Henley: how to choose and wear this heroic garment

The men's wardrobe is poor.

I mean, you'll only ever see the Scots wearing skirts. Sorry... kilts. But the harsh reality is that men have far fewer pieces - than women - to express themselves.

There will always be those who say that this or that color, on the impartial spectrum of a Pantone color chart, is not suitable for men because it feminizes. And, when a woman wears a shirt, a tuxedo, men's boots, everyone will applaud her freedom and her dog, in the tomboy style, however when I wear my mother's wedding dress there they want to disinherit me a man ventures a little too far outside the zone usually reserved for his peers, outside of raw jeans, the white or blue shirt and those few pieces that we are allowed to have to entertain us, then there is a kind of unease.

If, as we are told, "man is a woman like any other", then she is above all the one who lives at the expense of others, feeds on leftovers and asks permission to speak about subjects that others consider they have better mastery of.

Gentlemen, in the face of this unfair situation, I have some good news: you can wear the henley!

The henley is all we have left. That and facial hair. So let's defend it proudly!

It is a masculine emblem and few women have dared to wear it.

The henley is the only piece of clothing that men can enjoy a monopoly on (but for how much longer?), so wear it to sleep, to walk your kids to school, to drive fast, to read, to save the world, to work. From dawn to dawn.

As I write this, and the waves crash against the sharp cliff on which my house is built, er... in my modest Parisian apartment I mean, I am wearing a henley underneath and I think I will be seen more often, outside my house, with one of them on my back too.

You will understand why.

THE HENLEY, THE GARMENT OF EPICS

Let's get to the point: the henley is a piece of knitted cotton with a cutout fastened with buttons, born in the 19th century as underwear. Practical in the evening when it's cold, when you fall asleep a little too far from the fire that's barely burning.

It is then equipped with this notch, allowing you to play with the temperature.

We can clearly see the cowboy waking up at dawn in a Henley, cowboy boots and blue jeans, his tin mug of hot coffee in his hands.

Except that it was in England that the henley was born and not in America, it seems. And besides, it was not originally called that since it takes its name from the town of Henley-on-Thames, acquired in the second part of his life - his adolescence one could say - with the reappropriation that sport made of it then, and particularly rowing.

In 1839, the Royal Regatta, the largest rowing race in England, took place in this city.

With the development of this sport ( I invite you to read this excellent article from the Ahbras blog on the American Military Undershirt , very informative there.

We learn that, if the undershirt , that is to say the underwear worn on top, in a composition of 50% cotton and 50% wool for the purpose of insulating the body against the cold, is already an essential component of the soldier's outfit, it was not until 1950 that it was born in the form of the henley within the American army. The latter, in fact, experimented with various forms of undershirt to provide the most accomplished and effective version to the armed forces.

It is therefore a simple garment to the point of purity, whose only coquettish element (the buttoned neckline) is in fact designed as a functionality allowing you to play with the temperature of your body and the outside. Which is not possible with a simple round neck.

At the time, it was found in the following colors: ecru, olive and brown. In short, military tones.

Today, deadstock can be found at Broadway and Sons , as well as physical thrift stores of course.

But the story of the henley doesn't end there.

HENLEY IN THE CINEMA, HIS BEST ROLE

The third life of the henley is as a movie star. British cinema of course, with, notably, Hugh Hudson's Chariots of Fire (1981)...

...but also, and above all, in American cinema.

As Benoît explained when our henley came out, this top is used to dress a character focused on action. The henley emphasizes the relationship to the body, a muscular body, made for movement, physical activities.

But in cinema, the henley is also what dresses the average man, the average guy in appearance, who will reveal another dimension of himself as the plot unfolds. And that is the very essence of the henley: it is nothing more and nothing less than a t-shirt (long-sleeved or not) with something extra; that buttoned neckline that gives it so much charm, that heroic je ne sais quoi. It also says something about the character: that he should be wary, that he will win in the end, that his past is troubled, that he is endowed with special skills that he will use to do good.

The henley in cinema is a symbol. It is the garment of the moral man, of the man who has values, courage, pragmatism and works for the common good.

We can also cite John Wick , Jack Reacher , Bruce Willis in Die Hard , Henry Cavill in Superman.

So much for the henley as we see it in theaters today.

However, well before that, what founded the myth of the henley was its presence in westerns. Especially in the "Spaghetti" period, with Sergio Leone in particular, from 1962.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT HENLEY

If you plan to wear it as a base layer as they say (i.e. instead of a t-shirt, to keep warm or look pretty), then take it ecru. It's easier to match and it brightens up your bust a little.

Why ecru and not white?

