The essential Tommy Hilfiger Designer tells us what we should be wearing

Despite his beginnings in a 1970s gulch of counterculture fashion, Tommy Hilfiger has spent the past 15 years designing clothes that borrow from the moneyed casualness of the preppy elite. He then put his own distinct spin on his line by religiously sticking to a palate of red, white, and blue and altering the silhouettes of his clothes to appeal to a more diverse cross-section of shoppers. The sailing regatta-Americana look took off in the 1990s, and Hilfiger, who once humbly placed himself in the pantheon of ''great American designers," became a fashion star. Last year, Hilfiger sold the company for $1.6 billion to a private investment firm.

Hilfiger stopped by Harvard University earlier this month to pick up the Harvard Foundation's 2006 Humanitarian Award. In a busy afternoon marked by endless meetings and several bouquets of flowers, Hilfiger, who has always had an eye for the basics, paused to give us a shopping list of what every man and woman should have stashed in the closet for a wardrobe that works.

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

MEN

Pique polo (''Always blue, white, and red.")

Button-down oxfords

Striped button-down broadcloth shirts

Cashmere V-neck sweater

Cashmere turtleneck

Five-pocket jeans

Worn-in chinos

Worn-in corduroys

Navy blazer

Peacoat

Leather motorcycle jacket

Loafers

Docksiders

Adidas sneakers

Cashmere socks

Gray and white T-shirts

White underwear -- boxers or briefs (''White is always

cleaner.")

WOMEN

Great-fitting jeans

Great-fitting chinos

Short, pleated skirt

Long denim skirt

Little black dress

Sexy blouse with ruffles

Tight-fitting T-shirts

Cashmere or cotton sweaters (''Cashmere is expensive, but you'll have it forever.")

Blazer/matching trouser

Cardigan sweater

Trenchcoat

Wool dress coat

High boots

Running shoes

Flats, ballerina shoes

Pointed heels

Simple jewelry