As you probably know, here at Edward Baumann Clothiers of Dallas, for a custom suit – or any custom garment – the most important element is fit. But once one of our two master tailors has carefully taken your measurements, the exciting process of selecting a fabric for your bespoke custom suit starts. 

There are a lot of factors that will go into selecting the best fabric for your new custom-made suit or sport coat. Will you be wearing the suit in the winter or spring? Is your new tailored suit for a Dallas social event or for work? And, of course, personal style is paramount. 

There are certain occasions that call for a classic black or blue suit, but the rest of the time, the tone your menswear sets is up to you.  

Why We Love Plaid for Custom-Made Suits

Plaid offers a classic feel while still leaving you with a lot of room for self-expression. 

“Technically, plaid isn’t the pattern’s proper name,” Smithsonian Magazine points out. “That honor goes to the word ‘tartan,’ which was first used to describe the individual colors and patterns used to decorate the clothes of different Scottish clans.”

If you’ve ever traveled to Scotland, you can probably understand how each of the ancient clans developed its own unique tartan. Each clan would rely on the weaver in its own remote region. Those weavers would be limited in terms of the colors available to them, which were often made from vegetable dyes, by the local resources. 

“Plaid only replaced tartan once the patterns became popular with British and American textile manufacturers who would recreate fabrics that looked like tartans, but without centuries of symbolic meaning embedded in their clothing,” Smithsonian Magazine says.

“Whatever the color and context, it seems like plaid is one pattern that may never go out of style,” Smithsonian Magazine says.

So, the next time you’re ready for a new custom suit from Dallas’ own Edward Baumann, be sure to ask your wardrobe consultant about the possibilities of plaid.