I think most of us understand the "look" of a nice racing saddle...
you're right... the new saddle is a bit goofy looking... but so is my brooks that I've grown to love... as a fat guy that roams the streets in spandex I don't think I can say much about fashion lol...
as for the non setback post... thats what I had on the Karate monkey... I think the way the seatube bends lends itself to that nicely...
and I'm pretty sure those are the same bars... good bars... comfy in all the various hand placments and shallow drop actually made them usable.