Milan, Jun 30, 2002/FWD/ --- After seeing countless duds for rock stars, playboys, and dandies, it's refreshing to see nice clothes that regular guys can actually wear.

Marzotto Lab, which presented its Summer 2003 line yesterday in Milan, offers just that.

The Italian line, sold exclusively in North America and Japan, appeals to men who want to look put together, but aren't ready to come out of the "I like fashion" closet.

The clothes are upscale, yet decidedly easy.

The line's strategy -- and it's a smart one -- is to use relatively basic shapes and make them modern with a slew of terrific fabrications and treatments.

Take the jackets: classic shapes like blazers, barn jackets, and even a simple "Steve McQueen"-style cropped jacket.

When shown in a fabulous micro sateen fabric that had been enzyme-washed, or in waxy linens, the pieces were instantly cool.

On the bottom half, relaxed worker pants were distinguished in pigmented cotton with a waxy surface.

Linen pants lost their stuffy, Sunday-brunch-with-mom feel, thanks to a stone washed-treatment that left them softly structured.

The Polo shirt was also modernized in a compact cotton interlock that created a slightly stiff, hi-tech feel to an old-faithful shape.

In its fifth season, Marzotto Lab is designed by the Swedish Gunn Johansonn and owned by the textile and fashion holding company, Marzotto.

With Marzotto's tight connections to some of Italy's best mills and production facilities, it's no surprise that its Lab line is spinning out well researched fabrications and top quality pieces.