Checklist: College Classics

It has often been observed that collegiate fashion is a fairly static matter when it comes to the wardrobe basics, i.e., suits, slacks, sports jackets, shoes and such. The persistence of Ivy on campus has been noted (and approved) for years. In our estimation, this does not reflect lack of daring, nor unimaginative conservatism on the part of collegians. Our guess is that the academic cycle is at the heart of the matter: lower classmen emulate upper classmen and each senior class impresses the impressionable freshmen with its taste -- and foibles -- in garb.

And that is why -- for the collegian who would indulge his desire for originality and express his flair for tasteful variety -- accessories loom larger than for any other walk of life. It is only in accessories (and in tailoring detail -- see last month's Playboy) that new and trend-setting styles show marked shifts in emphasis from year to year, with the wardrobe basics evolving much more slowly.

Which is one reason crafty chaps on campus look forward eagerly to fine fall weather. For that's the season to trot out the wardrobe accessories. Somewhat snowbound (continued on page 104)Checklist: College Classics(continued from page 69) in winter and sunstruck in summer, these attire adjuvants seem to breathe and flourish in the crispy air of autumn.

And that isn't all. While lending your campus duds those touches of color and character that make an outfit distinctively and individualistically your own, they also provide handy conversation pieces for engaging the attention of that new chick in Comparative Biology -- thus becoming, one is tempted to utter, accessories before the fact.

Starting at the top, headgear this fall is geared for comfort, with cloth the dominant material. The cloth chapeaus are cut, sewn and lightly blocked into shape in the fashion of the model worn by Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady. Most of them can be shaped by you according to preference or ingenuity. In all cases, the cloth hat is lightweight, soft and crushable, and comes in tweeds, plaids, solids and mixtures.

In felt hats also, this is the season for lightweights, crushables and casual mixtures. Offbeat trims are much in evidence. Colors will be dark to medium to accompany the dark and burnished tones this fall. Matching the suit and hat will yield a monotone effect, while an off-brown or off-green against a dark suit breaks the single tone barrier. Brimful though the hat box may be this fall, hat brims will be anything but full: some will come as narrow as an inch and a half. Pork-pies and Tyroleans will still be popular, and are best with wool tweed suits and sports coats. Smooth-surface telescope and pinched crown hats belong with business suits.

Mufflers and scarves range from classic block plaids and tartan stripes in regular lengths to mufflers six feet long that can be worn in many a manner. Developments in outerwear collars and linings have limited the demand for mufflers in recent years, and prompted the manufacturers to make the move to more multi-purpose mufflers. Some are designed to button as vests with large patch pockets, and others with ends woven together in a mitered point do double duty as a hood. On the strictly functional side, there are many college quads where a muffler is a most welcome warmer and warder-offer of wintry wind, and its decorative aspects are bright, for colors and combinations range from the far out to the conservative. Many are available in school colors.

A swift switch of scarves will make your coat a veritable chameleon. For casualness, an endless looped mohair in an offbeat shade; for elegant distinction, a tartan-plaid Shetland wool muffler; for dressier occasions there are some fine reversible scarves -- one side of cashmere and the other of silk.

Some fashions -- like the perennial buttondown shirt -- may be said to be circular in popularity, that is, they are always in style. Others are cyclical, disappearing for a while and then returning, like the extra vest today. It is on its way back and rightly so. It's a terrific accessory as long as some sense of color and pattern coordination is used. The spectrum runs from tattersall patterns to solid colors, and the freshest addition to the scene is the bleeding Indian madras cotton vest. There are some swell suedes around and they should be treated like good luggage. Even though tags sometimes proclaim them as pre-prepared for dry cleaning, your best bet is to let them darken with age and experience and forget about the cleaning. Metal buttons, which got their big push in the blazer market, are finding a new place as vest closures. For a very individual treatment you might scout out some old regimental or yacht club buttons and have a tailor put them on.

Today, the greatest shift in emphasis in the accessory wardrobe is the number of sweaters one should own. There has been a burst of styles and colors and an unusually high percentage of them are good. The crew neck model is still tops, but pushing pretty hard are both the cardigan and the boat neck pullover. Monster sweaters of bulky knits have a high practicality and popularity. They come in solid colors running to the gold family and the greens, both of them mixed with black. They are almost sweater coats, and are a solid solution to the problem of what to wear to October football games when the weather is still too warm for a stadium coat. Collars come in for attention too. Shawl-collared long cardigans are bound to please sports car addicts: turn up the "big-stitch" cardigan collar, and put the car top down, even in September and October, and you're set for some pleasant driving. A strong Scandinavian influence is still seen: white or vivid background colors and intricate multi-colored patterns on the yoke and sleeves. Stripes are accented in unexpected places -- a mid-arm shoulder line, a patterned motif down the sleeve, pocket trim, an over-all fine line, or bold blazer style.

On the shirt front the buttondown oxford has been and continues to be the overwhelming favorite, but there is plenty of merit in not confining yourself to the one style: even some of the buttondowns carry shorter collars, and they are good-looking indeed. Add a pin-collar shirt or two, and for special dates a tab collar. The spread collar just can't pass the course on campus.

Lots of new color has been added to shirtings. Check the soft green shades as a change from all white. Stripes both narrow and broad are right. Although oxford cloth and broadcloth are the prime favorites, the chambrays are handsome too. In sport shirts the most popular are the cut and sewn shirts, which range from cottons to corduroy, rather than the knits.

