New: our first western shirt and 4 look ideas

Along with our perfecto, the western shirt was one of the pieces I was asked the most questions about during our live shows.

You've been waiting for this shirt with bated breath and I understand, because it's a much more versatile piece than you might think , which is really capable of doing the splits in terms of styles.

So let me introduce you to this shirt made in Portugal, and more generally, my cry of love for the western shirt…

Consider the western shirt as a blank canvas to embroider your style around. BonneGueule set, Longines watch.

BonneGueule blazer and shirt, Salt Optics glasses.

Why a western shirt at BonneGueule?

First of all because it is a piece with a sacred aura , and it is not for nothing that it is prized in creative circles.

Indeed, it is a shirt that has very quickly found its place in cinematographic and musical culture . As an American singer, Guy Clark is one of its greatest representatives:

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

This photo is important to me because it served as inspiration . I really like what it conveys: an open shirt on the torso, rolled up sleeves and a panama hat in his hand. There is a kind of spirit of independence that coexists with a real relaxation.

In France, it was Serge Gainsbourg who regularly wore the western shirt with a suit, a powerful and elegant outfit:

(Photo by Jean-Paul Guilloteau/Kipa/Sygma via Getty Images)

These photos illustrate well the particular aura of this piece, which we readily associate with celebrities in culture, authentic and adventurous.

And ultimately, it makes sense, when you consider that it's a garment associated with cowboys and their romanticized image of Wild West adventurers.

The distinctive signs of a western shirt

Today, the western shirt has become a must-have in the men's wardrobe . In the US, it is considered to have the same place as the button-down oxford shirt: a timeless and very casual shirt.

And above all, the western shirt is one of the most famous contributions to the male wardrobe coming from the United States.

It is immediately recognizable thanks to certain elements, true visual signatures of the western shirt.

Sign #1: Why are there snaps on the western shirt?

There are several competing theories on this question.

One is that it allows the shirt to open immediately if the cowboy falls off his horse and his shirt gets caught somewhere, like his saddle pommel.

Another theory is much more "fashionable", I would even say, more singular...

It was both aesthetic and practical considerations that motivated the choice of snap fasteners.

We owe it to the inventor of the western shirt: Jack A. Weil . He is the founder of Rockmount, which is THE American brand that invented and popularized the western shirt.

Jack loved cowboys and all the fantasy surrounding them. He considered that cowboys, ranchers, or farmers had a strong taste for independence.

He noticed that they wore their own shoes, jeans, and hats, but he was disappointed that the shirt was just a regular work shirt. So he wanted to create something distinctive.

And that's where he got the idea for the snap fastener, which he developed in several forms, including the diamond shape.

He was also the one who had the idea of ​​putting these snaps on the flaps of the chest pockets. It was also a way to make the shirt more unique, of course, but also to prevent the button from being torn off if the front pocket gets caught on something. , because for Jack A. Weil, a cowboy does not have the possibility of mending his shirt between two rides.

As for the material of the buttons, it is made of imitation mother-of-pearl plastic.

The choice not to use mother-of-pearl is deliberate, because in general, it "cracks" easily when faced with repeated pressure and intensive use. Due to the rounded shape of the button, a button with mother-of-pearl is also more vulnerable when put in the washing machine, especially against the walls.

The plastic of this button is much more durable and shock resistant.

Sign #2: A curved back yoke

The back yoke is an important feature of a western shirt.

As we have seen, the design of a western shirt draws its roots from aesthetic and utilitarian considerations.

Western shirt back yoke.

And this is also the case for this back yoke, which has the particularity of being "pointed":

• Aesthetically, it serves to emphasize the cowboy's build ,
• From a practical point of view, this additional layer of fabric added durability , especially against the repeated friction of a scarf beaten by the wind. This yoke also adds a layer of fabric that allows the cowboy to be insulated a little more against the sun or the cold.

It’s a visual element that I really liked and that we wanted to keep like that.

Sign #3: Single-point chest pockets

For our first western shirt, we chose a pocket design called " single point ", with only one "point", unlike other designs called "sawtooth".

