Scottish Tartan vs American Plaid

[Vegan Scot]

Woolrich, a supplier of outdoor kit since the 1830s, claims that the "Buffalo Check" shirt was introduced sometime in the late 1800s:

http://www.woolrich.com/woolrich/company/aboutUs.jsp

T.

In the USA, all tartans are plaid, but not all plaids are tartan. In almost every tartan, the warp and the weft are the same (so your tartan is the same vertical and horizontal). Many plaid fabrics do not have the same warp and weft.

Take a look here for a bunch of plaid fabrics, most of which would not be mistaken for any tartan:
http://www.thefabricfinder.com/PlaidFabrics.htm

Here's one telling of the history of your flannel shirt:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5022110_hi...el-shirts.html

Thanks for the links and history lesson! I guess it makes obvious sense that people coming from the UK to the US would bring their own styles of clothing with them, and it makes sense also that those styles might eventually become bastardized to a similar but entirely different style.

I'm curious if there's any real difference of utility (thread count, textile, etc) or aesthetic which would separate "plaid" from tartan as well.