For example, on buffalo Plaid pajamas, you have a plaid design. Then, Jamie’s Kilt in Outlander is specifically a tartan design. This is because the design belongs to the Fraser Clan.
That’s why many phrases say “tartan plaid” when describing tartan. This is because technically, tartan is a type of plaid.
3. Cultural Significance
At the height of Highland culture, in the 16th century, men would wear highland dresses in their tartan colors all the time as identification. But today they use tartan plaid for highland dresses, such as jackets, skirts, and sporrans.
So, to put it simply, the difference between tartan vs plaid lies in their cultural significance. Common plaids have a nice design, but they don’t mean anything. Meanwhile, tartan has cultural and historical significance.
4. Pattern
Tartan and plaid have different patterns. For example, the tartan has a pattern of stripes that repeats and does not change throughout the length of the fabric or is called a “sett”.
Historically, this sett is important in terms of color and length, as they are what distinguish the tartan from other clans. Then, it is also what distinguishes between foes and friends.
Meanwhile, plaid doesn’t have a sett pattern and is not required to be present. This is because they do not represent any particular family lineage. So, they can have an irregular pattern.
5. Colors
In tartan designs, most get their name from the extended family system or clan, which first wore the design. So, the color will identify the clan and sometimes have additional meaning.