I love plaid. Not mid-90’s flannel plaid, but good, button-up, cotton plaid. It’s simple, preppy-chic at its finest.

But, for some reason, so much good plaid is done bad. And bad plaid is scary. Like “I just ingested road kill and my sister is also my cousin” scary.

And, for some reason, the market is flooded with unfortunate plaid. So for the last few months I sacrificed myself to the white-trash gods and went on a hunt for the best balanced plaid–trying on the good, the bad, and the truly ugly. Finally, after many unfortunate fittings, I found the perfect plaid. A plaid with all the right colors and with checks in all the right places.

My trials ended with three winners.

First Up-Steven Alan.

Steven Alan is the God of East Coast prep. Not only does he make a fine plaid for the girls and the boys, but he also does a button-up in general, perfectly. And to make life even more wonderful, this number is on sale at stevenalan.com. Shown are the two on the far right. The top is the Women’s Reverse seam and under it is the Single Needle Shirt in Rainbow.

My second discovery was Isabel Marant’s plaid.

Isabel Marant is effortless sexy. She makes plaid dresses, shirts, and even a plaid romper cool. Shown is the Olena Silk Plaid Tunic. As with all Isabel Marant, these plaid pieces fit to perfection and are the perfect blend of elegant and casual. Shown are the three on the left. The top piece is the Olena Slik in Blue Plaid Tunic. The two below it are the Olena Silk Plaid shirt in red.

Next we have Elizabeth and James.

Although I rarely endorse celebrity-produced lines, the Olson twins truly have done something right with these designs. Not only do they make fantastic plaid, but also great dresses and jackets. Elizabeth and James can be found at nordstrom.com. Shown are the two pieces in the middle. The top shirt is the School Boy Shirt and below it is the Freshman.