A Touch Of Classic

good news, traditionalists: the old-school ivy league look is undergoing a colorful renovation

Sloan Wilson Immortalized Him in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. He is the individual for whom the boundaries of fashion are marked by natural-shoulder jackets, British country tweed slacks, buttondown shirts and rep ties. The labels in his clothes are a Who's Who of traditionalism and probably include Brooks Brothers, J. Press, Norman Hilton, Burberrys, Pendleton, Linett and Daks, among others. For him, a designer is someone who styles cars in Detroit. Nevertheless, the forces of designer fashion have left their mark on his conservative wardrobe. Jacket lapels have fluctuated in widths over the years and the design of trouser fronts and the placement of pockets have changed, as has the shape of the trouser leg. But the most significant fashion alteration in the way a gray-flannel man dresses is in his use of color. Pink oxford-cloth shirts may still be in his dresser drawer, but they will be side by side with ones that are peach and purple. The slacks in his closet may still be natural-colored ones from Daks with an extension waistband, but they'll be combined with a glen-plaid jacket. Let's call it the consciousness raising of a buttondown mind.