Sunday, January 9, 2011

Romancing The Plaid

This book was under the tree for me!
Evidently Mr. A was paying attention to my blog, and my not so subtle hint on the sidebar!

The inside cover reads, "William 'Braveheart' Wallace rode to battle in it. Queen Victoria decked Balmoral in it. Madonna donned it to strut on the stage. And the Apollo 12 astronauts took a swatch of it to the moon..."

..."Tartan, the beloved symbol of kin, clan, and nation to the Scots, has evolved into one of the world's favorite fabrics."

Part of the book is dedicated to fashion and to the designers who have made tartan part of their work, like Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, Isaac Mizrahi and the late Alexander McQueen, who designed the dress above.

Marc Jacobs dress.

Kate Moss in a tartan wedding dress, designed by Vivienne Westwood.

The book's cover features Linda Evangelista in an Isaac Mizrahi strapless gown.

And my favorite dress by Bill Blass, who elevates tartan to an art form!

Seeing these gorgeous dresses makes me want to start sewing again!
I remember when my love for tartan began back in the 8th grade in HomeEc class.
I made a gored skirt and vest out of red tartan and even matched the seams.
Needless to say, I got an A in that class!

There are also lots of photos of men in kilts, like this one of Ewan McGregor.
Oh, be still my heart!

And Sean Connery upon receiving The William Wallace Award in honor of National Tartan Day,
April 5, 2001.

The last part of the book, The "Living" chapter is about the ways in which tartan is part of everyday life and interior design.

Ralph Lauren Home collection in the Madison Avenue store.

Ralph Lauren fringed shawl makes this holiday table festive.

Ward Denton and Christopher Gardner who were called on to decorate Glen Feshie, covered one of the bathrooms in tartan. They then framed pieces of tartan for the wall decor.
Glen Feshie is the estate where The Queen was filmed. It is very similar to Balmoral, which is "next door."

Tartanware! I could seriously start a collection. I already have one or two pieces already.
The author, Jeffrey Banks says this about tartanware, "When I bought my first piece of tartanware, I knew I had to have more. There is something completely attractive and addictive about all those plaids."

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Banks! Thank you for such a wonderful book!
And thank you Mr. A for putting it under the tree for me. I'll cherish it for many years to come.

This book has been out since 2007 and is sometimes hard to find.
You can order it from my sidebar Amazon "doohickey."


31 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures!!!

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  2. I will never see anything made out of plaid without thinking of you. You have a trademark!

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  3. Oh how I love tartan plaids too. I really enjoyed this post.

    Guess what I have in tartan plaid? An old metal lunch box I used in elementary school! :) It is still in my mom's linen closet. We turned it into a first aid kid years ago. Ummm, after seeing all these pictures I may ask her if I can have it back.

    ~ Donna

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  4. I would love a copy of this book, having had a long love affair with Tartan. I got married in it 20 years ago!

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  5. Delores how sweet of Mr. A and how lucky for YOU!!! I love a beautiful book and this is the perfect beautiful book for YOU!! Kathysue

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  6. I love plaid and tartan plaid in particular. Such lovely pictures. I'm sure you will cherish this book for a long time. Hugs, Marty

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  7. I agree, Tartan Plaid is addictive! I have loved it all of my life, in one form or another, and never tire of looking at it. Classic, timeless, comforting...I don't know why, I just know it is so! Thank you for sharing this glorious book with us!

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  8. That cover image is splendid! I love red hair.

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  9. Delores,
    Don't you just love it when the "Mr.'s" get it! Enjoy your book. . .my favorite of your post were the designer dresses!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  10. Delores, glad this book found its way to under your tree. I feel in love with the tartanware pieces years ago, but don't have a collection of them. Just never got one started. This book looks terrific. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy some leisure time spent among the pages! ~ Sarah

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  11. The tartan plaids gets my blood a rising too, must be because of my g. great grandfather who was from Scotland! LOL (Loved the guy with the chicken! )

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  12. Your post is tremendously entertaining ... each photo is beautiful ... I can't even choose a favorite!

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  13. I too am 'mad for plaid'. I am SO copying the idea of the "plaid-in-frames-into-pictures". Loved all the pics you shared. I will have to find this book too. Thanks. Lori

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  14. Thanks for the post! The book is definitely on my wishlist! Love tartan, have done so all my life :) I still have a 35-year old kilt somewhere from my teens.

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  15. The McQueen plaid dress reminds me of the Christmas wrapping paper we had at Hallmark this year. So I stocked up on some paper and bags in the pattern!

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  16. Totally enjoyed every image...Happy Monday!

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  17. I own this book and simply ADORE it - can't tell you how often I peruse its pages - wonderful inspiration.

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  18. As my hubby likes to say, "plaid is wife's favorite color!" I love tartan and can't wait to see this book. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
    Karen

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  19. Such a timely post for me....I had ordered this book from an Amazon bookseller a couple of weeks ago and it arrived last Thursday. I have already been through it twice and know that I will have many more pleasurable trips ahead of me.
    I love it! You and Scot Meacham have opened my eyes to many more ways to use these versatile and classic plaids.

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  20. Loved seeing the pages of the book. What wonderful dresses and accessories. Wow. The throw on the table is my favorite tartan.. oh and then there is the white..

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  21. How very sweet of Mr. A to appreciate a good hint! I love a beautiful book and this one is amazing and perfect for you. I imagine you've read it cover to cover a couple of times already.
    Thank you for sharing it with us.

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  22. Delores,
    Was it really that easy to leave a hint? Will need to try that! LOVE the tartan book but the Marc Jacobs dress is such a modern interpretation of the tartan look! Love plaid kilts...my signature thing that I wore in high shcool....anyone remember "Bobbie Brooks"? Ok..now you know that I'm well over 50!
    Thanks,
    Gwen

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  23. Oh how I love that last dress that you love too!!! Gorgeousness!!!! I am so happy that yopu got your book AND that you shared part of it with us! I am looking for some "tartanware" right now too!!! XO, Pinky

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  24. What a special and perfect book for you, Delores. Your husband pays attention! I was in Target yesterday and noticed the Tartan plates in the Christmas aisle for 90% off. Of course I bought them! I look forward to using them next Christmas if not before. Your tablescape was beautiful! I'm loving those Tartan tights and the Ralph Lauren dress.

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  25. OH YES...absolutely ME too. Thank you for this post.

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  26. Obviously, your whole family has been paying attention. What a beautiful book! laurie

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  27. Wonderful gifts.. I love those shoes and I knew the moment I saw the plaid they were made just for you. The book looks amazing. thanks for sharing.

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  28. Love all the plaid! Thanks for sharing a great book!

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  29. Ewan McGregor and Sean Connery...what beautiful men and even better in plaid kilts. Why are kilts on men so sexy?!?! Good post. I've loved plaid since I was a toddler and wore plaid, puffed sleeve, smocked dresses. Beautiful pictures. I wish I had the talent to pull together plaid, animal prints and paisley and make it look coherent. When I do it it looks like a crazy person designed the room. You have wonderful talent.

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  30. Oh, I love plaid. I think I'll have to investigate that book.

    - The Tablescaper

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