Glen plaid (short for Glen Urquhartplaid), also known as Glenurquhart check or Prince of Wales check, is a woollen fabric with a woven twill design of small and large checks.[1] It is usually made of black/grey and white, or with more muted colours, particularly with two dark and two light stripes alternating with four dark and four light stripes, which creates a crossing pattern of irregular checks.[2] Glen plaid as a woven pattern may be extended to cotton shirting and other non-woollen fabrics.
Glen plaid is also known as the Prince of Wales check, as it was first made famous by King Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.[5] The pattern was later popularized by King Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales.[6] In other words, despite its internationally known name (French prince de Galles, Spanish príncipe de Gales, Italian principe di Galles, etc.), the Prince of Wales check is not a Welsh pattern but a Scottish one.
Notable wearers
Pee-wee Herman was famous for his light-grey Glen plaid suit, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan was considered "unpresidential" in a gray-and-blue Glen plaid suit on a European trip in 1982.[7] In addition, Cary Grant wore a grey suit in a subtle Glen plaid during the 1959 American spy thriller film North by Northwest.
