Ever heard of Glen plaid?

Black and white illustration of a men’s cardigan featuring a classic Glen plaid pattern.

I first stumbled into the world of Glen plaid while working as a print designer in men’s fashion—where color palettes go to calm down and geometric patterns reign supreme. Before that, I was all about kids’ prints: cartoon critters, candy-colored explosions, and characters with ooey-gooey eyes and pink cheeks. But men's fashion?— subtle, sophisticated, heavy in geometrics and tiny tasteful florals, and very, very into grids.

 Glen plaid, in particular, strutted through the studio like it owned the place—usually on a sharply tailored suit and paired with a brooding stare.

What is Glen plaid, you ask? Well, we can thank King Edward (back when he was just the Prince of Wales) for making it a menswear icon. He wore it in his double-breasted suits, turning Glen plaid into the “Prince of Wales Check,” which sounds fancy because… it is.

It gives off major royalty vibes. Think: sipping scotch by a fireplace in a castle, but make it fashion. It’s classic, cool, and somehow manages to make “muted gray” look like a statement.

Plot twist: Despite its British-sounding title, Glen plaid is actually Scottish. The name comes from Glenurquhart, a place in Scotland where the Countess of Seafield dressed her gamekeepers in the pattern—basically inventing rugged chic before it was a Pinterest board.

The pattern itself? A delightful tangle of tiny and large checks that make your eyes do a happy little dance. It’s hard to explain, easy to recognize, and usually rendered in grayscale, navy, or neutral tones.

The Glen plaid design consists of intersecting light and dark lines forming a mix of small and large checks