The only way to do check prints this season is to join the tartan army. Emma Harrowing shows you how you can sign up to the tartan trend this autumn.

Vivienne Westwood has done it and so have Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent; and what these international fashion designers can do Norwich retailers and designers proved they also had the fashion kudos to do it too, and with style.

Tartan was a big trend at September's Norwich Fashion Week. Love Couture made a full-skirted tartan wedding dress that sashayed down the catwalk at the Norwich Lanes Cut & Cloth show in St Gregory's Church and Catfish and Jarrold made tartan fit into everyday wear with a tartan skirt suit from Vivienne Westwood at the Cut & Cloth show from Catfish and a pair of tartan shorts worn with a preppy jacket from Jarrold at the Independent Retailers show.

Wearing head to toe tartan may not be to your taste, but that doesn't mean that you cannot add a touch of this check print to your attire. Why not wear a traditional tartan skirt with this season's chunky knit and tights? Or brighten up your winter coat with a tartan bag or scarf.

For men a tartan shirt can be worn over a T-shirt or under a jumper for a heritage trend look.

As for colour anything goes from traditional red to black and white tartan prints. You can toughen up your look by teaming tartan with autumn's trend for black leather, or soften your look with a tartan shift dress with shoe boots and knee high socks or opaque tights. Or how about wearing tartan tights under ankle grazing trousers with brogues for a twist on autumn and winter's boy meets girl look?

However you wear it, it's time to tartan up and join the tartan army.

Click on the photo gallery at the top right of this page for more ideas on how to get the tartan look.