How to Wear Argyle Without Looking Like a 40-Year-Old Virgin
The diagonal-diamond print has some dweeby associations, but its roots as a rebellious warrior pattern can be reclaimed with the right pizzazz
Why We Love Them
THE ARGYLE PATTERN is basically just plaid flipped on its side and skewed a bit so that squares become diamonds. In its irreverence, it’s the backward hat, the popped collar, the sagging pants of tartans. And it’s been fittingly sported by a long line of rebellious yet stylish dudes.
According to Alistair O’Neill, a fashion history and theory professor at Central St. Martins in London, the print was popularized by tough Scotsmen who wore it into battle during the 17th century. In the 1950s, Brooks Brothers...