Brand review: LaneFortyfive

LaneFortyfive is a UFO brand. And without remembering exactly when I discovered it, I know that it immediately made a strong impression on me.

The kind of discovery that makes you love fashion.

Only for me, at first, it was too much. The volumes, the silhouettes, I couldn't access them right away. I found them beautiful without fully understanding them.

And perhaps this is the impression you will get when you discover the pieces I have selected.

When you take a look at the brand's website, you immediately realize that something different is happening. First of all, the site is closer to a photographer's book than an e-shop. That already says a lot about the vision of Tanmay Saxena , the founder and photographer himself (he's the one who shoots the brand's campaigns).

I won't dwell here on Tan's influences and his career because Jerome already interviewed him here . Besides, if you don't know the brand, this is probably where you should start.

It's rich and exciting.

In this article, we show, test, and question the brand's clothes. And more specifically two sets that Tan kindly sent me for free. But first, let's talk about a particularity of the brand.

Become a stylist

LaneFortyfive is not a traditional brand that releases an entire collection every 6 months and hopes that customers will like all the clothes created enough to buy them as is.

L45 likes the idea of ​​co-creation with the customer. Of course, the exchange between the customer and the brand starts with a collection. From there, the customer will be able to choose their fabric from a more or less large selection depending on the piece.

And it doesn't stop there because if you wish, you can start a discussion with L45 to define together the desired dimensions of your garment (remotely or physically in London).

Then the parts are made in their workshop in England.

Between us, I'm sure that by exchanging emails you can also customize other details of the garment. It's not a cold brand with rigid customer service like you can find elsewhere, but the L45 philosophy is closer to that of a tailor who is close to his customer and works to adapt to his specific needs.

I tell you this and at the same time it was not at all the path I took with L45. I let myself be seduced by the image. And this, for the two chosen sets.

An ecru set and a black set, to stick as close as possible to the two facets of my personality. The ecru suit for my light days, the black when the mood is gloomy.

Or the other way around. Proportionally. And the converse being true, I don't know. I improvise.

Anyway, I wanted to know what it was like to be in these ensembles.

I asked Tan for this, even though we could have created something else, more original, even more colorful (take a look at the e-shop, there are really pieces inspired by his Indian origins that tickle the eye) but that's what I wanted.

And Tan, faced with this rather unreasonable request, said to me: "ok, very good choice."

Set No. 1

How to tell you.

What I liked right away comes down to one idea, which may surprise you: it's as if the clothes were coming towards us .

You reach a whole new dimension of yourself with these clothes. They are in relief, they give a dynamic look. They don't just dress your body, they set it in motion.

I grant you, it is difficult to see in the two clinical photos of the clothes placed on a table. So I will put a photo of the whole thing right here.

If these clothes emerge, it is thanks to several elements:

• First this extreme clamp which takes three-quarters of the leg
• Then these bellows pockets which extend on the sides
• And then the thickness of this denim which gives body to the cuffs and the rest of the outfit

It's remarkable. For me it's proof of what real design work can bring .

A garment is not just a material, it is not just a color, putting patches, adding things to make it unique. Before all that, there is the work of cutting and styling the piece. This is the real foundation of a good garment.

Since ultimately, the other elements of this set are quite neutral : the material is wise, the color is usual (apart from the fact that a white suit is not seen every day) and there are not many ostentatious details (pockets, buttons, seams, zippers or others).

It's all about the cut and design.

And from this point of view, the pants stand out particularly.

Obviously what jumps out at you is the fact that the fabric is pinched in a spectacular way over almost the entire leg. This immediately brings to mind India. I tell myself that these must be cuts that were worn or perhaps are still worn. But my research does not give anything specific on this subject. I contacted Tan so that he could enlighten me on this subject and I will not fail to post his answers here.

As you can imagine, these are comfortable pants . I could do capoeria with them without any problem. If I knew how.

These are the kind of pants that come close, I guess, to the feeling of not making a skirt. If I stand up straight without moving, not a square inch of my skin is touched by the fabric. That's the definition of comfort. Total freedom to move as you please.

I don't have much more to say than that. The rest, the details, I took pictures of. But I find that they are of little importance. What you need to know is that it is well done. The details are quite raw and it goes exactly with what the brand conveys.

It's clean but no particular effort on the small details. Personally, I am much more moved by the fall of a garment than by the flashiness of a zip. And that's exactly what the brand gives.

The fabric is an ecru denim with beautiful little rough spots that always lends itself to authenticity . The diagonal lines typical of twill reinforce the presence of the fabric.

By its color and its unusual use (it's still a suit), we don't realize that it's denim. And yet I find that it's the perfect fabric for this type of outfit: casual with twists (spectacular darts on the leg and raised pockets at the top).

Speaking of pockets, let's look at the jacket.

Of course, we notice a simplicity in the form. Two lapels, two buttons and two pockets.