Ties remain narrow: rep stripes and wool challis are musts. In addition, a wide selection of bold conversation prints in cottons and wools is available. With the darker trend in sports coats, a little life in the tie department won't hurt. Gold and brass and green shades like loden and putty on the Paisleys and madders are the color news this fall. When you are putting on your tie, remember the dimple in it is the final touch of the well-dressed man. Before tightening the long end, form a crease in the center of the tie; pull the tie through, forming the dimple with your index finger, and tighten.

Belts? The unusual reigns. Once limited to the responsibility of holding up your slacks, the belt today has become an important fashion accessory. Webbing formerly associated with the military services has been handsomely adapted to civilian use. Elastic materials are sufficiently under control so that they work effectively for the life of the belt rather than give away to a non-stretch sag. Neckwear patterns in prints and Paisley have been printed on or woven into them to be used either as matching sets with ties or to be worn independently. Design derivations come from all over the world, and even the dock-worker's hemp has been converted into a smart accessory. Buckles run the gamut from the classical brass and silver closures to medallions and crests of all sorts.

Essentially, socks come in three categories: business, formal and sportswear. Good grooming demands that a business suit be accompanied by either solid-color ribbed, or a very conservative pattern. For best results, choose a solid color that harmonizes with your suit. If you demand color, select a quiet-pattern sock, a neat panel Argyle, a cluster stripe or a clock design. But there is a big choice of other patterns -- spaced triangles, Greek keys, snowflake effects. Fabric mixtures have been improved for increased comfort and washability. Lamb's wool and nylon, wool and Orlon, and for the first time a functional mercerized cotton is on the market. Wool sport socks are a consistent favorite with the active collegians who appreciate their absorptive and sole-cushioning qualities.

The glove scene still boasts the full-fashioned unlined numbers in solid leather, either black or brown, for dress-up occasions. They come in calf, ostrich and a variety of other animal skins. For greater warmth, and for less formal affairs, you can pick up a lined glove, with rabbit, moleskin, Orlon pile or lamb's wool providing the additional warmth. We recommend wool or one of the new synthetics; fur invariably wears thin at the fingertips and isn't as warm as it looks. Also available are gloves that combine wool crocheted backs with a pigskin palm, or a calfskin back with a wool palm, a trend that fits perfectly with the neater, lighter look recommended in hand wear. For driving, you'll want a leather palm (cloth slips): for walks on blustery days, the wind-proof leather back is best. Just as there are stretch socks to fit all sizes, there are now stretch gloves. Some are well designed, but for a better fit why not get your own size in the style you like? Gloves should be coordinated with outerwear to harmonize unless the choice is a bold cloth or knitted number which serves as a color accent.

If you can't find exactly the right accessories at home, or if you still are not too sure of the clothing needs at the college of your choice, remember that there are good men's stores on every campus and they stock the items that are just right for the local scene.

Definitely slated for the fall fashion checklist are these correct campus accessories. (1) A heather-brown single-breasted wool jersey sweater vest with smooth brass buttons and contrasting piping on patch pockets, by George Heller, $15.

(2) A challis tie of hand-blocked English wool, in a rust and green Paisley pattern, by Reis of New Haven, $2.50.

(3) Italian-made gloves, with hand-sewn buffed pigskin palms and wool crocheted back, by Fownes, $4.95.

(4) Close-knit all-wool muffler in oxford gray and white, by Himalaya, $7.50.

(5) A dark-green velour hat with ornamented band and feather, and tapered crown, by Knox, $16.50.

(6) All silk and full fashioned is this trim knit tie, heather-toned red and black, by Nickels, $2.50.

(7) For variable weather, the water-repellent Hampton hat, in nugget-colored smooth felt with a black band and quarter-inch under-welt on the brim, by Disney, $8.95.

(8) "Forward Snap," a young-exec felt hat in town taupe shade, pre-snapped with a high roll brim, by Dobbs, $13.50.

(9) Charcoal-gray and white high-button demi-shawl wool cardigan, bulky knit, by Drummond, $18.95.

(10) Brown capeskin gloves with synthetic lamb's-wool lining, by Meyers Make, $8.95.

(11) Russet-colored looped mohair "six footer" muffler, ribbed and aerated, by Mont Blanc, $15.

(12) Hand-blocked English wool challis heraldic tie, by Reis of New Haven, $2.50.

(13) "Harlequin," a brass, tomato and ivy awning-striped boat-neck pullover of shaggy wool and kid mohair, by Fashion Hill, $15.

(14) Rugged and washable is this country-weave cotton shirt with buttondown collar, by Cisco, $7.95.

(15) Tan glen plaid wool "Scardigan," a vest-buttoning muffler with two large patch pockets, by Cisco, $3.95.

(16) Challis-printed olive elastic belt, by Canterbury, $3.50.

(17) Brass-color Continental web belt, by Canterbury, $3.50.

(18) Bleeding Indian madras cotton vest, fully lined, by Mayhoff, $10.95.

(19) Imported bold black, gray and red block plaid mohair muffler, by Handcraft, $6.

(20) Gray hound's-tooth check all-wool cloth hat by Bressler, $10.

(21) Olive-patterned, soft-combed cotton socks with multi-ply heel and toe, by Esquire, $1.

(22) Elastic hemp belt with cowhide tab and brass buckle, by Greenhall, $2.50.

(23) Patterned print cotton tie, silk lined, by Taylor, $2.50.

(24) Olive cotton elastic single-cinch belt, by Canterbury, $3.50.