Solid vintage oxford shirt ($59.50) and madras old-school Bermuda shorts ($59.50) from J. Crew.

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In South Florida, Spanish isn't what it used to be

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In the late 1980s, while American men were embracing the sharply tailored styles of Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace, their Italian counterparts could be seen stateside at branches of venerable old Brooks Brothers, stocking up on button-down shirts, striped ties and shapeless jackets that hung straight over flat-front pants. As always, the best Italian tastes gravitated toward a style polished by tradition.

Today, classic American style is enjoying a renaissance. You can see it in former Gucci designer Tom Ford's plastic eyewear frames, Paul Smith's cap-toe shoes, Lacoste's "crocodile" polo shirts, or The Gap's endless supply of flat-front khakis and white oxford-cloth, button-down shirts.

In the States, that style has been called preppy, trad, collegiate, Ivy League or simply classic American. The school identification fits because it's a style honed in institutions of learning, where a sense of tradition has been married to insouciance. At elite schools, an attitude was refined (although that word is already too strained) that said: I know what is proper, and I don't give a damn. It could be done with a simple necktie.

Preppy, the name this style is given up north, doesn't work as well in southern climes because prep schools are a New England tradition, where tweeds, preferably from the Hebrides Islands of Scotland, are needed for warmth. In other parts of the country, it's warm all year round. So it's not to chilly Scotland we must travel but to hot India.

Today, Madras is known as the epicenter of India's outsourcing industry. But to generations of Americans it's the name of a favorite warm-weather fabric: cotton dyed in warm, vegetable tints and woven into plaids that wind up as sports jackets, shirts, Bermuda shorts and even pants.

Because the dyes are organic, they bleed, and that's part of their charm. A madras garment will lose its vibrant color with washings and exposure to sunlight until the colors run together and fade.

Seersucker, the other great warm-weather classic, also hails from India. Its cotton is woven so the stripes bulge slightly, allowing air to circulate. Like madras, it's made into a range of garments, but being far more subdued, it's a favorite for lighter-than-air summer suits. Although seersucker polyblends will keep a suit crisp, traditionalists will tell you that only a wrinkled, natural-fiber suit is acceptable.

Khaki, another style of Indian origin, is a classic staple in preppy clothing. A color rather than a fabric, this earth tone was more practical than traditional whites for British troops stationed in India. The color has been used so often on pants that they've overtaken the name.

Patchwork madras bermudas show up every summer at Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers. Shirttails are invariably worn untucked with them.

WHERE TO SHOP FOR THE PREPPY LOOK

• Brooks Brothers: www.brooksbrothers.com.

• J. Press: www.jpressonline.com.

• Ralph Lauren: www.ralphlauren.com.

• J. Crew: www.jcrew.com.

• The Gap: www.gap.com.