Punk Plaid Skirts

The hardware and the cut rather than the tartan. Buckles, straps, D rings, chains, safety pin detail and asymmetric or layered hems are what mark it out. The setts used tend to be the loud ones, red Stewart above all, because punk borrowed tartan in the seventies precisely for its confrontational brightness.

Because London designers in the mid seventies took the most establishment cloth available and cut it up. Tartan carried monarchy, regiment and tradition, so wrecking it made a point that a plain fabric could not. The association stuck, and red tartan has read as punk ever since. Compare with grunge plaid skirts.

Fishnets or ripped tights, heavy boots, and a plain band tee or a fitted black top. Keep the top half simple, because the skirt carries the hardware. Leather rather than denim on top. If you want the softer end of alternative styling, grunge and Y2K cuts sit nearby.

Both, depending on the piece. Waist straps usually adjust and take real load. Decorative straps across the hip and hem are stitched down and do not carry weight. Hardware is metal rather than plastic, and D rings are anchored through reinforced stitching so they do not tear out under a hanging chain.

It is the reference, since red Stewart is what the seventies London scene used, but black based setts and black and white tartans read just as strongly and are easier to wear repeatedly. The hardware and the styling carry more of the look than the colour does.

Hardware is finished metal and will not rust in normal wear, though it should be kept dry. Buckles and D rings can catch fine hosiery, so opaque tights or fishnets are the practical choice rather than sheer. Fasten every buckle before washing so nothing snags the cloth.