The Day Plaid wrapped and pinned in Victorian era

[Tobus]

I rather like this day plaid look to tell the truth. Certainly the wrapped day plaid without a broach looks very proper with a traditional walking out outfit.

I agree. Whilst the day plaid simply worn folded over the left shoulder can be somewhat of a burdensome fashion accessory, it becomes very useful if one expects any sort of inclement weather. I made mine primarily for wearing to Highland Games when it would be cold, windy, and/or rainy. I have been known to stay home when it's too cold for me (I have a low tolerance for frigid temps), and decided to take advantage of the traditional Highland solution.

It definitely takes some practise to get used to wearing a plaid, especially for being able to convert it on-the-go from one configuration to another without assistance. For instance, if wearing it as a simple over-the-shoulder day plaid and wanting to do a chest wrap, one has to handle a large length of cloth without dragging it on the ground, getting it neatly around one's chest and back over the shoulder. Then there's a lot of tugging at the jacket and plaid to get it all to lay comfortably and be able to move freely. The first few times you do it, it feels like a battle, but it gets easier.

Since making my tutorial, I bought a plaid brooch but haven't used it. For one thing, I'm still hesitant to put holes in the cloth, and for another the wearing of a brooched plaid takes a lot of fussing about in front of a mirror to get perfect. I think I'm more of a mind to just wear it casually and wrap it around my chest, flipping the end back over my shoulder freely as needed. No brooch. Just a more natural and casual wrapping. I probably wouldn't use the brooch unless I were trying to do a more formal wearing of the plaid.

In terms of plaid construction, I rather tend to think there's no difference between the plaids worn in MacLeay's portraits and a modern day plaid. Lengths can vary depending on user preference, and configurations of the plaid on the body are limitless. The beauty of the plaid is that it's just a piece of tartan and can be used lots of ways.

The one thing I haven't quite figured out, though, is how to get the plaid to look like MacLeay's portraits, in terms of the diagonal lay of the plaid with fringe cascading down the sides. The image below is but one example. You can clearly see that as the plaid goes around his chest, the tartan pattern is folded in line with the length of the cloth. But as it drapes down his left side, it's folded at a diagonal and the fringe at the end of the plaid is coming down nicely in a wavy manner. It's not just all hanging flatly and crudely at the bottom of the draped end. This diagonal configuration is a very pleasant aesthetic, but I haven't experimented with how to get it to display like that. I'd be curious if anyone else has tips on this.