Traditionally trendy for fall, plaid fashion and tartan style isn't going out of style any time soon. This season you should look for plaid in dresses, mini skirts, jackets, coats, trousers, and even tights.

Not exactly the wallflower of patterns, tartan and plaid are printed all over the calling-card of this season's Country Chic fashion trend, but that's not all: Whether going punk with hatch-patterned tights and leggings, interpreting the school-girl-classic tartan mini-skirt, putting plaid all over a simple mod dress, or merely punctuating an outfit with a pinch of plaid accessories, plaid and tartan are proving to be tenacious in the trend department.

Picking the Right Plaid

Colors

For exuberant personality types, unleash your inner liveliness with a bright, bold plaid with cheerful, primary colors like sunny-yellow, orange, cobalt blue, red, purple, fuchsia and grass-green. If you're a little more demure, opt for darker hues like mustard, rust, navy, crimson, wine, forest-green, or sage-green.

Pattern

You don't want to look like a walking kilt, and the only way to fashionably rock plaid is to isolate the criss-crossed fabric to one part of the ensemble. For big-ticket items like dresses, suits, jackets and coats, make sure to choose the right size plaid pattern for your height: taller women can get away with larger, graphic plaids, while more petite ladies should scale it down with a smaller print.

If you're of British origin and at all nostalgic, look up your family tartan and sport the ancestral tapestry.

Tartan Outerwear & Trousers

Jackets, coats, blazers and trousers are the perfect places to invest in a punch of plaid; the multi-colored, eye-catching pattern does wonders for expressing the uniqueness of your personal style when everyone else is playing it safe by wearing drab, gloomy solid colors.

Plaid Suiting

Decades have passed since the power suit rocked the closets of the fashion-forward uber ladies, and in has slid a new way to ooze class and confidence with a little help from the gentleman's wardrobe. The trousers, dress shirts, vests and blazers of this season's masculine style are feeling the plaid from seam to seam.

Tartan Mini Skirts & Mod Dresses

Be forewarned, the plaid mini skirt is back, but without the rest of the school uniform. Avoid looking like you're trying to relive your boarding school days - a costumey and perverted look on a grown woman. That means you've got to ditch the knee socks, button-downs, and definitely the tie. If you're sporting a plaid mini skirt - or even better, a tartan mini shift dress - be sure to pair it with dark opaque tights, and keep the upper portion of your outfit fairly conservative (keep the cleavage under wraps). Keep footwear simple; go for quality boots or funky flat shoes.

Plaid Shirt Dress

Lumberjacks, grunge and your boyfriend's shirt have come together in a casual, belted tartan shirt dress. This buttoned-up, loose-fitting interpretation of the eternally fashionable shirt dress is punctuated with a low-slung belt, and is perfect for weekend coffee with the girls. Layer the plaid shirt dress over a pair of a solid black tights or leggings and slip into a pair of tall boots or ankle booties and you're ready to go.

Tartan Tights & Leggings

Have a basic neutral look that needs some extra impact? Try wearing tartan tights or leggings with black, gray, crème, or navy solids. For a punk-inspired look, don a pair of black combat boots, but be sure to keep the rest of your outfit simple.

Pretty, Pretty Plaid

Incorporate a touch of plaid into holiday and party dresses for a fun, festive feel. Look for dresses with a subtle tartan pattern all-over, or add some plaid with a sash or obi-style belt adorned in a criss-cross pattern.

Plaid Accessories

Wide headbands in red plaids are blissfully British, and fabric-covered button earrings in your favorite tartan are the right splash on an otherwise print-free ensemble. Fall's dropping thermostat is just begging for a cover up, so wrap yourself in a deep crimson wool scarf equipped with old-school fringes, and cover your noggin with a smoky plaid newsboy cap.

With fold-over booties,  tartan trousers, mod mini shifts, trim little vests, tailored blazers, button earrings and menswear hats all feeling a penchant for plaid, it's easy enough to get totally tartanned from head to toe. Take a deep breath,drown out the bagpipes, and don't forget that golden rule of this criss-cross print: only one plaid item per trendsetting ensemble.