TELLAR FASHION HUB — JACKETS & OUTERWEAR The Best Brands for Plaid & Tartan Jackets

TELLAR FASHION HUB — JACKETS & OUTERWEAR

The best plaid and tartan jackets come from Barbour, Burberry, and a handful of brilliant high street labels — but the key is in the cut, the colour palette, and knowing which check works for you.

I'll be honest — I resisted tartan for years. I grew up thinking it was either a heritage cliché or something reserved for Edinburgh castle gift shops. Then I spotted a woman on the Tube in a beautifully tailored rust-and-green Barbour plaid blazer paired with dark straight-leg jeans and ankle boots, and I completely changed my mind on the spot. That's the thing about a great tartan jacket — when it's done right, it's one of the most striking, characterful pieces you can own. When it's done wrong, well. You know. So let's make sure we get it right.

Plaid vs. Tartan: Is There Actually a Difference?

Quick bit of useful knowledge before we dive in: technically, all tartans are plaids, but not all plaids are tartans. Tartan refers specifically to a woven pattern associated with Scottish clan heritage — those iconic intersecting horizontal and vertical lines in specific colour combinations. Plaid is the broader term for any checked or cross-hatched woven pattern. In fashion, the two terms are used interchangeably, and nobody will pull you up on the distinction at a dinner party. What matters more is the colour combination and the weight of the fabric — both of which vary enormously by brand.

What Makes a Great Plaid or Tartan Jacket?

Having styled a lot of these over the years, here's what separates a jacket you'll wear for a decade from one that gets donated by February:

• Fabric weight: A proper tartan jacket should have some substance to it — wool or wool-blend is the gold standard. It drapes well, keeps its shape, and the check pattern reads cleanly. Avoid anything too synthetic; it cheapens the whole look.

• The colour palette: Earthy plaids — rust, forest green, camel, navy, black — are the most wearable and will carry you through multiple seasons. Bright or novelty tartans are fun but harder to build outfits around.

• The cut: A blazer cut or a longline coat cut are both brilliant for tartan. Avoid anything shapeless — the pattern itself is bold enough, so the silhouette needs to be clean and considered.

• Scale of the check: Large overscaled checks are more statement; smaller, denser checks are more refined and easier to wear. Neither is wrong — just know which one suits your personal style and the occasion.

High Street: The Best Brands for Plaid & Tartan Jackets Right Now

These are the brands I'd genuinely send you to if you asked me in person. Researched, styled, and honestly assessed:

• Barbour — This is where I'd start and end my search if budget allowed. Barbour's tartan heritage is unmatched on the British high street — their plaid linings have been a signature since forever, and their tartan-exterior blazers and overshirts are genuinely beautiful. The quality of the wool-blend fabric is exceptional for the price. The Burghley Tartan Blazer and seasonal plaid shirt-jackets are perennial bestsellers, and rightly so. British heritage done with real craft.

• Whistles — Whistles absolutely nails the smart-casual tartan blazer. Their plaid tailoring is consistently well-cut, uses proper fabric, and sits in that brilliant sweet spot between occasion wear and everyday use. If you want a tartan blazer that works in an office or at a smart lunch, Whistles is your answer every time.

• Fat Face — Don't overlook Fat Face for tartan. Their plaid overshirts and shirt-jackets are brilliantly done — relaxed, wearable, and in genuinely lovely earth-tone palette combinations. Great for a more casual, outdoorsy take on the trend without sacrificing quality.

• Hush — Hush does a consistently gorgeous range of plaid pieces each autumn. Think soft, brushed wool-blend blazers and cosy overshirts in muted, heritage-inspired palettes. Everything feels considered and genuinely wearable. One of my favourite destinations for this aesthetic.

• AllSaints — For a slightly more edgy, rock-inflected take on tartan, AllSaints is brilliant. Their plaid blazers and jackets have a harder, more structured edge that works beautifully with skinny trousers or leather-look leggings. Not your granny's tartan — in the best possible way.

• Anthropologie — For something a little more bohemian and characterful, Anthropologie's tartan pieces are genuinely unique. They play with unexpected colour combinations and often mix plaid with other textures in a way that feels fresh rather than traditional. Brilliant if you want something that stands out from the crowd.

• Mint Velvet — Mint Velvet's tartan blazers are consistently lovely — beautifully relaxed fits, great fabric, and a colour palette pitched squarely at the wearable end of the spectrum. Particularly good for slightly softer, more feminine versions of the classic plaid jacket.

