Tartan Style - Loud MacLeod

Our Queen has been providing calm and inspiring words throughout the Corona pandemic and if you are a follower of the Royals, you will know that she is fond of wearing bright and colourful styles. From greens and blues to oranges and yellows, Queen Elizabeth II is often spotted wearing a colourful palette. Staying positive during these strange and difficult times is especially important, and we must always try to look at the bright side of life. What better way to stay positive and spread cheer than by wearing a bright colour, or better yet a colourful tartan? For that reason, it's fitting that Clan MacLeod should be our focus for this month’s style blog.

In case you're unfamiliar with MacLeod of Lewis tartan, or MacLeod Dress Modern as it is also known, it's bright yellow, and I mean bright, hence the ScotlandShop team gives this tartan the nickname, Loud MacLeod. It is one of our favourites!

A look at our Queen’s choice of bright colours through the years showcases her bold collection of hues. Depending on the occasion she is ready to cheer up her audience with her polka dots of lemon yellow and sky blue, a peachy orange suit, and a lime green jacket with a matching hat. In fact, these carefully chosen garments are not that different from the decisions made by our historical Scottish clans. They also created different versions of their tartans for special occasions. For example, a ‘dress’ tartan is a variation of a clan’s original tartan with added white to be worn by dancers to catch the eye when twirled and spun around.

When thinking of yellow suits, the character Cher Horowitz, from the 90’s film ‘Clueless’ always comes to mind. Cher is seen strutting into school in a bright yellow checked suit, not a true tartan but a fashion check remarkably like our MacLeod tartan, and it is hard not to notice her.

Since then, designers have taken this look and run with it, incorporating all kinds of bright colours into their schoolgirl-inspired designs.

A much-loved designer in the fashion world today, who is mad about colour, is French designer Jacquemus. He is known for his collections inspired by the South of France and he almost always brings it with him onto his catwalks, and yes there is a lot of yellow!

Jacquemus' runway show was held in a lavender field in Marseille, popping with colour and imagination but that is not the only place we are finding ideas today. You may not have thought your kitchen would be the place to uncover inspiration for this Spring/Summer 2020 dressing, however, the fashion crowd are looking at their fruit bowls for colour trends this season!

Everyone is impatient with lockdown restrictions and waiting for brighter days, so fashion girls have taken matters into their own hands these past few months. We may not be able to do all the summer activities we usually do, but we should not let that stop us allowing our wardrobes do the talking, having fun and feeling great, even if it is just to peel some carrots!

This new fruit bowl movement is the happiest trend for Spring 2020 and lemon yellow is taking first place in everyone’s choice of colour.

Below are some influencers such as artist Nina Kolchitskaia and model Chloe Lecareux making the most of yellow at home.

A few more trends from this colour palette in 2020. The Jaquemus menswear shirt has almost the same hues as our MacLeod tartan with its yellow background and black printed fruit. The layering of different tones of yellow and orange is beautiful for the warmer weather and the layering also lends itself to the current "cosy at home" theme.

Below, Saint Laurent takes its own spin on this look with a yellow blazer and a splash of yellow tartan on the scarf. Pairing these two together for this spring is a stunning look!

Now may seem like a difficult time to form new idea’s and styles, but fashion continues to prove us wrong. This trend has shown us that now is the perfect time to see things differently and get creative with objects from in and around your home. Perhaps you can use this time to create a new style, perfect for pairing with a new MacLeod piece. As they say, when life gives you lemons…use them as fashion inspiration of course!