Summer Essentials: Madras Pattern

Carried by just about every major preppy retailer this summer, Madras-style shorts and dresses seem to have finally broken into the realm of acceptable fashion. First catching hold with retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) in the summer of 2004, Madras has had a tough break with the mainstream consumer - until now. Retailers like Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL), J. Crew (pictured) (NYSE:JCG), Brooks Brothers, and Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS) have begun carrying this pattern along with their solids and seersuckers in full force. Styles range from clean patterns, to darker, tea-stained patchwork - a much significantly different approach in comparison with traditional prep styles.