• Next — A reliable, accessible option that punches well above its price point for plaid tailoring. The quality has genuinely improved in recent years, and their tartan blazers and checked overshirts are solid buys if you want to test the trend without a big investment.

Premium Picks: Invest in These

• Reiss — Reiss's approach to tartan is precise and modern. Their plaid blazers are beautifully constructed, sharply cut, and made from fabric that genuinely holds its shape. If you wear a lot of smart-casual or want a tartan blazer that could carry you into a meeting, Reiss is the answer. Consistently one of the best on the premium high street for tailored check.

• Massimo Dutti — Exceptional quality for the price point. Massimo Dutti's tartan and plaid outerwear — particularly their double-breasted check coats — are quietly luxurious. The fabric has real weight and drape, and the cuts are refined without being stiff. A brand I recommend without hesitation for investment plaid.

• Tommy Hilfiger — Tommy does a brilliant preppy-meets-heritage plaid. Iconic colour combinations (navy, red, white), clean cuts, and really solid construction. The plaid blazers in particular have a timeless quality that means they genuinely never look dated.

Luxury & Designer: When You Want the Real Thing

• Burberry — The obvious answer, and for good reason. Burberry's house check is one of the most recognisable patterns in fashion history, but their tartan and plaid outerwear extends far beyond that into genuinely beautiful, considered pieces each season. A Burberry plaid coat or blazer is an investment that holds its value — in every sense.

• Vivienne Westwood — If Burberry is the heritage route, Westwood is the fashion one. She essentially reinvented tartan for the modern wardrobe, deconstructing it, recolouring it, and making it entirely her own. A Westwood tartan piece is a proper fashion statement.

Two Independent Brands You Need to Know

• Loch Carron of Scotland — If you want to buy tartan with genuine provenance, this is it. One of Scotland's oldest working tartan mills, Loch Carron produces cloth for some of the world's best-known fashion houses and also sells direct. Their made-to-measure and off-the-shelf tartan jackets are extraordinary quality, and buying directly from the mill feels like a genuinely meaningful purchase. Heritage fashion at its most authentic.

• Harris Tweed Hebrides — Strictly speaking, Harris Tweed is tweed rather than tartan, but the plaid aesthetic overlaps enormously and this brand deserves a mention in any conversation about British heritage check jackets. Handwoven in the Outer Hebrides, every piece carries the iconic Orb certification mark. The jackets are extraordinary — and they genuinely last a lifetime. This is slow fashion at its absolute finest.

How to Style a Tartan or Plaid Jacket

A few practical stylist notes that I come back to every time I'm dressing this pattern:

• Keep everything else simple. The jacket is the statement — let it speak. Dark straight-leg jeans, a white or black fitted top, and clean ankle boots or loafers. Done.

• Tone-match your accessories. Pick one colour from the plaid and echo it in your bag or shoes. It ties the look together without looking overly coordinated.

• Don't mix checks. Please. One check per outfit is the rule. Everything else should be a solid.

• Belting a longline tartan coat is one of the most effective styling tricks going — it gives shape to what can otherwise be a boxy silhouette and makes the whole look more intentional.

🔍 Find Your Perfect Fit — Tellar Has You Covered

Found a tartan jacket you love but not sure which size to order? Sizing in tailored pieces varies enormously between brands — a blazer-cut jacket from Whistles fits very differently to the same labelled size at Barbour or Reiss, and getting it wrong means it either pulls across the shoulders or swamps you entirely.

Tellar.co.uk is the UK's leading free sizing tool — measure once (bust, waist, hips) or input a size you already know fits you, and Tellar instantly matches your body to the correct size across 1,500+ brands. No more returns. No more guesswork.

• ✅ Use the Store Size Lookup Tool to get your precise size at Barbour, Reiss, Whistles, Massimo Dutti, AllSaints and hundreds more

• ✅ Works in-browser — no download, no sign-up required

• ✅ Always free. Always honest. Completely independent.

And don't miss the Tellar Fashion Hub — a free library of style guides written by real stylists. No sponsored content, no brand bias, just genuinely useful fashion advice.

📖 The Ultimate Clothing Sizing Guide👖 The Best Jean Trends for 2025 & 2026👗 Ultimate Guide to Dresses & Best Buys🧥 Ultimate Guide to Jackets & Best Buys

The bottom line? A great tartan or plaid jacket is one of those rare fashion investments that genuinely transcends trends. Done right — good fabric, considered cut, classic palette — it will be in your wardrobe for years. Start with Barbour or Whistles if you're on the high street, Massimo Dutti or Reiss if you want to invest, and Burberry if you're going all-in. You won't regret it

The best plaid and tartan jackets come from Barbour, Burberry, and a handful of brilliant high street labels — but the key is in the cut, the colour palette, and knowing which check works for you.

