WHAT IS AMERICAN STYLE

GETTING DRESSED IN THE U.S.A. IS ALL ABOUT HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD

BACK IN THE MID-NINETIES, MY FRIENDS AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN nightclubs dancing to A Tribe Called Quest and Nas. The de facto uniform was baggy Maurice Malone jeans, stout Champion sweats, and anorak pullovers from preppy brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica. But the most stylish among us wore Polo Ralph Lauren. Color-blocked sportswear met Polo Bear knits, all-over-print shirts, and choice items from the Stadium and P-Wing collections.

Decades later, fashion writers described this aesthetic as a way for nonwhite youths to appropriate the status symbols of blue-blooded Wasps. That's partly true. Ralph Lauren's Polo logo is woven into the American image of financial success, and many of us simply wanted to stunt. But there's another story here about the thread that laces through this country's clothing history and the complicated, sometimes contradictory essence of the American spirit. Despite its aspirational nature, American style is, at its core, a celebration of the everyday person.

It's also-like all style-a form of visual language. Our outfits are not purely about creative expression; they allow us to communicate our identity, aspirations, and values. If you're a man getting dressed today, you're confronted with what can be an overwhelming array of choices and style mashups. Figuring out how to communicate within this cacophony can be disorienting. But the process of doing so is much easier when you understand the foundations of American style and how they shape some of the most inventive designers of the moment.