casual plaid midi dress to wear now, in late summer, and on into the fall.