5 iconic French workwear pieces

Cover photo credit: White Whale Co.

Content written by Eric Maggiori, founder of AVANT Magazine

It's no secret that I have a weakness for clothes that have lived. Those that retain traces of paint, a veil of dust, snags on elbows and knees, and end up becoming real cloth logbooks.

Workwear is functionality turned into style: cuts designed for movement, fabrics made to last, details that tell the story of a trade. And because each piece is unique, you don't just buy a garment, you adopt a story.

For me, this obsession began in 2010, during a trip to California. Where, a century and a half earlier, denim had accompanied the gold-rush miners. They were looking for the precious metal, I was tracking down the blue gold. I scoured the American West, but also many other places, in search of forgotten pieces. It wasn't long before denim became a common thread in my life. Along the way, I met other enthusiasts, admired sublime workwear pieces and was lucky enough to own some of my own. And above all, I've listened to stories. Lots and lots of stories. As a journalist by trade, I naturally began to write them: the stories of the garments that fascinate us, and of those who bring them to life through time.

In 2019, this passion took the form of a first book: the launch of AVANT, 200 pages dedicated to American workwear. Obsession taken to the extreme. Since then, there have been others, eight in all (French Workwear and Western Wear have also been published), all devoted to these garments of labor that tell a story about us and our collective memory.

Workwear doesn't just belong to the countryside. It permeates our entire culture. We come across it in films, in paintings, in the pages of Zola and Victor Hugo, and without realizing it, we've always had it in front of our eyes. Perhaps that's why he fascinates us so much today.

Let's get straight to the point: the following lines are devoted to five French workwear icons. American workwear may have its myths, but ours has nothing to envy. The French wardrobe is full of sublime, sometimes even refined pieces. The five I'm going to detail here have shaped our silhouettes as much as our collective imagination. And, every time we slip them on, they continue to do so.

1. The moleskin jacket: the icon of French workwear

It's hard to talk about French workwear without mentioning the piece that has been through it all: the moleskin jacket. Blue, black or white, patched to the bone or new from stock, it is to France what the denim jacket is to the USA: a national symbol. Worn by peasants and factory workers alike, in the field and in the city, it has long been the discreet uniform of the working class.

Born at the end of the XIXᵉ century, French moleskin is a double-sided 100% cotton fabric: smooth, shiny exterior thanks to an ultra-tight satin weave (hence its name, mole skin), twill interior for comfort and resistance. The result: a virtually indestructible fabric, capable of withstanding rubbing, folding and days of toil without flinching. No wonder it has replaced simple leather aprons in so many trades.

In terms of fit, the moleskin jacket can be recognized by its rounded collar, its three patch pockets (including a small one on the chest for tobacco) and its inside pocket, often featuring the manufacturer's label, a real collector's item.

Black in the pre-war countryside, blue in the post-1945 factories, white for some painters or stonemasons... color has always followed availability and budget rather than profession, contrary to common belief. Today, the opposite is true: scarcity drives price. While blue is still common, black enjoyed a huge hype after 2020, thanks in particular to specialized Japanese magazines. Nowadays, for a beautiful moleskin from the 1920s or 1930s, you have to pay the price. Rarely do you pay less than 200 euros. For a nice size with the ideal patina, prices tend to be around 300 to 350 euros. This is still below the old American denim jackets, but the price has seriously climbed.

I own one in deadstock, late '30s-early '40s, with its original label ("Le Copain du Centre"). Unearthed for 300 euros at the Puces de Saint-Ouen at Marcel & Jeannette. I love it: it looks great with white jeans, and can even be worn as a tux, so elegant.

2. The corduroy hunting suit: Sunday in the country

In France more than anywhere else, corduroy has long been a mainstay of workwear. Its distinctive feature: a weave of twisted fibers running parallel to each other, mixed with short, tightly-woven fibers. The result: a thick, warm and particularly resistant fabric. Farmers wore it mainly as pants, while hunters liked to wear a matching jacket and pants (ah, the famous animal-motif buttons...).

The hunting jacket features deep pockets, sometimes lined with moleskin or waterproof canvas, perfect for carrying cartridges and game. The pants, cut from the same robust corduroy and often held in place by suspenders, offered warmth and durability. Typical colors - brown, beige or bottle green - allowed them to blend into the autumn decor.

In La Soupe aux choux, Jean Carmet and Louis de Funès wore this ensemble as you would an old friend: naturally, without fuss. The result: they made it a symbol of rural France, almost in spite of themselves. In fact, this jacket-and-trousers pairing is the perfect embodiment of this convivial, rural France, where hunting and the meal that followed were as much a pretext for getting together as a genuine hunting activity.

Today, corduroy jackets are sought after for their patina, fit and comfort. And, of course, they're no longer just the preserve of hunters and farmers. Numerous brands and designers have given them pride of place, following the example of British designer Nigel Cabourn, who has often played with thick corduroy in his collections. More recently, Hermès and Brunello Cucinelli have brought out corduroy jackets and pants in a discreetly luxurious spirit, very close to the traditional rural wardrobe.

