Plaid to Know You

Maybe it's in anticipation of "Auld Lang Syne," composed by Scotsman Robert Burns, but I've been checking out some plaid.

Today I tried on these cropped trousers at J Crew (had to make a pilgrimage to bricks-and-mortar to sort out my sizing) and have been happily imagining them with

a black turtleneck
(the obvious choice)

a faded jean shirt and gold loafers
(what I'd call a J Crew mix)

a breton shirt in black/cream or papaya/cream (like James Dean wore) topped with a black cardigan
(from my "mad, plaid, and dangerous-to-know" imagination)