From the Highlands to Instagram: the blanket, an accessory with an History
It dresses your couch up, folds into your luggage and can be worn all all year long wrapped around your shoulders. La Maison de la Maille focuses on the uncharted origins of the plaid.
Anyone who’s been to Scotland can testify the two following facts. First, is the warm hospitality of Scottish people. Second… the coldness of their chilly climate. Two opposites that make the Scottish nation a great one. It comes to no surprise that the Scottish wardrobe, one of the warmest and comfortable on the planet, has been exported all around the world…
TO EACH CLAN ITS TARTAN
Way before the haggis (this stuffed sheep stomach that was popular in the 18th century in Great Britain), what we first and foremost remember about Scotland is… its check patterns, more commonly known as « tartans », that you’ll find on wool plaids. Lines, spacers, and distinctive colors that allowed Scottish people to identify each of their respective clans when traveling through the Highlands. This dangerous though majestic mountain chain has been the scene of many of the greatest battles of Scottish History. Checks to be able to “recognize” each other, but also and foremost in order to keep warm in a 5 meters long twilled wool plaid that would be used not only to protect from the cold but also to sleep in, upon nightfall. A nice cliché somehow still very present in Scottish culture and that we always find anywhere, from fashion shows to our interiors.
LIFESTYLE PHENOMENON
No need to go too far to realize that: the scale o that phenomenon can be measured through a simple scroll on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Much like carpets and rugs, blankets have dug themselves a privileged spot among all the most looked after decoration accessories. Casually thrown on your bed end, carefully folded on your couch’s armrest or rolled up on one’s knees to watch your favourite show, the blanket is everywhere. Witness of a particular precious, slow life and cocooning lifestyle, we like to wrap ourselves in generous stitches, and we find ourselves packing it to soften a plane trip.
FASHION ACCESSORY
Last achievement? Its omnipresence in the most coveted brands fashion shows, which many times got inspiration from the Highlands to create their collections. This year again, the Fall-Winter 2018-19 lines for Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Etro or also Acne Studios (to quote only a few of them) have turned the plaid into the ultimate accessory for luxurious silhouettes. Deeply rooted in a traveling tradition, it boosts your looks, rocks back and forth and wraps bodies with colours from foreign countries. Oversized, with a belt, fringed or embroidered, everything is rounded off.
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