5 shirts whose small details make big differences

As a reminder, we have two shirt cuts:

• A cut for dressier shirts , meant to be worn tucked into pants, and “normally fitted.” This is the volume you find on our Volpaia shirt and on our upcoming dress shirts coming in March.
• A cut for our casual models , launched last year with the Sagano, a little more spacious than the Volpaia in terms of the chest and the waist, but without falling into a so-called “boxy” or very straight cut. You have given this cut a very warm welcome!

For this season, we did a lot of work on the armhole , where some people had a feeling of narrowness at the shoulder when raising their arms.

It has been redesigned to be much more comfortable, regardless of the fit. The little details that make the difference start here.

This is one of my favorite shirts!

I'm a big fan of western shirts because they have the power to instantly add style to any outfit.

• Dressy? No problem, a western shirt fits perfectly under a suit.
• Casual wear? This is the playground of a western shirt, perfectly at ease with khaki fatigue pants and other pants with volume.

Few garments can match such an ability to navigate between different styles.

The western shirt is for me the ultimate in versatility, and I am determined to make it an essential part of the BonneGueule wardrobe.

In terms of color, to have a truly summery atmosphere, I wanted a light blue that tends towards sky blue, in order to highlight the fading of the material, and to wear it easily with sand or even lighter tones, like ecru.

In terms of origin, it is a fabric that is spun and woven in Italy, at Berto, in GOTS cotton . With Candiani, it is the other famous supplier of denim “made in Italy”.

On this model, the sewing threads are tone on tone, so as not to blur the lines. I obviously don't rule out using contrasting threads in the future, but on this model, I wanted a contemporary look.

As for the thickness, it is an 8.5 oz denim , so a light weight perfectly suited to a casual shirt. It is a fabric weight that also allows this shirt to be used as an overshirt!

We also worked a lot on the pockets, to give more personality to this shirt. They are asymmetrical, like some models of vintage western shirts, and paradoxically, I find that this gives a more modern and racy side to this design.

The shoulder yokes have been designed in this direction as well, and if you look closely, you will notice that its shape follows the dimensions of the chest pockets, in order to add harmony between the lines.

Sometimes you just want to go all out with an outfit that you prepared like a plan of attack the night before, with the pattern and color combos you're most proud of.

Sometimes, you just want to keep it simple. Grab two items of clothing that you love, that will definitely go together, and leave the house without a care in the world. These are the times when basics are reassuring, but that doesn't mean that your outfit has to be more boring on those days. You can still feel beautiful and stylish in a simple outfit. By only wearing wardrobe classics, but whose materials have their little effect.

We chose this Japanese chambray for that: it exudes a simplicity and casualness that makes the shirt reassuring and easy to wear. At the same time, when you get close to it, its texture creates a little “wow effect” in us.

It reminds us why we love the work of Japanese weavers so much: rather than texture for the sake of texture, they always manage to create a certain poetry in the details. It's discreet. We don't feel like we're making a big deal out of it when we wear their fabrics, but when our eyes linger on them, we discover a whole wealth.

Here, we first see the small threads that protrude irregularly, as if the fabric were uneven. And when we look more closely, we see that the small streaks offer a very varied grain. These random reliefs give a lot of naturalness to its beauty, which gives off something almost artisanal.

For us, this kind of detail makes all the difference between one chambray shirt and another. We still take our hats off to Maruwa, which has been around since 1934 and still manages to find balance in its textures.

If you want a shirt to be easy to wear, it also has to be comfortable. Otherwise, it wouldn't be as reassuring as all that. And that's exactly what we liked about this fabric: its softness and suppleness. Many chambrays have a rather crackly hand, which is closer to denim. This one is surprisingly supple, a real veil that rests on us when we wear it.

The button-down shirt is cool.

It was invented by English polo players during the second half of the 19th century, in order to prevent the collar of their shirt from bothering them during their wild games.

But it was an American who made them accessible to the masses: John E. Brooks, while traveling in the United Kingdom, saw these shirts at a polo match and immediately liked them. So he returned home and began making these button-down shirts in the family workshop in 1896.

It was the beginning of a revolution.

Over the decades that followed, it was widely adopted by Ivy League students and celebrities like Fred Astaire, Miles Davis, Gianni Agnelli and John F. Kennedy (no less).

All these people adopted it for the comfort and flexibility of its collar and cuffs, unlined , but also for its pretty, slightly undulating collar roll , giving it an appreciable touch of relaxation.

These are the same reasons that make it still so relevant today.

We revisit the button-down collar shirt with the Calvi, available in three colors and two materials that are as unique as they are textured.

You probably know what the Oxford is. But do you know its history?

Well, guess what, neither do I.

This fabric was invented in the 19th century by a Scottish weaver. The name is inspired by the famous British university Oxford.

Its particularity comes from its so-called basket weave which alternates two colored warp threads (vertical) and two white weft threads (horizontal).

The result: a very recognizable grainy texture , but also very appreciable properties. Indeed, this fabric is both resistant, breathable and crease-resistant.

Our white and pink Calvi shirts pay homage to the rich history of the OCBD (“Oxford Cloth Button Down”), with of course a material that we like at BonneGueule.

As you get closer, you will notice a double texture : in addition to the characteristic granularity of Oxford, you will notice that this fabric is dotted with small horizontal streaks.

This is a slub effect . It is obtained by using a yarn that is intentionally spun with irregularities in its thickness.

The fabric is then woven with this irregular thread on the weft (horizontally) and a regular thread on the warp (vertically) to obtain this result.

And if you're wondering why we use the term "flamed", it's simply because its appearance is reminiscent of small flames.🔥

We haven't talked about composition yet. You thought it was 100% cotton here? Think again. To welcome the spring season in the most beautiful way, we have selected this fabric composed of:

• 55% cotton for softness and stability
• 45% hemp for lightness and optimal breathability

As a reminder, hemp has similar properties to linen. It is a very breathable, thermoregulating, breathable and very stable fiber. And it has a definite advantage over linen: it wrinkles little.

We sourced from the Portuguese weaver Somelos, with whom we have been working since 2023 and the release of our Ofir shirt .

In terms of colors, we have of course thought of the essential white version.

And to vary the pleasures, we found this very pretty pale pink that will bring a colorful touch to your outfits for the beautiful season. Pink is very easy to wear with blue, black, white, gray, green and brown, among others.

The Calvi shirt is also available in this white fabric with green stripes.

By the way, the stripes aren't just green . Look a little closer: they're green with a hint of brown on the ends.

The stripes are spaced out quite a bit, more so than on more traditional and “business” striped shirts, for a more casual look.

Just like the white and pink models, the material is also flamed. So here too you have a double texture: vertical stripes on one side, and horizontal streaks on the other.

The composition is not 100% cotton either but 85% cotton and 15% linen , for greater freshness. It is a fairly light and fluid shirt, with a beautiful drape , perfect for the return of sunny days.

We sourced this fabric from Japan, at Takiyho. The company has been around since 1751 and was initially specialized in the trade of traditional Japanese kimono (you couldn't make it up).

My styling advice here is simple: wear this shirt like it's white .

Wear it either in monochrome with pieces in lighter, neutral tones (ecru, taupe), or in contrast with bolder colors (coyote, navy blue, brown).

Another style idea: what if you tried wearing this shirt under a hoodie , for a chic sportswear look?

I add one last element before letting go of the pen: the chest pocket is cut and sewn so that the stripes are well aligned with the rest of the shirt. We call this “pattern matching” and it is a detail appreciated by purists (like you who follow and read us).