White is bland for this kind of very intuitive piece, close to the skin. Ecru has a more natural, more nuanced rendering and this corresponds better to the nature of this piece.

Otherwise, for the color, going military remains the most desirable option: ecru, olive or brown.

Another thing: you shouldn't take it too fluid in my opinion, but thicker like a thin sweatshirt a little close to the body. If the buttonhole is made in a fabric of different density than the rest of the henley, it gives an appreciable vintage look and therefore authenticity. Which is important if you wear it without anything above, with jeans and sneakers for example.

Finally, it should have some texture, otherwise it becomes boring.

You can find them at: Homespun Knitwear , Merz B. Schwanen , Studio d'Artisan , 3Sixteen , Hemen Biarritz , The Real McCoy , Seagale , Sunspel , Glad Hand & Co , Uniqlo , Alex Mill .

UNDER A SHIRT

What obviously comes to mind first is to pour into workwear . This perfectly matches the Americana dimension of this piece. And so the denim pocket shirt, as well as the khaki chinos seem particularly suitable.

The accessories give even more authenticity to the whole: metal and brown leather.

As for shoes, loafers will do the trick, but we could also imagine boots like Red Wing or Wolverine for example.

If you had to wear a jacket over it, a raw denim jacket would be welcome. Or a navy blue sport blazer with slightly wide lapels. Or a leather jacket like below:

Here we have something more tailoring. Very assumed, with this scarf in summer that I am not sure I could wear for long personally, but the color is well adapted.

The beauty of this outfit lies in the colors used : dark brown, beige, medium brown, off-white and black. It is a clever blend that highlights George Cortina's complexion.

To imitate it, you can wear high-waisted brown pleated pants, worn a little short with cuffs, double-buckles, single-buckles or derbies, a light beige poplin shirt and the ecru henley underneath.

UNDER A JACKET

We could have done without the mid-layer and the floral pants. Photos of a henley worn with a blazer are quite rare, I must say. But it is entirely possible. The jacket just needs to be rather casual: with patch pockets, a textured fabric, perhaps thick. Then, wear it with jeans or chinos and derbies or sneakers.

Simple.

The henley with a suit. I don't particularly recommend it. Unless you really want to stand out at a party, like David Bowie. But is that really advisable?

Here, Ethan Desu (is that his real name?) plays on the rebellious, almost outlaw side of the henley by pairing it with a perfecto, a hat and dark glasses. It works well, don't you think?

WITH A VEST

An outfit that you have to assume. But with cleaner jeans or chinos, it is very possible. Moreover, in this way, the henley will be well highlighted since the buttoned neckline will be able to nonchalantly come out of the V of the vest.

It is not very difficult to do and I will give you other examples later, with Alessandro Squarzi.

WORN ALONE

Taken as a standalone piece, the henley is interesting because it gives more to see than a t-shirt could do, thanks to the opening and the buttons. Here, it was chosen in ecru and that's a good thing. A white would have been too bright and unnatural.

With simple navy chinos and loafers for summer.

A rich outfit for summer, playing on mineral shades. After all, he sits on a rock, what could be more normal? The contrast at the buttonhole gives relief and contrast.

Clement skillfully plays with shades of off-white, white and gray. It's very well done.

UNDER A SWEATER

We don't particularly recommend shallow V-neck sweaters like this one, but there's something here. The idea of ​​this layering is of course to have the non-collar of the henley stick out through the opening of the sweater. So it also works with a slightly scooped crew neck sweater.

Same principle, but with a hoodie.

THE ALESSANDRO SQUARZI CASE

It was hard not to mention Alessandro Squarzi in this article, as the man is such a fan of the henley. This is also where we see the discreet but true interweaving of sprezzatura and americana (or Linshi Tasks

DAVID'S NOTE:

• The henley is the brand's off-white model but which is no longer offered by the brand because it is a little transparent (I don't care #freethenipple!)
• Allen Edmonds: We don't particularly recommend Allen Edmonds products at the moment, but if you find vintage shoes from the brand in good condition, go for it! Especially these cordovan ones that I found for cheap.
• Linshi Tasks is a Chinese brand that is almost impossible to find in France.

CHRISTOPHE, SENSITIVE TO THE HENLEY WORKWEAR VIBRATIONS

Since he arrived at BonneGueule, Christophe has developed a taste for workwear pieces. And I must say that it suits him very well!

MICHEL, CASUAL CHIC

THE FINAL WORD...

Think henley.

The henley as an alternative to the white t-shirt, as an alternative to the shirt. Under a vest, a sweater, a jacket, just with jeans. It is a piece that, worn well, brings something charming and can break with a certain monotony.

It's not hard to wear. And I bet you already know how to do it...