There are many ways to wear a corduroy ensemble, whether vintage or revisited. The Japanese tend to opt for complete vintage ensembles, jacket + pants, often paired with white shirts or selvedge denim. In France, we tend to prefer the jacket. Worn oversized, sometimes even belted, over raw denim or wide-leg pants, with vintage sneakers or a pair of Red Wings.

3. The double-breasted indigo linen jacket: elegance at work

In the world of French workwear, few pieces generate as much enthusiasm as the double-breasted indigo linen jacket. Originally, this was not a parade piece, but a work outfit. And yet, with its two parallel rows of buttons and structured cut, it has a presence that's rare for a utilitarian garment. Moreover, the double-breasted buttoning was no mere stylistic detail. It provided better protection against cold and splashes, reinforced solidity thanks to the lined fabric on the torso, and offered the possibility of buttoning on one side or the other depending on wear or the dominant hand. Inherited from the military, adapted to the workshop: yet another fine example of functionality above all else.

The secret of its charm lies in the meeting of two elements: linen and indigo. Linen, a plant fiber extracted from the stem of the plant, is renowned for its lightness, suppleness and sturdiness, qualities perfect for the daily lives of workers and craftsmen. Indigo, a natural dye that has been used for millennia, brings that depth of color that develops a patina over time, offering nuances that are almost alive.

As early as the XIXᵉ century, this marriage of noble material and intense color appealed to French manufacturers, who used it to create jackets suited to demanding work, while resisting wear and tear. But it was above all the interest of Japanese collectors, from the end of the XXᵉ century, that would propel these pieces to the rank of Grail. In their eyes, the indigo linen double-breasted jacket embodied the supreme refinement of French workwear.

Today, these jackets have become rare, very expensive and jealously guarded by those who own them. Probably the most highly-rated piece of French workwear. If the seller knows what he has, the minimum price is 1500 euros, often much more depending on condition, model or brand.

I'm lucky enough to have one, and it'll never leave my collection. An unlikely find: I bought it on eBay in early March 2020 for 90 euros, described simply as an "antique cotton jacket". Containment held up the package at the Mondial Relay depot for three months, to the point where I thought it was lost. When it finally arrived, I had confirmation of what I'd sensed from the photos: it wasn't cotton, but indigo linen. And not just any jacket, but a double-breasted one, missing just a few buttons that were easy to replace. A real steal.

Today, these jackets represent one of the pinnacles of vintage workwear: a piece capable of combining functionality, comfort and natural elegance.

4. The biaude

Among the iconic pieces of French workwear, the biaude occupies a special place. Ample, in blue or black canvas, it was worn over clothing, a little like light armor, to protect the outfit underneath. Carters, horse-owners and peasants wore them to the market, the fair or simply to show off in town.

No front buttoning (otherwise, it's a blouse): the biaude opens at chest height, closed by a simple cord or pretty buttons, giving it that loose, functional look. Its wide cut made it easy to put on and take off, even over several layers.

The word itself goes back a long way: attested as early as the XVIᵉ century, it derives from the Old French blidalt, which meant "silk garment", an ironic wink when you consider that it was most often cut from rustic canvas.

Of these five icons of French workwear, the biaude is undoubtedly the most difficult to integrate into a modern outfit. Its ample cut, drawstring opening and lack of front buttoning give it a strong, almost theatrical character. To tame it, it's best to stagger it: slip it over raw denim jeans, belt it, or accompany it with more contemporary pieces. Without these adjustments, it risks remaining frozen in the image of a garment from another time.

5. The sailor jacket: the blue of the sea

Before becoming a staple of the vintage wardrobe, the sailor's jacket was for a long time a simple work tool. Born on the docks and aboard fishing boats, they were designed to protect sailors from wind, sea spray and salt. No frills: a straight, ample cut, a split collar that closes with a button or lace, and above all, a sturdy canvas, thick cotton or wool cloth, often dyed indigo.

Its iconic appeal stems as much from its raw aesthetics as from its functionality. There are no visible pockets: hands slip into a single belly pocket, hidden inside, to keep water out. The collar, meanwhile, can be turned up to protect against gusts.

In the XXᵉ century, the vareuse gradually left the decks of trawlers for civilian changing rooms. It was found on the shoulders of dockers, port workers, then students and artists seduced by its ageless allure. The indigo takes on a patina, the fabric relaxes: each jacket tells the story of hours spent facing the elements.

The fascinating thing about vareuses is that they create a bridge between French workwear and American military clothing. French models can be identified by their deep indigo or navy wool cloth, while their American counterparts quickly adopted... denim. At the very beginning of the XXᵉ century, the US Navy, perhaps inspired by Europe, in fact produced denim vareuses, virtually identical to French models. Then, for reasons of practicality, it replaced them with a jacket with a shawl collar that could be fully unbuttoned: the famous Shawl Collar Jacket, which has become a cult among collectors.

I told the whole story of these American pieces in the second issue of AVANT, dedicated to American Militaria. But I've never yet taken the time to detail those of the French vareuses. Perhaps you'll find me in a future issue, where the horizon will smell strongly of sea air...

Discover the other articles in our "Minute Selvedge" series