MEN’S SPRING FASHION : Cool Characters

OK, so it’s no longer fashionable to don a navy blazer or pin-stripe suit and just blend into the crowd. But last year’s hard-edged designs and bold color combinations seem plain jarring now. This spring, menswear leans toward subtle shapes and hues.

Linen is a constant in most designer collections, along with silk, silk-linen blends and the newer micro-fiber rayon. Softer fabrics mean softer profiles, but the idea is to look slouchy, not sloppy. Shoulders are broad, though practically unpadded, and low button placement gives suits a long, lean line. Trousers have a fuller, more comfortable cut.

Casual clothing is even less constructed. Sports shirts are fuller, many with squared-off hems, and the new “loose-fit� jeans will probably become a wardrobe staple.

Whatever the occasion, however, this season’s menswear leaves behind corporate conformity in favor of personal expression--fashions that are wearable, assertive and full of cool character.

Grooming: Patrick Lucas/D’Acapello; models: Mario and Charles/Omar’s Men, and Roby Wass/Click.