格子装回归

格子一直是时装中的经典元素，发展到今天，格子元素也有很多种风格，不论是清纯学院风还是朋克摇滚风，不论是衬衫、裙子或裤子，都能穿出不同的风采。不论何种款式，格子装总能让你在人海里被人一眼认出。其实许多欧美明星大腕对格子装也是情有独钟。

By Betty Liu

段会香 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: （尤指新闻、影视业的）有权势的富商，大人物；Pharrell Williams: 法瑞尔•威廉姆斯，美国创作型歌手、说唱歌手、唱片制作人以及时装设计师；Helen Lasichanh: 海伦•拉西沙，著名模特和服装设计师；make a stir: 引起轰动。

3. don: 穿上，披上；tuxedo:（男士在正式社交场合穿的）无尾晚礼服。

4. 这种对着装的选择可能有点不同寻常，但是却跟一种新的时尚潮流相关（很可能是引发了这种潮流）。correlate with:（使）相互关联。

5. make a comeback: 回归，卷土重来；bandwagon: 时尚，浪潮。

6. go mad: 疯狂，发疯。

7. a slew of: 许多，大量。

8. 去年九月，流行歌星凯蒂•佩里穿着格子上衣和裙子亮相推广她的新款香水，让人联想到90后小女生。 reminiscent: 使人联想……的，怀旧的；make an appearance: 亮相，出场。

9. spot: 发现，认出；promote: 推广，推销。

10. flannel: 法兰绒；skinny: 紧身的；bomber jacket: 紧腰短夹克。

11. 格子装会使人联想到很多不同的形象。

12. preppy: 预备学校学生的，下文prep即指家庭条件优渥，有美国东北部名校背景的学生；edgy: 前卫的；punk: 朋克风格的，另类的；rocker: 摇滚歌手；lumberjack: 伐木工人；短茄克衫。

13. ubiquitous: 无所不在的。

14. prominent: 突出的，显著的。

15. derived from: 来源于；Gaelic:（苏格兰和爱尔兰的部分地区使用的）盖尔语。

16. weave out of: 用……编织而成；worsted: 精纺毛料。

17. suspender: 吊裤带。

18. branch out into: 分成，分支成。

19. 然而，格子装在朋克摇滚运动中也很重要，因为很多人模仿他们在英国的同龄人穿着格子裙或格子裤。counterpart: 职能（或地位）相当的人，同龄人。

20. nerd:（尤指穿着落伍或过于迷恋计算机或科学的）蠢人，（书）呆子。

21. stereotypical: 典型的，已成定型的。

22. 尽管（人们）有不同的意识形态、文化价值和时尚感，格子装还是成功地渗入进所有社会群体中。ideology: 意识形态。

23. versatility: 多种用途。

（来源：英语学习杂志 编辑：丹妮）