True North Strong & Plaid
This is a great look at Plaid, flannel and Canada....
On April 2002, Gayle Macdonald of The Globe & Mail approached the Canadian Connection for opinions on why plaid has had such an enduring appeal to Canadians.
Deborah Knight, one of their readers, and expatriate Canadian, was quoted extensively.
Here are her comments reprinted in their original form:
"Flannel is an integral part of our national heritage. It's -- literally -- the fabric that binds us together. From the tunderin' coast of Newfoundland to the groovy waves of B.C., it's THE Canadian fashion statement. Flannel screams, "It's cold. It's f-ing cold. And I'm not gonna die!"
To hell with the Yves St. Laurent silk chiffon evening gown. Damn that Hugo Boss tuxedo. Canadians wear flannel to the opera. We wear flannel flannel to church. We even wear flannel on our wedding night!
As a matter of fact, I buy flannel pajamas because my cat -- who was never weaned properly -- likes to suck on my flannel-covered shoulder while I sleep. (Okay...so maybe that part's a little weird.)
Not only is flannel the ultimate Canadian fabric, the ultimate of ultimates is...plaid flannel! It's so perfectly, non-committally Canadian . It isn't blue. It isn't red. It isn't black. It isn't white. It's red AND blue AND black AND white. It's the most politically correct fabric money can buy! And the stripes don't simply go up and down or side to side. They go every which way imaginable...just because they can. That unbridled wanderlust is Canadian!
And worn with blue jeans...nobody knows if you're from Forest Hill or Regent Park. It's the great North American equalizer. Is it Eddie Bauer or is it Bi-Way? Who knows? Who cares? We're all the same in our flannel. We're all created equal...except maybe those guys whose plaid shirt pockets have been precisely matched to the plaid front of the shirt. To be truly equal, the plaid on the pocket MUST be running diagonally. We don't want any smarmy Harry Rosen type of flannel. It's got to be manly and rugged...just like the women who wear it!
Flannel keeps us warm. Flannel keeps us equal. Flannel keeps us constantly aware that we aren't basking in the warmth of a southern ocean breeze.
And that's why flannel is the enduring Canadian fabric.
Well...that's what I think."
On April 2002, Gayle Macdonald of The Globe & Mail approached the Canadian Connection for opinions on why plaid has had such an enduring appeal to Canadians.
Deborah Knight, one of their readers, and expatriate Canadian, was quoted extensively.
Here are her comments reprinted in their original form:
"Flannel is an integral part of our national heritage. It's -- literally -- the fabric that binds us together. From the tunderin' coast of Newfoundland to the groovy waves of B.C., it's THE Canadian fashion statement. Flannel screams, "It's cold. It's f-ing cold. And I'm not gonna die!"
To hell with the Yves St. Laurent silk chiffon evening gown. Damn that Hugo Boss tuxedo. Canadians wear flannel to the opera. We wear flannel flannel to church. We even wear flannel on our wedding night!
As a matter of fact, I buy flannel pajamas because my cat -- who was never weaned properly -- likes to suck on my flannel-covered shoulder while I sleep. (Okay...so maybe that part's a little weird.)
Not only is flannel the ultimate Canadian fabric, the ultimate of ultimates is...plaid flannel! It's so perfectly, non-committally Canadian . It isn't blue. It isn't red. It isn't black. It isn't white. It's red AND blue AND black AND white. It's the most politically correct fabric money can buy! And the stripes don't simply go up and down or side to side. They go every which way imaginable...just because they can. That unbridled wanderlust is Canadian!
And worn with blue jeans...nobody knows if you're from Forest Hill or Regent Park. It's the great North American equalizer. Is it Eddie Bauer or is it Bi-Way? Who knows? Who cares? We're all the same in our flannel. We're all created equal...except maybe those guys whose plaid shirt pockets have been precisely matched to the plaid front of the shirt. To be truly equal, the plaid on the pocket MUST be running diagonally. We don't want any smarmy Harry Rosen type of flannel. It's got to be manly and rugged...just like the women who wear it!
Flannel keeps us warm. Flannel keeps us equal. Flannel keeps us constantly aware that we aren't basking in the warmth of a southern ocean breeze.
And that's why flannel is the enduring Canadian fabric.
Well...that's what I think."
Comments
It only took 25 years for them to catch on here.