What do Scottish bagpipers and ’90s grunge rockers have in common?

Plaid.

From kilts to lumberjack button-up shirts, plaid has been a pattern that has never quite gone out of style.

“”People love plaid because they want to go back to their American roots – cowboys and lumberjacks,”” said Pauline Carpentieri, a creative writing sophomore.

Plaid has had great influence in countries besides America and Scotland, as well. Burberry, which was established in 1856 in London, has made plaid their trademark, keeping it classic and popular for more than 150 years.

Burberry’s not the only one to use plaid in their spring ’09 line. Designers such as Marc Jacobs worked in plaid pieces to make a colorful and bold statement.

“”I like plaid because of the coordination of colors that come with the pattern,”” said Sean Kelly, a pre-business freshman, while wearing a black, gray and white plaid jacket. “”Plaid is a good pattern for guys, because it allows us to wear a lot of colors, but keep it simple.””

Inspired by Marc Jacobs and Burberry, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters are currently carrying a large selection of plaid pieces such as tunics, button-ups, skirts and, currently most popular, scarves.

“”My favorite accessory is my orange and red plaid scarf,”” said Christine Bryant, a pre-business sophomore. “”It’s really weird wearing it because plaid is all my dad wears, and he knows nothing about fashion.””

All over UA’s campus, trendy students – both boys and girls – are adorning their necks with unisex plaid scarves, plaid jackets and shirts, and tapping into their kilt-wearing, grunge-rocking, lumberjacking inner selves.