Things that are remarkable:

• The bellows pockets extend over the side and back. This makes the pockets much larger than normal and this little twist is enough to give a lot of charm.
• The placement of the buttons: the first goes up high and the second goes down low. This reinforces the casualness of the piece. And they are positioned harmoniously on the length of fabric remaining between the bottom of the lapel and that of the jacket.
• The cut of the jacket is boxy: short and loose. I don't know if you realize how short the jacket is. Honestly, I even sent Tan an email expressing my doubts. But that was just upon receipt because the more I wear it and see it the more I find it consistent with the silhouette. Of course, it goes with high-waisted pants. Very high in fact. If you try to wear it with low-rise jeans, it's a sure disaster. Nothing will come of this attempt but desolation and mockery.

The jacket is completely deconstructed. How else could you do it here? It makes perfect sense with the style of this set. In fact, it's not so much a jacket as an overshirt . That's the feeling you get when you wear it, anyway.

The visual consequence of this is that, since there are no structures on the shoulders, they fall round. And this goes perfectly with the roundness of the pockets and the bottom of the jacket. L45 aims for harmony of details to create coherent pieces that, even if they are singular, present themselves in the most natural way possible.

Some other details:

Set No. 2

180 turn. This time, we dive into black. I rarely wear black. Except for shoes and socks. I find that it goes beautifully with green, brown, blue, white pants… everything in fact.

The idea was therefore the same as on the first set: to leave all the space for the cutting work and the material.

The worn set gives this:

It's a complete look, difficult to surpass by adding complementary clothes. Of course, you can consider wearing the pants and shirt, separate from this set, in everyday outfits, but the coat is more complicated.

It's a more image-oriented piece, let's say.

So if I had to take it and put it in another outfit, I wouldn't really know where to start. I would have to do some tests with the items in my wardrobe. If you have any ideas, the comments section of the article is your friend.

This is how the coat looks in detail.

And the material is a thick linen that can accompany us quite far into the mid-season . It is designed for a summer in the United Kingdom so perhaps a little too thick for a summer at home.

I'm talking about the jacket and pants, which are made of the same fabric. The shirt is made of lighter linen. (I should point out that I expect more technical elements from the brand.)

The plain weave offers an authentic look . You can feel that it is durable and breaks round. This is what is said for good quality linen. And especially linen that is thick enough in fact that will not crease too much and if it creases it will be less angular than what you can see on very fine linen.

Perfect for a coat, jacket or pants.

This thickness of linen is, I find, unfairly unexploited for winter clothing. While linen retains certain very useful properties in winter: its resistance, its ability to wick away moisture, its thermoregulatory force.

Which gives me hope of wearing these clothes longer in the mid-season. I'll see for myself.

I also pose this reflection here but we tend to note that black color on clothes ages badly. It obviously depends on the quality of these. But this mainly concerns cotton. And we can come across, in thrift stores, old black linen work jackets and their patina is sublime. I think that these clothes will take the same direction.

Now let's take a closer look at the pants.

Small note: I find it a bit too long on me. I usually wear shorter pants. So I will go to an alterations as soon as possible. That said, I wore it with a baggy jeans t-shirt with a light stacking and it wasn't too bad. It just shortens my leg and I want to avoid that at all costs. As you can read in this article I wrote about high waist. And I also don't like the feeling of having pants that rest too much on my foot. I don't know.

The darts are less generous than on the ecru. They are positioned rather towards the outside of the leg and are turned outwards too. This gives a little something different.

The belt is quite classic and the only other one in particular (apart from its cut) is the seam at the bottom of the legs.

Let's talk about the cut now: it's still high-waisted. A little less than the ecru but in our time, that would make more than one person faint.

Leg opening: 23.5cm

Half thigh: 34cm

A beautiful, straight, loose cut that gives body to silhouettes.

And for those who like details:

We will quickly finish with the shirt, about which there is not much to say.

Its three particularities are as follows:

• The right-angled mandarin collar: it gives a really solemn side to its wearer, it is not for everyone.
• The single pocket, not on the chest, but on the left flank.
• A hidden throat buttonhole that makes the shirt more dressy and highlights the only button that can be seen, just at the base of the neck which then becomes more than a button but almost like a jewel.

The cut is straight, as I think you'll have gathered if you start to get to know Lanefortyfive.

The details of the shirt in the photo:

Some other photos from the shooting

The final word

Lanefortyfive 's strength is to offer silhouettes that you don't see elsewhere. The cutting and design work is extremely advanced and it could be a partner that accompanies you in the search for a new look.

I really invite you to get lost in their slightly labyrinthine e-shop and let yourself be surprised by some of the pieces. I am also very attracted to the big winter pieces with all-over prints. This is rarely seen in the men's wardrobe and it is truly refreshing to know that Lanefortyfive is always working to kick the anthill of our clothing beliefs.