Check out the myraid ways of wearing plaid

Tartan, sometimes called plaid or checks, is one family of fashion patterns that is as common as it is misunderstood. Many of us have worn it in one form or another, but we don't always do it right because we don't give it the thought it deserves.

As a child, I used to love argyle patterns and fantasised about living in a castle in Scotland. The classic pattern still evokes a warm and fuzzy feeling. Then, of course, there is the Burberry check, a fashion classic that will always have a place in my heart.

I also remember when flannel was big and everyone was wearing it. Although I was never really that into grunge music, the style inspiration it brought has influenced me.

One night in Manhattan's East Village in the early 1990s, I was on my way to a favourite Alphabet City bar when I saw a guy - possibly in his early 20s - who epitomised the ultimate street style of the time: that perfectly dishevelled blond hair, flannel plaid shirt, straight-cut jeans and beat-up Docs, sitting on the sidewalk with his black mongrel. His entire outfit probably cost less than US$150, but it was an invaluable fashion lesson: it's the attitude that makes it work.

Browsing this season's Louis Vuitton lookbook, I spotted an ensemble of a poplin cotton plaid shirt and a pair of plaid cargo shorts (but in different densities of checks), with a blue blazer, sandals and a tote. Initially, it looked like a banker sleepwalking but then I thought: it could probably work with a Nicholas Tse attitude.

In the earlier days of his stardom, the Canto-pop singer-cum-film-star once turned up at a press event in a designer blazer and shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. He was doing it in protest against something - he was always annoyed about something or other - but he actually looked better than most of the other, more decently covered, men around. Again, it was the attitude that made the look work.