When it comes to fashion and expressive color, it often seems that the ladies get to have all the fun and men get left with a few neutral basics. Women can enjoy wearing a whole range of pinks reds, purples, with any pattern in between, while men often find themselves confined to blues, greens, browns and whites and perhaps a hint of red, before they find themselves in the "too flamboyant" category.

Cowboy shirts are an old favorite because they seem to allow men to have a little more fun with color, print and texture, and still qualify as looking manly. Plaid shirts in particular can open up a whole range of possibilities for expressive style and comfort. Men's cowboy shirts seem to be designed to emphasize a man's physique. Front and back yokes bring attention to the shoulders to emphasize broadness and the western wear shirt sometimes tapers slightly to keep from getting baggy under the arms. Marble snaps or angled pockets bring a sense of authenticity to the look and variation to the hum drum of the average men's button front shirt.

What American's call "plaid" originates from the Scottish Tartan tradition and its use dates back many centuries. Pre-dyed wool was woven into a series of horizontal and vertical criss-crosses and used for clothing and other goods including the famous Scottish kilt. The various possibilities for patterns and colors bear special representation a particular Scottish family clan. A plaid is a particular piece of Tartan blanket that is thrown over the shoulder. Some Tartans become synonymous with an expensive retail brand like the Burberry and others become take on political association such as the Stuart clan Tartan.

Of course, in America, western wear has hijacked the prized Scottish tradition and modernized it from its flannel wool roots. Plaid comes in all types of fabric and does not even limit itself to textiles. With the geometric possibilities it has become an interesting tool for graphic designers and artists and plaids show up as screen savers, website backgrounds and even on durable goods, plastics or wall paper. Today, the plaid shirt has become a vehicle by which a man can express himself in fashion and there seems to be a limitless variation on color combinations, angles and special cuts for all genders and body types. Men can even choose plaid shirts with a bit of pink or purple thread woven throughout and still maintain his dignity.