CHECKMATE: TARTAN IS MAKING A MOVE FOR FALL

BY BOOTH MOORE

McQueen, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and others are taking the classic to another level, inspired by “Saltburn,” the Rive Gauche and more.

September 5, 2025

Khaite

Tartan is timeless, having represented tradition, comfort and self-expression for centuries in the Scottish Highlands and beyond. That may be why it’s a perennial fall fashion trend, as dependable as back-to-school and the arrival of the Pumpkin Spice latte.

This season, tartans, plaids and checks are making a move once again, striking notes of familiarity and reinvention, classicism and rebelliousness.

From consummate British brand McQueen, a sharp-tailored green tartan peak lapel jacket paired with a white ruffled high-neck blouse conjures fashion icon Princess Diana in the late 1980s. But styled with shorts it’s a transitional look with a contemporary edge that would be at home in the creative enclave of Soho in London.

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SOUTH COAST PLAZA

THE FALL TREND EDIT: PLAIDS

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Tartan is so central to the DNA of British brand Burberry, the distinct Burberry check that first appeared in the 1920s on the lining of raincoats is now a registered trademark. For fall, designer Daniel Lee was inspired by the delightfully deranged film “Saltburn” to add youthful eccentricity to heritage plaids, twisting them into warped patterns, and layering the classic kilt over matching plaid cigarette pants and pumps for a total look.

Italian designer Alessandro Michele has long been enamored of all things British, and Valentino’s checked boucle jacket with gold buttons and matching short shorts is a hot take on the lady suit for the next gen.

Generational shifts were also on the mind of Anthony Vaccarello when he was designing the pre-fall Saint Laurent collection. The classic Prince of Wales plaid blazers, tartan silk crepe tie-neck blouses and inverted pleated maxi skirts reference the French brand’s early Rive Gauche collections of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which defined the category of ready-to-wear as a democratizing fashion force aligned with feminism, by giving women more affordable wardrobe building blocks to suit their evolving professional and personal lives.

And plaid touched several looks in the Louis Vuitton fall collection inspired by eclectic travelers, bringing to mind Sloane Rangers, lumberjack chic and more, underscoring how checks cross borders and style tribes on their journey to infinite fashion possibilities.