NEW YORK — THE SENSE of optimism coming out of the European men's shows earlier this summer made landfall at New York Fashion Week with all the force of Hurricane Ike, a swirl of color and dash of swagger that signals the notion that good times are just around the corner.
And nothing in American sportswear is as intrinsically optimistic as the preppy wardrobe built around madras, seersucker and oxford cloth, the de facto uniform of the scion-in-waiting circa 1980 who bides his time at a prep school until a Harvard early acceptance puts him on the path to Wall Street.
Though the preppy pendulum has been on the return swing for several seasons, you couldn't toss a brass blazer button this week without finding its influence, from the seersucker patchwork blazer at Perry Ellis on Day One (creative director John Crocco called his collection "prep without the privilege") to the pastel trousers at Tommy Hilfiger a week later.
The best take on the neo-preppy aesthetic came from a designer making his Fashion Week debut, and if you're not familiar with the name Michael Bastian (pronounced BASS-chin), you will be soon enough.
A men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman for five years, the New York-based designer, 42, launched his namesake line in Fall 2006. In the six seasons since, with his luxe line of button-fronts, polos, sweaters, suits and trousers, Bastian has garnered critical acclaim, growing influence and a new gig as the menswear creative director for Bill Blass.
For Spring 2009, Bastian turned the f/ocus studio space in Midtown Manhattan into a little slice of the beach, complete with a corrugated tin shack, shell-strewn sand and a cadre of lifeguards (no doubt the self-same preps off to the Ivy Leagues in the fall).
The pieces -- including vintage-looking "Swim at your own risk" T-shirts, color-blocked surf trunks and a red dinner jacket with a shawl collar -- had distinctly American DNA with the luxurious drape and feel (and price tag) of Italian tailoring. (They're sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, Bloomingdale's in Century City and Nordstrom in South Coast Plaza; swim trunks will cost you $180, button-front woven shirts are $400, sport coats are in the $2,000 to $3,000 range.)
Also in the mix were "Nantucket pink" canvas cutoffs and slim seersucker trousers in a navy blue-and-gray check pattern. A standout outfit was a red-blue linen herringbone jacket paired with beige, washed-down shorts -- with attached boxer shorts peeking out subtly from beneath.
