Men embrace retro and hip madras

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
It's dressier than wash denim and more casual than a navy blazer. It's also retro.
So at a time when young men are poised in transition between dressing up and dressing down, madras, the quintessential preppy print fabric, is turning up in finely tuned hip males' closets.
The New York Times says the soft plaid looks fresh again after the stream of striped shirts that flooded men's wardrobes earlier this year.
It turned up in spring collections as diverse as Polo Ralph Lauren and J Crew. Haspel, a moderately priced suit line, is pitching colorful madras blazers (pictured).
And it's likely to be around for a while. In Paris, designer Dries van Noten centered his entire spring 2005 collection on madras, paired with rugby shirts, Americana style.
It's important to note, the Times says, that this madras generation is more laid back and unpretentious than the '60s incarnation, when it was finished off by pressed trousers and crisp broadcloth shirts. Now it works well with khakis, a funky T-shirt, polo shirt or a grungy leather jacket.
But beware of too much of a good thing. Wear a madras blazer, trousers or a shirt -- but never together.