I'll be honest — I resisted tartan for years. I grew up thinking it was either a heritage cliché or something reserved for Edinburgh castle gift shops. Then I spotted a woman on the Tube in a beautifully tailored rust-and-green Barbour plaid blazer paired with dark straight-leg jeans and ankle boots, and I completely changed my mind on the spot. That's the thing about a great tartan jacket — when it's done right, it's one of the most striking, characterful pieces you can own. When it's done wrong, well. You know. So let's make sure we get it right.

Plaid vs. Tartan: Is There Actually a Difference?

Quick bit of useful knowledge before we dive in: technically, all tartans are plaids, but not all plaids are tartans. Tartan refers specifically to a woven pattern associated with Scottish clan heritage — those iconic intersecting horizontal and vertical lines in specific colour combinations. Plaid is the broader term for any checked or cross-hatched woven pattern. In fashion, the two terms are used interchangeably, and nobody will pull you up on the distinction at a dinner party. What matters more is the colour combination and the weight of the fabric — both of which vary enormously by brand.

What Makes a Great Plaid or Tartan Jacket?

Having styled a lot of these over the years, here's what separates a jacket you'll wear for a decade from one that gets donated by February:

• Fabric weight: A proper tartan jacket should have some substance to it — wool or wool-blend is the gold standard. It drapes well, keeps its shape, and the check pattern reads cleanly. Avoid anything too synthetic; it cheapens the whole look.

• The colour palette: Earthy plaids — rust, forest green, camel, navy, black — are the most wearable and will carry you through multiple seasons. Bright or novelty tartans are fun but harder to build outfits around.

• The cut: A blazer cut or a longline coat cut are both brilliant for tartan. Avoid anything shapeless — the pattern itself is bold enough, so the silhouette needs to be clean and considered.

• Scale of the check: Large overscaled checks are more statement; smaller, denser checks are more refined and easier to wear. Neither is wrong — just know which one suits your personal style and the occasion.

High Street: The Best Brands for Plaid & Tartan Jackets Right Now

These are the brands I'd genuinely send you to if you asked me in person. Researched, styled, and honestly assessed:

• Barbour — This is where I'd start and end my search if budget allowed. Barbour's tartan heritage is unmatched on the British high street — their plaid linings have been a signature since forever, and their tartan-exterior blazers and overshirts are genuinely beautiful. The quality of the wool-blend fabric is exceptional for the price. The Burghley Tartan Blazer and seasonal plaid shirt-jackets are perennial bestsellers, and rightly so. British heritage done with real craft.

• Whistles — Whistles absolutely nails the smart-casual tartan blazer. Their plaid tailoring is consistently well-cut, uses proper fabric, and sits in that brilliant sweet spot between occasion wear and everyday use. If you want a tartan blazer that works in an office or at a smart lunch, Whistles is your answer every time.

• Fat Face — Don't overlook Fat Face for tartan. Their plaid overshirts and shirt-jackets are brilliantly done — relaxed, wearable, and in genuinely lovely earth-tone palette combinations. Great for a more casual, outdoorsy take on the trend without sacrificing quality.

• Hush — Hush does a consistently gorgeous range of plaid pieces each autumn. Think soft, brushed wool-blend blazers and cosy overshirts in muted, heritage-inspired palettes. Everything feels considered and genuinely wearable. One of my favourite destinations for this aesthetic.

• AllSaints — For a slightly more edgy, rock-inflected take on tartan, AllSaints is brilliant. Their plaid blazers and jackets have a harder, more structured edge that works beautifully with skinny trousers or leather-look leggings. Not your granny's tartan — in the best possible way.

• Anthropologie — For something a little more bohemian and characterful, Anthropologie's tartan pieces are genuinely unique. They play with unexpected colour combinations and often mix plaid with other textures in a way that feels fresh rather than traditional. Brilliant if you want something that stands out from the crowd.

• Mint Velvet — Mint Velvet's tartan blazers are consistently lovely — beautifully relaxed fits, great fabric, and a colour palette pitched squarely at the wearable end of the spectrum. Particularly good for slightly softer, more feminine versions of the classic plaid jacket.

• Next — A reliable, accessible option that punches well above its price point for plaid tailoring. The quality has genuinely improved in recent years, and their tartan blazers and checked overshirts are solid buys if you want to test the trend without a big investment.

