Something plaid. That’s what many of us will get our farming fathers for Father’s Day, June 20.Be it jackets, hats and especially shirts, there’s a preponderance of plaid in pastoral life, proven at every auction sale, farm show and rodeo. The lads do like their plaids.Plaid protects its popularity without any showy fashion advertising. Lads know they can blend into a crowd of like-minded folks while wearing plaid and they don’t seem to need much prompting.Plaid didn’t even rate a mention in the two farm fashion-related news releases that crossed the desk this spring. Long-tail t-shirts, marketed using a “unique apparatus designed to check for plumber’s butt on average guys,” including farmers, did not speak of plaid.They did, however, promise to guard wearers against “breaches of modesty” by being three inches longer than most t-shirts. So, farming fathers out there, rest easy knowing that no matter how deeply stuck your farm equipment becomes, and no matter how deeply you are involved in the extrication, your shirt can stay tucked.Plaid was also absent in a Carhartt news release announcing company plans to expand target market. The brand that has staked claims in winter ranch wear and livestock show couture now plans to “transcend the work environment” and “move into a more lifestyle-focused area.”Shorts and onesies are planned, but of plaid there is nary a whisper.But plaid, that clever criss-cross of horizontal and vertical bands, nevertheless remains worthy of respect.It goes well with jeans. Busier patterns hide stains. Multiple colours suit most tastes. Horizontal lines can be slimming. Most importantly of all, plaid calms livestock.How’s that? Well, after plentiful pondering of plaid plethora, our fashion researchers hypothesize that plaid is particularly popular with ranchers and cowboys because of its animal magnetism.Think about it. Cattle are linear thinkers. They like to go straight from point A to point B. But when they get a good look at a plaid shirt and try to follow the intersecting lines, they are amazed, confused and calmed.Hey, it’s a theory.Happy father’s day to all you farming fathers out there. May the special day bring you much joy and much plaid.
Read Also
Topsy-turvy precipitation this year challenges crop predictions
Rainfall can vary dramatically over a short distance. Precipitation maps can’t catch all the deviations, but they do provide a broad perspective.
