By Muhammad Jaffar
What does plaid say to you, other than Scotland? Coziness, perhaps, and tradition, and comfort, all might come up. So too, might a place far west of northernmost Britain—Seattle, birthplace around the late eighties of grunge. And if you are Dries Van Noten, you might have still another answer up your casually rolled sleeve: spring—next year, specifically. His show, powerful and compelling—all the more so because those qualities were conveyed in such a light, airy manner—was an ode to plaid, a print both rebellious and romantic, opening with a purple and blue tartan chiffon shirt over a white tank, a long lean pencil skirt embellished with large, blowsy black and brown blooms, and houndstooth stiletto slingbacks with a distinct whiff of the early sixties.
