START SPREADING THE NEWS ... N.Y. MENSWEAR SHOWS MAKE DRESSING UP FUN AGAIN.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Daily News Fashion Editor

All those swank icons of the lush life, from cocktails to golf clubs, banker's stripes to jazz suits, are back for men.

Some are calling it cigar chic, and in spite of the surgeon general's warnings, it's still smokin' for this fall and for spring '98.

The newest looks seen at the menswear shows in New York City this week are nostalgic, with a slim - looser than last year - silhouette and narrow lapels similar to those favored in the '50s by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford.

At the Fashion Association's fall preview show Monday morning at B. Smith's Rooftop Cafe in New York, models paraded the ramp in banker's stripes and dark shirts, fluid shirt-jacs, corduroy trousers, tweed jackets and paper-thin Ultrasuede jackets by leading mainstream designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Liz Claiborne, Geoffrey Beene, Van Heusen, Levi Strauss, Perry Ellis, Salvatore Cesarani, Gabriel Rivera and Jeffrey Banks, as well as manufacturers such as Sears, Wrangler, Reebok, Hero, Riders, Kellwood and Freedom.

Gray - especially charcoal - is definitely the color of the upcoming season. But it's not that old head-to-toe gray worn by Gregory Peck in ``The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.''

This time it's striped or teamed with chocolate corduroy pants, an aubergine (that's eggplant-purple) shirt and lilac tie, or totally updated for the '90s with a new palomino-colored Ultrasuede or real suede jacket offered by fashion newcomer XMI by Bowden.

With the top stitching, you may be tempted to say it looks like a '70s leisure suit jacket, but it's not. It's not polyester, and, unlike the days of leisure, it's now an unmatched suit of more than one color. Think of it more like a '40s shirt-jac.

Besides gray and a lot of chocolate brown, the fall color palette includes bright accents of lilac, paprika or electric blue, which made a debut in Paris, said David Wolfe, the trend analyst who introduced the association's menswear program.

Other trends spotted include zip-front jackets inspired by the traditional Eisenhower-style golf jacket and zip-front, polo-collared sport shirts, both indicating a closer look at men's waistlines.

When thinking about building a fall wardrobe, consider an eggplant shirt instead of black; an orange tie instead of green; a V-neck instead of crew-neck sweater; and corduroy pants instead of blue jeans. Cooling off are ribbed henleys and button-down oxford shirts, while ski-inspired nylon parkas are getting hotter, especially with techno trendies.

Calvin Klein dedicated his spring '98 collection to the memory of Gianni Versace at his show later the same day in a garment district warehouse. Security for Monday's show was slightly tighter than usual after the brutal murder of Versace earlier this month, but everything went without a hitch.

It was a knockout collection of sophisticated suits with a relaxed and reproportioned fit. Think of the post-World War II styles that defined the shoulder, skimmed the hip, and were full and fluid in the leg. These are real-men suits, with style and elegance for dramatic entrances without a bunch of swagger or bravado.

Klein offered two- and three-button styles in charcoal and pale neutrals, the latter looking very clubby and the former perfect for the office. Some suits were worn with silk tees; others with button-down knit shirts in dark colors and coordinating ties. The accent colors in Klein's collection were plum, deep blue, cranberry and coriander.

Sportier looks, which Klein is famous for, included longish, asymmetrically hemmed sweaters to give the impression of an untucked shirt, Eisenhower-styled jackets, and glove-leather-soft jackets without fastenings that are sure to be Klein's newest signature piece.

On Tuesday morning, German designer Hugo Boss showed his collection at the Seventh on Sixth showrooms. According to Boss' creative director Lothar Reiff, ``This season, the collection combines a clean and elegant feeling with a more relaxed and easy attitude.''

Like Klein, Boss offered fluid, two- and three-button suits often with top-stitched jackets that made some of the more seasoned press flinch with memories of polyester suits of the '70s. Ditto with his three-quarter leather jackets that looked like something Rock Hudson wore in TV's ``McMillan and Wife.''

As always, Boss excelled in his use of color - whether it was gray with lavender, cranberry with red, or olive and khaki. He still has that monochromatic shirt/tie combo, and it still works, especially for spring in two shades of peach.

Standouts in the Boss collection were an aubergine linen single-breasted suit worn with an orange cotton point-collar shirt and orange silk herringbone-pattern tie; a red three-quarter-length raincoat which, by the way, is making a major comeback; and a pale gray cardigan vest worn loose like a club shirt over a white linen polo shirt and stone-colored trousers.

Hot for spring '98

Fluid suits

Suede leather

Eisenhower and bomber jackets

V-necks

Knit dress shirts

Lilac and red accents

What's in for fall '97

All shades of gray

Corduroy trousers

Zip-front polo sweaters

Nylon parkas and pants

Top coats

Square-toed oxfords

CAPTION(S):

7 Photos; 2 Boxes

PHOTO (1--color) On the cover: The gray flannel of the suit of the '90s has dash, fluidity and a new tone-on-tone quality in this example by Joseph Abboud.

(2--color) Trench coats -- including this double-breasted style by Hugo Boss -- are turning up in numerous collections for winter and spring.

(3--color) Hugo Boss' spring '98 collection was big on brights and three-quarter coats.

(4--color) Calvin Klein delivered the perfect leisure suit for the '90s with a relaxed Madison Avenue silhouette in shades of gray.

(5) Live, from New York .... Suit silhouettes for fall and spring look a lot like those worn by the Rat Pack of the '50s - Peter Lawford, left, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.

(6--color) Eisenhower (or golf) jackets were popular choices on all the New York runways this week, particularly this iridescent design by Wilke-Rodriguez.

(7--color) That dapper vest-and-bow tie look made famous by Frank Sinatra is back, included in Joseph Abboud's spring '98 collection.

BOX: (1) Hot for spring '98 (see text)

(2) What's in for fall '97 (see text)