The History
Michael Bastian served as men’s-fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman before launching his label last year. “We were always talking about things we couldn’t find,” the designer recalls. “Chinos, the perfect skinny button-down, the perfect V-neck. All those classic American things that you feel are out there but really aren’t.”

The Culture
Nineteen-seventies New England preppy—when preppy meant elegant, hardworking clothes that lasted decades, not a season. Striped polo shirts fit snugly; blazers are cut narrow; and slim button-downs have concealed shoulder vents so you can actually move your arms.

Photo: Mark Seliger; Text: Katherine Kingsley; Clothes by Michael Bastian. Courtesy www.men.style.com