Many flannels are plaid, but you can also find plaid on materials other than flannel, like pants, hats, and other shirt types.

But here lies the main distinction between the two: plaid is a pattern, whereas flannel is a material.įlannels are a thicker, woven fabric that tend to button up and feature a breast pocket. It’s easy to get flannel and plaid confused, or conflate them as the same, generally because many flannels feature a plaid patten.

Steve Sanderson, founder of Manchester-based menswear emporium Oi Polloi, locates plaid’s appeal in the sheer variety of pieces available, from jackets to shirts to scarves: “There are so many varied versions around – pretty much every man can find one that’s right for them.” But, as with most things in menswear, it’s the classics that really resonate – like the original plaid shirt. Most recently, hip-hope has co-opted elements of grunge style with artists like Travis Scott wearing plaid shirts on stage.įrom Scottish clans to modern subcultures, plaid is a high-low cultural symbol that’s simultaneously alternative and normative, adopted by both the counter-culture and the mainstream.

Fast-forward to the early 1990s and grunge consolidates the pattern’s cool factor, with seminal bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam and groundbreaking designers like Alexander McQueen all offering their takes on the check.

Red plaid button up