Warming Up for Spring : Fashion: Men’s wear ranges from subdued shapes and shades to wide cuts in warm colors.

It was a study in color and the two coasts when the international Men’s Fashion Assn. presented its spring, 1990 shows at the Biltmore Hotel.

Leading designers from California and New York put forward some of the best efforts of the MFA shows, with those from the East tending toward subdued silhouettes and shades--taupe was among the favorites--while those from the West opted for wider shapes and warmer, spice colors.

The three-day event, which ended Saturday, included one competition, the annual Marty Award show sponsored by the California Mart, for California designers only. San Francisco-based George Machado for Zylos took the prize. His double-breasted, black jackets with spice-color flecks were a bicoastal blend of bright mixed with basic color.

The shows gave no indications of dramatic fashion changes in the near future. In fact, most collections played it safe, following on ideas introduced two or three seasons ago. The boldest designs were aimed at young, creative professionals who shun predictable navy pinstripes in favor of more colorful alternatives. Jackets, blazers and pleated pants were shown in shades of terra cotta, curry, persimmon, saffron, cinnamon and sage.

The colors brought new life to the updated, classic collections of Bill Robinson, Cecilia Metheny and others. But the unconventional colors have already been seen in past collections by Ronaldus Shamask of New York and Claude Montana of Paris, who introduced them more than a year ago.

Richard Mishaan and Tim McConnell for Softwear went further, with jackets and pants in vibrant shades of cinnamon and chartreuse. Even dapper dressers, however, might think twice about showing up at work in these bold shades. Other excesses took the form of marigold, bright green and Pepto-Bismol pink sport coats paired with white wool pants. The models looked more like double-stick Popsicles than fashion plates.

For his spring collection, Alexander Julian went in the other direction, with muted pastels inspired by the beaches of Kauai. His coral reef-colored, washed linen jacket topped a pineapple silk sweater, a kiwi color linen camp shirt and azure Bermuda shorts. The Crossings collection featured Pebble Beach pastels, such as shrimp and aqua for crew-neck sweaters and cotton polo shirts.

If one option for men is to experiment with color this spring, another is to work up a shine. Jackets and suits with a lounge-lizard sheen, first made fashionable by the shiny suited mobsters in “The Godfather” movies, are a hot item. The strongest examples are actually iridescent. Bill Robinson’s burgundy, three-button suit has a shimmering green cast. Los Angeles designer Emil Rutenberg’s nacreous suits in saffron and olive are slouchy and loose-fitting.

Other influences in men’s wear seem inspired by President George Bush’s East Coast fashion approach--preppy panache. The President’s taste for sensible, single-breasted suits worn with narrow striped shirts and subtle, straight-forward ties inspired a number of spring lines.

Cricketeer’s taupe, block-check suit worn with a windowpane-patterned shirt in white, blue and taupe is just the ticket for warm weather summit meetings. Alexander Julian’s three-piece, olive-taupe herringbone and blue cotton shirt may be a bit extreme for Bushwear enthusiasts. But what better way to dispel any whispers about wimps?

For leisure activities, every good preppy (including Bush) knows madras is a must. Men’s wear designer Barry Bricken infused shades of taupe, sage and black for his madras walking shorts. They were worn with an olive pullover and a natural linen three-button sport coat, a perfect look for those country club lunches with the old boy network.

Quayle wear (golfer fashions for folks like Vice President Dan) abound for spring, as well. The look dominates sports wear collections now that golf has made a major comeback, even in Capitol Hill environs. One showstopper on the links could be the persimmon cotton canvas jacket, tan polo shirt, oatmeal cardigan and cream linen slacks from Rough Hewn.

Flashier dressers might actually go in for plus fours as part of a golf ensemble. If they do, they might want to start with a pair in yellow linen like those popularized by golf pro Payne Stewart. The pants are part of a complete ensemble featured in the Bobby Jones collection. He completed the look with a V-neck pullover, white cotton shirt, red and green tie, tan linen cap and even red and green argyle socks.

Western wear has a place in a man’s spring wardrobe, as usual. This time it’s the popularity of the Southwest as a vacation spot, and the mass appeal of the novel turned miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” aired last February, that seem to have fueled the fad.

Los Angeles designer M. Julian showed a complete Western group at the MFA. His denim jackets with Aztec patterned trim collars spruced up predictable blue jean looks. His tan calfskin dusters and shorter, fringed calfskin jackets were paired with denim shirts. Matching jeans had leather laces for a fashionable yet masculine detail.

Men’s wear designer Robert Comstock, known for his Western theme collections, offered a collar-less tan, leather jacket; a hand-painted leather and denim shirt, and a pair of matching jeans.

Sixties fashions were another strong theme in the spring collections seen at MFA. Los Angeles designer Henry Duarte, who designs the Sqwear collection, revived wild leopard-printed pants, faux fur vests and skin-tight pants enhanced with guitar patterns that looked like they were straight out of the late Jimi Hendrix’s closet.

Flower power was part of the same scene. Camp shirts emblazoned with anthurium and hibiscus blooms by Cactus Club gave new life to Hawaiian shirts. Tommy Hilfiger designed a poppy-printed cotton T-shirt. Joe Boxer, the wizard of zany prints, splashed daisies onto his T-shirt.

The ‘60s revival wouldn’t be complete without a smattering of “cause wear” and message shirts, including some particularly abrasive and offbeat entries from Boxer.

The best message shirts do more than just clothe the body. Every time one of Comstock’s white and gray hand-painted cotton T-shirts are sold, part of the proceeds benefit American Indians.

Fans of the ‘60s cult film “Easy Rider” may want to line up now for Harley Davidson T-shirts, as they are a strong fashion statement for spring.

But the wildest of the ‘60s-inspired designs hail from Los Angeles designer Richard Tyler. His lime and orange suits feature long, very fitted, button-front jackets with shoulders wide enough to dine on.