Silhouettes for dress shirts
continue to swing from fitted to
more square and boxy. White,
pink and blue — the basic
colors in a man's dress shirt
wardrobe — are joined this
season by strong pastels, such
as peach, aqua and maize,
used as solids or in a variety of
accent stripe combinations.
Retailers say that while men
are still a little slow in accepting
linen suits, linen and linen-look
sport shirts are very popular,
taking their cue from dress shirts
in silhouette and color.
"Sport shirts are important this
season because they're great
under a softly constructed, boxy
jacket for that not-so-serious
dressed up casual look,"
observes Grumet.
Grumet went on to say with
designers bridging the gap
between sportswear and tailored
clothing, the customer is left the
option of making his outfit
serious or not-so-serious. Many
separates have become related
shirts, pants, shorts, sweaters
and jackets — that are used
collectively for a more pulled
together effect. Washed silks,
crinkled linen and textured
polyester/rayon or viscose
blends are a sampling of the
new fabric treatments that
invigorate the traditional natural
fabrics for summer. Some
designers were very innovative
with these new fabrics, such as
Kermit Smith for Krunch, who
shows a black silk/rayon blazer,
with a matching shirt and
matching pull-on trousers, or the
washed silk duster, shirt, T-shirt,
and pants from Zylos by George
Machado.
Two major color stories
dominate the season's
sportswear: nautical and
sundrenched. The more
regimented nautical
interpretations include the
expected red, white and blue,
while combinations of kelly
green and purple, and jade and
navy present new choices.
"Vivid colors are very

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