The fair have sighed for it

The brave have died for it,

Foemen sought for it

Heroes fought for it Honour the name of it,

Drink to the fame of it

The Tartan!

- Scottish toast

Tartan and the wearing of the kilt are among the most potent symbols of Scotland, our Celtic neighbours. Recognisable and identifiable throughout the world, tartan's vivid colours were originally produced from vegetable dyes - many of the endless variations of colours and weave were originally little to do with tribal allegiance and more about using whatever dyes were locally available. It is generally agreed that the modern kilt was invented around 1725, by, oh ironies of ironies, an Englishman called Rawlison, who, the story goes, adapted the plaid to allow more freedom of movement for the workers at his iron works in Lochaber.

Tartan and fashion have had a more (ahem) chequered history. Most women feel deeply ambivalent about it, perhaps because many of them were incarcerated in plaid for six years at school.

In my household, a family visit to Arnotts to get our new school uniforms is seared into the collective psyche.

The bad tartan memories don't stop there either. Pre-kilts, we all trailed the school yard chanting "Bay City Rollers are the best". Half mast flares with turn-ups, tartan scarves and Converse runners were the order of the day if you loved the Bay City Rollers. Tartan and I took a hiatus until the late 1970s when a pair of tartan bondage trousers were the ultimate in anti-establishment chic - no weekend punk's wardrobe was complete without them. Alternatively, school-girl mini-kilts worn with ripped fishnet tights and stilettos shoes, or for the more practical punk, 18-hole Docs, were another option.

Hi-jacked by the punk revolution and adopted by adolescents the world over, the kilt was also sported over plain black bondage jeans. This look was finished off with a customised, black leather biker jacket. Tartan retired to the world of picnic rugs for a while until Spandau Ballet took up the mantle and put a new spin on the jaded punk look. Their debut single, To Cut A Long Story Short, introduced tartan and tacky make-up to a new generation. They believed the kilt, traditional dress of the Scottish Highlander, was a skirt real men could wear.

It was the mid 1980s before tartan reared its misunderstood head again. The chief protagonist was the French enfant terrible of fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier, who took to sporting a kilt, accessorised with steel-toed Doc shoes and knee-length socks. With the exception of the Burberry raincoat, that classic garment of both French BCBGs and Yuppies alike, tartan all but disappeared from view.

As with all fashion, just as you begin to feel safe, the goalposts shift. Burberry, the traditional label of the middle classes, has made a Lazarus-like comeback. Their traditional plaid has been adopted by fashion's elite, and the high street has reflected this turn-around by flooding the market with new-lease-of-life copies.

Headscarves and raincoats remain the most coveted items among the fash pack, but Brown Thomas do stock some ear-muffs, knee-length, high-heel boots and bags for the less-is-more misfit.

This season's tartan is a natural progression from the Indian summer styles. Colour remains strong and the look is adaptable and uncluttered. Texture is important; hairy mohair skirts teamed with flat ribbed sweaters give the pattern an instant boost.

Slim, boot-cut trousers in gabardine checks look lean and will be instant successes in the workplace. Leather and sheepskin jackets teamed with A-line checked skirts are bright and instant fashion fixes. Colour is the key and accessories are, as always, an excellent way of bolstering last season's wardrobe.