Color pattern

Glen check

A compound check that combines smaller checks and striped areas into a larger repeat.

Also searched as: glen plaid, Glenurquhart check, Prince of Wales check

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Illustrative face of a repeating weave. Warp runs vertically; weft runs horizontally. Colors, yarn thickness and spacing are examples, not a production specification.

How it is made

Traditional woven versions arrange contrasting yarn groups over a twill base. The illustration combines blocks of four-and-four and two-and-two colors in warp and weft over 2/2 twill. Houndstooth-like sections meet finer areas, sometimes beneath a colored overcheck.

How to recognize it

Look for several scales of checking within one large square.

Common uses

  • Suits
  • Jackets
  • Trousers

What to distinguish

Prince of Wales and glen check are often used interchangeably, while some sellers reserve Prince of Wales for an overchecked version. Compare the actual cloth instead of treating that naming rule as universal.

Sources & further reading

Research checked 2026-09-27. Descriptions are original summaries; references support terminology and construction, not every product sold under a name.

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