Premium Picks: Invest in These

• Reiss — Reiss's approach to tartan is precise and modern. Their plaid blazers are beautifully constructed, sharply cut, and made from fabric that genuinely holds its shape. If you wear a lot of smart-casual or want a tartan blazer that could carry you into a meeting, Reiss is the answer. Consistently one of the best on the premium high street for tailored check.

• Massimo Dutti — Exceptional quality for the price point. Massimo Dutti's tartan and plaid outerwear — particularly their double-breasted check coats — are quietly luxurious. The fabric has real weight and drape, and the cuts are refined without being stiff. A brand I recommend without hesitation for investment plaid.

• Tommy Hilfiger — Tommy does a brilliant preppy-meets-heritage plaid. Iconic colour combinations (navy, red, white), clean cuts, and really solid construction. The plaid blazers in particular have a timeless quality that means they genuinely never look dated.

Luxury & Designer: When You Want the Real Thing

• Burberry — The obvious answer, and for good reason. Burberry's house check is one of the most recognisable patterns in fashion history, but their tartan and plaid outerwear extends far beyond that into genuinely beautiful, considered pieces each season. A Burberry plaid coat or blazer is an investment that holds its value — in every sense.

• Vivienne Westwood — If Burberry is the heritage route, Westwood is the fashion one. She essentially reinvented tartan for the modern wardrobe, deconstructing it, recolouring it, and making it entirely her own. A Westwood tartan piece is a proper fashion statement.

Two Independent Brands You Need to Know

• Loch Carron of Scotland — If you want to buy tartan with genuine provenance, this is it. One of Scotland's oldest working tartan mills, Loch Carron produces cloth for some of the world's best-known fashion houses and also sells direct. Their made-to-measure and off-the-shelf tartan jackets are extraordinary quality, and buying directly from the mill feels like a genuinely meaningful purchase. Heritage fashion at its most authentic.

• Harris Tweed Hebrides — Strictly speaking, Harris Tweed is tweed rather than tartan, but the plaid aesthetic overlaps enormously and this brand deserves a mention in any conversation about British heritage check jackets. Handwoven in the Outer Hebrides, every piece carries the iconic Orb certification mark. The jackets are extraordinary — and they genuinely last a lifetime. This is slow fashion at its absolute finest.

How to Style a Tartan or Plaid Jacket

A few practical stylist notes that I come back to every time I'm dressing this pattern:

• Keep everything else simple. The jacket is the statement — let it speak. Dark straight-leg jeans, a white or black fitted top, and clean ankle boots or loafers. Done.

• Tone-match your accessories. Pick one colour from the plaid and echo it in your bag or shoes. It ties the look together without looking overly coordinated.

• Don't mix checks. Please. One check per outfit is the rule. Everything else should be a solid.

• Belting a longline tartan coat is one of the most effective styling tricks going — it gives shape to what can otherwise be a boxy silhouette and makes the whole look more intentional.

🔍 Find Your Perfect Fit — Tellar Has You Covered

Found a tartan jacket you love but not sure which size to order? Sizing in tailored pieces varies enormously between brands — a blazer-cut jacket from Whistles fits very differently to the same labelled size at Barbour or Reiss, and getting it wrong means it either pulls across the shoulders or swamps you entirely.

Tellar.co.uk is the UK's leading free sizing tool — measure once (bust, waist, hips) or input a size you already know fits you, and Tellar instantly matches your body to the correct size across 1,500+ brands. No more returns. No more guesswork.

• ✅ Use the Store Size Lookup Tool to get your precise size at Barbour, Reiss, Whistles, Massimo Dutti, AllSaints and hundreds more

• ✅ Works in-browser — no download, no sign-up required

• ✅ Always free. Always honest. Completely independent.

And don't miss the Tellar Fashion Hub — a free library of style guides written by real stylists. No sponsored content, no brand bias, just genuinely useful fashion advice.

📖 The Ultimate Clothing Sizing Guide👖 The Best Jean Trends for 2025 & 2026👗 Ultimate Guide to Dresses & Best Buys🧥 Ultimate Guide to Jackets & Best Buys

The bottom line? A great tartan or plaid jacket is one of those rare fashion investments that genuinely transcends trends. Done right — good fabric, considered cut, classic palette — it will be in your wardrobe for years. Start with Barbour or Whistles if you're on the high street, Massimo Dutti or Reiss if you want to invest, and Burberry if you're going all-in. You won't regret it.