What has changed in 16 years of BonneGueule

Men's relationship to clothing

The situation in 2007

We must remember that BonneGueule was born at a time when social networks did not exist. A world without Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. As for Youtube, it only existed for two short years.

I might as well tell you: there was very, very little content for men wanting to learn more about clothing.

Little content = few ideas circulating = few possibilities to improve your style and find niche markets.

A small exception existed regarding sartorial art. There was already content explaining how to choose a suit or shirt in your size, but you had to find them, becauseParisian Gentleman was born in 2009 ( hello to Hugo by the way! ).

BonneGueule was built on a base of men who often had a wardrobe to (re)build from scratch , but who were curious and respectful of know-how and a well-made piece.

Men ready to learn about the quality of a finish and who understood its value. Well if you were already reading us at that time, know that you were a precursor of what was to follow!

At the time, being interested in clothing was almost strangely seen , with an unexciting offer.

As for the French market, let's not talk about it! There wasn't much for men who didn't want to dress in fast fashion, but didn't want to go luxury.

On the other hand, it was the time when the “sub labels” of luxury brands reigned supreme : D&G for Dolce & Gabbana, PS by Paul Smith, Armani Jeans for Armani, etc.

On the other hand, before the arrival of Uniqlo , Zara or COS , entry-level French brands were comfortably established : Celio , Brice , Armand Thierry , Jules and Devred dotted French city centers. But let's be honest, their offer was not very attractive , and their lack of creative positioning would, 15 years later, precipitate their downfall.

However, a few niche brands existed, such as APC , Hartford , or even Bill Tornade , but the “accessible premium” market was very timid.

What changed in 2023

It's a total upheaval.

There are now well-established menswear influencers, and Instagram has made men famous with their own style.

The content has multiplied , there are now Youtube and Tik Tok channels on the subject and, oh miracle, many Anglo-Saxon sites have emerged, more or less niched: from heritage workwear to technical clothing , including contemporary style .

On the market side, today, there are some very nice brands (and I hope BonneGueule is one of them!), for all tastes and budgets . While the French market is going through a complicated period, it is no less vibrant, with numerous “microbrands”.

When launching BonneGueule, I dreamed of a richer and more varied men's offering, and the least we can say is that my wish came true!

Jean maintenance

The situation in 2007

At the time, the advice was simple: wash your jeans as little as possible, or otherwise, soak them in a bathtub with a small cap of detergent!

It was also the time when some denim purists even advised sleeping in your jeans or bathing in sea water with them to “do” them, like a new pair of shoes.

Honestly, we were a bit hardcore and today, I don't hesitate to put my jeans in the washing machine . I've had raw jeans that faded beautifully naturally, and now I want to explore a more diffused wash, characteristic of multiple machine washes.

What changed in 2023

So in 2023, my recommendation is the following: machine wash your jeans if you wish, but just keep in mind that it will be at the expense of a more subtle natural wash. But it's ok to want jeans with a very even washing machine wash.

Note that we just released a video about this.

The role of the blazer

The situation in 2007

A shirt, a blazer, jeans, and a pair of boots: that was my typical outfit when I created BonneGueule. Surely a distant heritage of the Dior style from the Slimane era which had so disrupted men's ready-to-wear...

In short, I really liked the blazers and I highly recommended them. Was it an unconscious way of marking my arrival in working life and definitively breaking away from my student style? To dress like an “adult”? I don't know, but today I continue to love beautiful blazers , one of the most figure-flattering men's clothing items in my point of view.

Except that I wear a lot less of it, because it's an impractical item of clothing for carrying a backpack with my sports gear.

And if it was an essential basic for me in 2007, I'm not sure I would recommend it as much in 2023.

What changed in 2023

Even if the Covid has undermined the blazer, I still feel a thrill, and we are asked more and more often for suits and blazers in our stores, more than in 2020 - 2022 in any case!

But what to wear instead of a blazer? This brings me to my next point…

Yes, it is the workwear jacket (work jacket, or “chore jacket”) which has largely replaced the blazer. It is a more casual garment, less precious, more resistant, and less restrictive than a suit jacket or a blazer, even if it is a little less compatible with wearing a “work shirt”, shoes and dress pants.

Michel has also written an article on these new forms of suits which are emerging, where we see many work jackets taking the place of the traditional blazer.

Overshirts are a solid alternative to workwear jackets , and it is now a fundamental and essential building block of a timeless men's wardrobe, I am convinced.

A conviction which has also led me to give a more important place to these pieces in our range.

Shirt collars

The situation in 2007

At the time, shirt collars were rather small, surely a collateral effect of Hedi Slimane's slim/skinny look, again...

To bring a breath of fresh air, and to counter the classic office shirts, many brands offered these little collars.

And there was the opposite of the opposite: shirts with really huge collars, with square buttons, contrasting collar stands, and other edging on the throat of the shirt... Who still remembers the Xoos shirts?

My recommendation was to recommend collars based on face size and build: for example, avoid a very small collar on a very strong person, and vice versa.

What changed in 2023

The time seems to have returned to a certain timelessness and balance, where little by little, shirt collars are returning to the sizes of yesteryear, with real volume certainly, but without falling into the excesses of the 2010s.

Today — and surely because I am no longer 20 — I would advise going for collar sizes that we would see ourselves wearing throughout our lives: at 30, but also 40, 50 or even 60 years.

It is by reasoning in this way that we turn to collars with balanced proportions.

