Alan, You are a wise man and I hope your wife appreciates both your efforts to understand and your willingness to surrender. I expect many frustrations have been avoided by your chosen path.

DTY, have you spent some time on the Lasses' wear thread, preferably with your wife looking over your shoulder? There is quite a lot to see there, not all of it confined to variations on the tartan schoolgirl look ( not that there's anything wrong with it!). I stand by my original suggestion that you let her tell you how to use the tartan as accent, etc. Good luck to you as you wander this path...