The single point pocket seemed to me to be a very good balance between the roots of the western shirt and modernity.

As for the presence of a flap, it makes perfect sense: it prevented the cowboy from losing his objects stored in his chest pockets during a gallop or a trot.

Does wearing a western shirt give the impression of having a cowboy outfit? No, especially when I see how the western shirt is increasingly finding its place in outfits composed of blazers (I talk about it extensively in my Gimmick on the subject ).

A new collar for this western shirt

Ah this pass… I couldn’t wait to show it to you!

We wanted to work on a new collar, with proportions more in harmony with the rest of the shirt.

So it is a collar with points 7 cm long, larger than our usual collars, and a collar stand height of 3.5 cm.

7 cm collar points, so it can be worn perfectly with a jacket.

With 7 cm of point length, this collar will go perfectly with your blazers, but also your jackets or your overshirts.

We also made slight changes to the pattern, just under the collar, so that the denim fits better at chest level.

Salt Optics glasses, BonneGueule shirt and blazer .

A (re)valued fabric from Kurabo

Keen observers will have noticed that this is the same fabric as our Manzo denim shirt . At the time, in spring 2018, we had ordered a lot of fabric and rolls (three years already!).

And we realized that we still had 500 meters sleeping in our Portuguese workshop. Rather than getting rid of them, we wondered how to revalue them.

That's good, I've been wanting to make a western for a long time and this fabric was perfectly suited for this use: a pretty color and the thickness "just right".

A nice indigo fabric that will fade over time.

The more I look at the prototype next to me as I write these lines, the more I tell myself that it is the perfect fabric for a western shirt, with a beautiful level of blue, a thickness that can be worn most of the year, and overall, a great rendering, which mixes wonderfully with the snap buttons and the western spirit of this piece.

It is a medium weight fabric: 8 oz, or 271 g/m2.

So you can wear it alone on hot days. or with a t-shirt underneath and a jacket for cooler days.

Yes, there are reinforcement swallows on this shirt! It's a nod to our other shirts.

A thread for sewing in a special color

Here's a detail where I didn't expect so much intense thought! Since this is a product where the sewing thread is visible (pockets and other inserts), I find that the color of the thread can change everything on the piece:

• too orange wire? Too first degree!
• thread too blue? Too flat!
• too white? Too sad!

So Julien and I spent a little time choosing the right thread color, always with this delicate balance to find between heritage and contemporary sensitivity.

Our final choice was a slightly grayed thread , which brings the shirt to life.

If you look closely at the thread, you see it is a light gray but relatively "warm". It does not tend towards a steel gray/blue for example.

What to wear with this western shirt?

Not necessarily with a hat and a lasso

First of all, know that I have already dug into the question with my episode of Gimmick on the western shirt, where I analyzed five outfits with this piece:

With a gray blazer and jeans

We start with a combination that I really like: western shirt and tailored piece. I won't come back to this combination because I talk about it at length in my Gimmick episode above.

The straight jeans and burgundy loafers are in the same vein as the western shirt/blazer style contrast.

BonneGueule blazer and western shirt, Full Count jeans, and Salt Optics glasses.

With an olive fatigue pant

You saw it with the article presenting the fatigue pant: olive color + indigo color = a winning combo every time.

And here it works very well, in an outfit with heritage influences.

BonneGueule shirt and fatigue pants, Converse sneakers.

With a workwear jacket

An outfit that you have already seen in the presentation article of our workwear jacket . Here too, a western shirt makes perfect sense with a workwear jacket, and its color bridges the gap between the fatigue pants and the workwear jacket.

BonneGueule clothing available this Saturday, April 17. Salt Optics glasses, Jinji necklace and Converse sneakers.

With a double-breasted blazer and white pants

Definitely one of my favorite outfits from this launch. I find that the seersucker double-breasted blazer mixes unexpectedly but very successfully with the western shirt, with a nice contrast in style.

The white pants add even more panache to the ensemble, and the canvas sneakers keep the overall look casual.

BonneGueule blazer, shirt and chinos . Van's sneakers.

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