For me, for example, I like collars between 7 and 9 cm , it's an easy benchmark to remember, and this is how we developed the collar of our Volpaia shirt:

Trouser cuts

The situation in 2007

For me, this is the biggest change in 16 years . As much as the cuts of men's shirts have generally remained more or less the same (with a little more straight cut, and again) the cuts of pants have become much more diversified.

In 2007, it was the fitted cut that reigned supreme, and today, it is much easier to find straight cuts and/or high waists assumed as such . That's good, David has established a guide to straight cut pants .

We therefore recommended a fitted cut , because many men dressed too big, a phenomenon which seems to have drastically decreased today.

What changed in 2023

For a complete beginner, I still think that semi-slim jeans are a piece of choice (apart from very particular morphology), but it is clear that I will no longer hesitate to advise trying other cuts , with higher leg openings, around 20-23 cm vs 18 cm for a semi-slim.

Chinos are obviously affected by these developments, but it is wool pants that have seen the emergence of a wide variety of cuts.

In France, De Bonne Facture and Officine Générale were the brands that appealed to me the most with their pants cuts that stood out from the rest of the market.

Really , if you haven't yet tried wider pants, take the plunge , you'll be surprised by what it adds to a silhouette!

One of my regrets with our brand is that it took time to explore other, straighter cuts . This is now something that we have corrected, for example with the Paris or Princeton cup:

The convergence of streetwear, luxury, outdoor, and military

The situation in 2007

Although luxury was timidly beginning to appropriate sneakers (hello, the famous Lanvin sneakers with the patent leather toe), the styles were well segmented. Thus, the large houses on Avenue Montaigne were generally in an elegant and creative style.

Even Givenchy, before sporting its t-shirts with the rottweiler print, presented fashion shows comprising almost only costumes!

Streetwear remained confined to a small fringe of enthusiasts, without having really become democratized.

As for outdoor and military influences, they were almost non-existent among the general public . Arc'Teryx and Patagonia were only known to the most advanced hikers, and were only sold in hiking stores.

What changed in 2023

Now everything is mixed together. With the emergence of urban culture, and the appointment of artistic directors in this sense, there is what I call the Great Convergence.

In the same way that not so long ago, electro, pop and rap could coexist in a single piece of music, there are now luxury brands that happily use outdoor codes , streetwear and military . I think about :

• Dior, which is doing a collaboration with the American brand Mystery Ranch, and which uses extensively a derivative of the Cobra buckle:

• Louis Vuitton which appoints Pharell Williams as artistic director, and which marks the occasion by reinterpreting camo during its first fashion show:

Synthetic materials

The situation in 2007

From the start of BonneGueule in 2007, I have always been fiercely opposed to synthetic materials, advocating as little use as possible.

16 years later and a passion for technical clothing that has taken hold in the meantime, what is my opinion?

Well pretty much always the same, with a few nuances…

What changed in 2023

For everyday use, I remain firmly convinced that polyester has little use in a shirt... unless you are absolutely looking for a shirt with stretch.

Because the most beautiful fabrics I have seen and touched were always in natural materials.

The same goes for knitwear: a 100% wool sweater will be more luxurious in terms of hand feel than a sweater with 50% acrylic, in addition to offering better thermal regulation.

As for a coat, a 100% wool sheet often has more charm than a boring 70% wool 30% polyester.

I wrote that synthetic materials would make you die of heat. And indeed, with a shirt that contains a significant amount of polyester on a non-technical fabric, a 100% cotton will clearly be more comfortable and breathable.

On a sweater containing polyester, it's the same thing. Having tried, it's warm, but when the temperature varies a lot (cold outside, and overheated inside) it's as if your sweater had difficulty keeping up with the changing temperatures and was too hot.

Whereas 100% wool, with approximately the same thickness, will adapt better, even if, I remind you, there are no miracles. If you are very covered up, and you are running behind a bus, it is not the thermoregulatory properties of your wool sweater that will prevent you from feeling heatstroke.

BUT… because everything is not all black and white, polyester can be useful for reinforcing a fabric (while lowering the price) and/or adding particular textural effects, such as microloops.

In this case, there should be no more than 15-20% synthetic in your garment. In any case, this is the personal limit that I set for myself for the few items of clothing that I buy now.

Personally, if I have a huge crush on a material and it contains 10% polyester, I seriously consider the option.

There is one exception to this rule: cotton and polyester blends for outerwear. Polyester allows much faster drying than 100% cotton, because it is a fiber which does not retain water at all and which will therefore limit the impregnation of the garment.

Synthetic also adds stretch to clothing (like elastane) and for obvious comfort reasons, it can make sense to choose it. Believe me, with 2 or 3% polyester for stretch, it's not going to change much in the hand and responsibility of your fabric.

So, you can choose clothing with synthetic materials for :

• have stretch , therefore comfort
• have more durability
• or, by mixing it with certain very specific fibers such as mohair or alpaca, have textural effects

But note that this will necessarily be at the expense of the beautiful drape of 100% wool, or the variety of textures of 100% cotton.

Indeed, we're not going to lie, most materials containing synthetic are visually flat and not very exciting. They are not the ones who will add something extra to your outfit.

Clearly, a Japanese chambray shirt will always have much more charm than a synthetic material shirt.

On the other hand, for technical clothing, synthetic materials are essential thanks to their speed of drying, comfort, their breathability or the multiple possible uses.

So much for this panorama that I took great pleasure in painting.

If you've loved clothing for as long as I have, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the big changes you've seen!