Styling Black Watch Tartan Plaid for the Holidays & Beyond

While I love and wear the red-based plaids we frequently see during the holidays, my favorite plaid to wear this time of year is the moody Black Watch tartan. I’ve been wearing the Talbots Black Watch plaids for years now and I think they do it beautifully. Today I’m teaming up with them to share with you three ways I’m styling Black Watch plaid for the holidays and beyond.

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Styling the Black Watch Tartan Plaid Coat

In the past I’ve stuck with safer options for Black Watch tartan plaid. But when I saw this wool blend coat I could tell it looked luxe and warm. Swoon!

Unfortunately this Black Watch plaid wool blend coat is sold out in most sizes as I write this post. But you could take a few notes on how I’ve styled it and use them to also style this tie waist shirt jacket in a similar plaid. That said, just in case your size is still available, the coat does run beautifully true to size. And it feels warm and substantial. The coat is fully lined for a silky, comfortable fit and extra warmth.

Because Black Watch tartan is comprised of black, dark blue and green, I styled this wool blend coat with my black velveteen straight leg pants. I think the black pants anchor the look nicely, but you could certainly go different directions here. These velveteen straight leg pants looks so much more luxe in person than they do on the website. They fit true to size comfortably and come in misses, petite, plus and plus petite sizes. I love that Talbots is a size inclusive brand, offering many of their styles in a full range of sizes and fits.

I topped the black velveteen pants with a cashmere turtleneck in radiant sapphire. I love the way the blue sweater pops against this field of Black Watch plaid, making the coat look even more brilliant. But don’t worry about trying to exactly match a blue sweater here. I also think this bold blue ribbed turtleneck, this tranquil blue cable knit sweater or this highland green cashmere sweater would have worked nicely here.

I completed my look with black accessories, a Talbots brooch (from a couple of years back) and some dazzling pearl stud earrings. Keeping it simple is key to letting this rich, moody plaid shine. By the way, my black leather Chelsea boots are the Talbots Tish boots, but they’re several years old. They’re my favorite boots and I have four pair!

On the day we took these photos it was a frigid 18 degrees Fahrenheit. But this outfit kept me warm enough and looking classy at the same time. Who says you have to sacrifice style to stay warm?

Styling Black Watch Tartan Plaid Velveteen Pants

I’ve had my Talbots Black Watch tartan plaid velveteen pants for several years at least. They’re a favorite I love wearing on repeat through the holidays especially. I’ve styled them so many ways, but this year I decided to keep my look dark and sporty.

In the past I’ve topped these Black Watch plaid pants with a neon green sweater and jacket, a denim shirt, a Kelly green cashmere sweater and a navy blue blouse. But I’m loving the contemporary feel of this black cashmere turtleneck topped with a black quilted down puffer vest. Bottom line, these plaid pants are more versatile and easier to style than you might expect.

The Black Watch tartan plaid velveteen straight leg pants fit even more comfortably than the solid velveteen straight leg pants. They seem to have a tad more stretch in them to me even though they are 98% cotton and 2% Spandex, whereas the solid pants are 90% cotton, 8% polyester and 2% Spandex. Also, note that they are plenty long on me, even at 5’8″. I have to either wear them with a heel or have them hemmed. But these plaid velveteen pants do come in petite, plus and plus petite, as well.

My black cashmere turtleneck is just like the radiant sapphire one above and fits true to size. I can comfortably wear a camisole underneath it, as I was on this day when it was just 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside and felt like 0 degrees. The quilted down puffer vest is so smart looking, with pretty gold hardware and a slightly cinched waistband at the back. It’s also available in indigo blue and red pop, and comes in petite and plus sizes, too.

For me, the quilted down puffer vest does run a little large. I sized down to a misses small for a good fit even when I zip and snap it closed.

I love the way this Black Watch tartan plaid outfit pulled together. But like I said, on this day it was way below freezing. And I had to head out to an appointment right after this photo shoot. So I decided to bundle up and…go mad for Black Watch tartan plaid!

Going Mad with Black Watch Tartan Plaid

Yes, I topped the Black Watch tartan plaid velveteen straight leg pants, black cashmere sweater and black quilted down puffer vest with the plaid wool blend coat. Bold? Or crazy? I vote for bold, and I wore it with confidence!

Everything still fit beautifully and the layers kept me warm. Sweet friend, if you want to wear the plaid pants with the plaid coat…go for it! If you don’t, that’s perfectly fine, too. On another day, I might not. But life’s too short not to go mad for plaid occasionally.

I’ve linked up the items in my outfits as well as other Black Watch plaid options from Talbots in the shopping widget below. Of course, you may also want to check out other holiday and winter fashions at Talbots HERE. They’re my go-to retailer for modern, classic styles that fit me well and make me feel fabulous. I’m so appreciative of Talbots sponsoring today’s blog post, but you know I’ve been shopping them faithfully for 40 years. So all opinions expressed are genuine and mine alone.

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Thanks so much for dropping in today for a little style inspiration. I’d love for you to tell me in the comments what you love to wear during the holidays. Do you prefer all that glitters? Or do you go mad for plaid, like me? Or maybe you love velvets and velour. Do share!