Recently, I've seen quite a few pictures of suits posted on here that have been made out of POW, Glen Plaid, Glen Urquhart etc. (for the sake of the post I shall lump all these types into the generic term Plaid). I've known about these cloths for quite a long time but have always thought of them as little 'loud'. After looking at the said suits I'm really beginning to appreciate the look of this cloth. So, I'd like to start a thread to discuss the Plaid, it's situational uses, it's style, members likes and dislikes, accessorising the suit etc. Hopefully, some of the mods and Ivy bunch will way in with their views and our resident clothing historian Sator can give us the History and origin bit as well.
Last edited by formby (2008-08-23 05:49:27)
Interesting comment about associating glen plaid cloth with American style, as I have memories of striking glen plaid suits showcased in old Brooks Brothers catalogs. Then again, the brothers Brooks derived some of their style from the Brits. I wonder of any differences between POW and glen plaid. IIRC, Edward Pressman, the producer of Wall Street, said the inspiration for Terence Stamp's character was the late Sir James Goldsmith. Stamp wears a beautiful POW suit in the film. I remember the scene in which he leaves his townhouse and walks to his waiting Bentley, looking very dashing. He is wearing a POW jacket and an open-neck shirt when he appears at Michael Douglas's beachhouse over the weekend. By the way, I think the jacket of Cruz's POW Mimmo Siviglia suit would look great separately with khakis or tan trousers, and even grey trousers.
Last edited by Marc Grayson (2008-08-23 08:43:38)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBKuESaGa00
Last edited by Marc Grayson (2008-08-23 08:48:08)
l've always associated plaid with American men, and from the pictures l see posted on the forums, it truely stamps the view that American men do wear plaid. This fasination for plaid is lost on many people outside the U.S.A...outsiders just don't get the look.
l'm a more recent person of the plaid and l must say l like it alot. l wear a plaid suit when l want to stand out in the crowd, not in a flashy way but understated class. Plaid seems to be a material for sensible stable men.
l don't see many people wearing plaid in Australia. When someone does wear one, it always gets my attention.
Sorry l can't add anything really useful to this discussion, my experience is very limited. l want to know more about it too....what accessories to wear with it, what materials (ties, p.s) work best with it, occasions where plaid is the best choice etc etc.
Last edited by The_Shooman (2008-08-23 08:52:45)
Prince Charles is seen in POW suits frequently, appropriately enough, but these days I don't often see American men in POW suits.
Like the cloth, not the suit...
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2007/06/does-it-get-much-better.html
Sources for quality POW cloth are few. My tailor had the foresight to purchase bolts of wonderful POW-style cloth in unusual colors, such as deep blue, years ago. These days, I only know of Lesser and Harrison as sources. Harrison or Minnis--I forget which one--has a very heavy classic POW cloth that is allegedly the original POW cloth.
Last edited by Marc Grayson (2008-08-23 10:31:14)
I have a heavy brown POW cloth from Harrison--the only one they offer that I know
of--which might be what you're thinking of. Not sure if it has a reddish hue, but that could be my eyes. The suit was made up a few years ago and I haven't looked through that range recently, so I don't know that it's even still available.
I have one very dark grey POW with a blue overcheck which I wear regularly to the office. I also have a very light grey POW with blue overcheck which I wear for spring/summer social occasions, but rarely (if ever) to the office.
So what shirt and tie combo's do we wear with the Plaid suit? One thought was along the lines of a plain shirt, maybe a subtle pattern in either a check or stripe, and a tie who's principle colour could pick up the colour of the overcheck, but is the Plaid suit the type of suit were the suit cloth takes centre stage as opposed to the shirt and/or tie? Or is it best to try and achieve a more balanced look were not one element of the look stands out which itself leads to another interesting question. How do we balance a bold plaid?
POW suit is very flexible.
There is no such thing as an orphaned jacket or trousers, as you can wear the trousers with a blazer and the jacket with plain trousers.
It is a cloth with a bookmaker's look rather than an American look in my opinion.
They became a skinhead staple after mohair.
Not made of mohair though. Houndstooth check was the other cloth that was popular at the same time. They even had those patterns on harringtons as well.
Last edited by Kingstonian (2008-08-24 06:09:13)
FNB, I've recently been looking through some of the threads and postings on SF and I've come across mention of a plaid in the Harrison's Thistle book which has a lilac/lavander overcheck. Since you're a Harrison's man I thought I'd ask you if you've seen this particular cloth. I've had a look at the Harrison's website but it doesn't mention the Thistle book.