格子一直是時裝中的經典元素，發展到今天，格子元素也有很多種風格，不論是清純學院風還是朋克搖滾風，不論是襯衫、裙子或褲子，都能穿出不同的風采。不論何種款式，格子裝總能讓你在人海里被人一眼認出。其實許多歐美明星大腕對格子裝也是情有獨鐘。

By Betty Liu

段會香 注

In fall of 2013, the marriage of musician mogul Pharrell Williams and model/designer Helen Lasichanh made quite a stir. For the event, the groom donned a red plaid tuxedo and the bride chose to wear a navy plaid dress. This choice of clothing might be a bit unconventional, but it correlated with (or possibly has starts) a new fashion trend. Plaid has made a comeback, and many people are eager to jump on the bandwagon.

It seems that this fall, stars have gone mad for plaid. A slew of celebrities have been seen wearing this trendy pattern. Late September, pop singer Katy Perry wore a plaid jacket and skirt, reminiscent of the 90’s school girl, when she made an appearance for her new fragrance. She has also been seen wearing the pattern countless other times this season. Early October, singer Kelly Clarkson was spotted wearing a red plaid dress during her visit to New York City to promote her new Christmas album. Plaid is also a favorite of actress/dancer Julianne Hough, who stepped out in a plaid flannel shirt, skinny jeans, and a black bomber jacket.

Thinking about plaid brings a number of different images to mind. Some might think about the Scottish Highlands, others might imagine preppy school girls in boarding school, still others might think of edgy, punk rockers, or even lumberjacks. Plaid is ubiquitous ; you can see it anywhere and everywhere.

The pattern actually has a very interesting history. Plaid arrived in Scotland in the 16th century and since then has become a prominent part of Scottish culture. In fact, the word “plaid” is actually derived from the old Gaelic word plaide , which means blanket. Certain patterns became associated with different parts of the Highlands and individual families began to associate themselves with different patterns. To this day, plaid (or tartan as it is called outside of the United States) is still a celebrated part of Scottish history.

In America, the rise and fall of plaid can be seen throughout the years. Perhaps the most popular form of plaid is the flannel shirt. Flannel is a soft fabric woven out of wool or worsted yarn. Somehow, over the ages flannel shirts began to be printed with plaid, and they have been inseparable ever since. In popular culture, lumberjacks are always pictured with a long-sleeved plaid flannel shirt and suspenders , possibly because many early lumberjacks wore flannel for its warmth. Flannel shirts are also associated with Southerners, as the style was very popular with farmers in the American South.

In the later part of the 20th century, plaid became associated with a number of different groups. Plaid became an important aspect of prep fashion as they began to branch out into more colorful clothing (Note: Prep traditionally describes a person born of wealth who is associated with the prestigious schools of the American Northeast). However, plaid was also important in the punk rock movement, with many wearing plaid skirts or pants to imitate the style of their British counterparts. And, who can forget the contribution of plaid to nerd culture? The stereotypical nerd wears thick glasses, suspenders, and a short-sleeved plaid shirt with a pocket protector. Despite all the different ideology, cultural values, and fashion sense, plaid seems to have worked its way into all social groups. Perhaps the versatility of plaid is what has led to its recent comeback.

Vocabulary

1. plaid: 方格呢，方格布。

2. mogul: （尤指新聞、影視業的）有權勢的富商，大人物；Pharrell Williams: 法瑞爾?威廉姆斯，美國創作型歌手、說唱歌手、唱片制作人以及時裝設計師；Helen Lasichanh: 海倫?拉西沙，著名模特和服裝設計師；make a stir: 引起轟動。

3. don: 穿上，披上；tuxedo:（男士在正式社交場合穿的）無尾晚禮服。

4. 這種對著裝的選擇可能有點不同尋常，但是卻跟一種新的時尚潮流相關（很可能是引發了這種潮流）。correlate with:（使）相互關聯。

5. make a comeback: 回歸，卷土重來；bandwagon: 時尚，浪潮。

6. go mad: 瘋狂，發瘋。

7. a slew of: 許多，大量。

8. 去年九月，流行歌星凱蒂?佩里穿著格子上衣和裙子亮相推廣她的新款香水，讓人聯想到90后小女生。 reminiscent: 使人聯想……的，懷舊的；make an appearance: 亮相，出場。

9. spot: 發現，認出；promote: 推廣，推銷。

10. flannel: 法蘭絨；skinny: 緊身的；bomber jacket: 緊腰短夾克。

11. 格子裝會使人聯想到很多不同的形象。

12. preppy: 預備學校學生的，下文prep即指家庭條件優渥，有美國東北部名校背景的學生；edgy: 前衛的；punk: 朋克風格的，另類的；rocker: 搖滾歌手；lumberjack: 伐木工人；短茄克衫。

13. ubiquitous: 無所不在的。

14. prominent: 突出的，顯著的。

15. derived from: 來源于；Gaelic:（蘇格蘭和愛爾蘭的部分地區使用的）蓋爾語。

16. weave out of: 用……編織而成；worsted: 精紡毛料。

17. suspender: 吊褲帶。

18. branch out into: 分成，分支成。

19. 然而，格子裝在朋克搖滾運動中也很重要，因為很多人模仿他們在英國的同齡人穿著格子裙或格子褲。counterpart: 職能（或地位）相當的人，同齡人。

20. nerd:（尤指穿著落伍或過于迷戀計算機或科學的）蠢人，（書）呆子。

21. stereotypical: 典型的，已成定型的。

22. 盡管（人們）有不同的意識形態、文化價值和時尚感，格子裝還是成功地滲入進所有社會群體中。ideology: 意識形態。

23. versatility: 多種用途。

（來源：英語學習雜志 編輯：丹妮）