Henley: how to choose and wear this heroic garment

The men's locker room is poor.

I mean, you'll only ever see the Scots wearing skirts. Sorry... kilts. But the harsh reality is that men have much less room - 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, a man's boots, everyone will applaud her freedom and her dog, flapper style, however when I put on my mother's wedding dress there they want to disinherit me a man adventure a little too far outside the zone usually reserved for one's peers, outside the raw jeans, the white or blue shirt and those few pieces that are willing to leave us to entertain ourselves, then there is like a faintness.

If, as they want to tell us, "the man is a woman like the others", then it is above all the one who lives at the expense of others, feasts on the leftovers and asks permission to speak about subjects that the others feel they have better control.

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

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

It is a masculine emblem and few women have risked wearing it.

Henley is the only piece over which man can enjoy a monopoly (but for how much longer?), so wear it to sleep, to accompany your children to school, to ride 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, uh... in my modest Parisian apartment I mean, I'm wearing a henley underneath and I believe that 'you will also see me more often, outside my home, with one of them on my back.

You will understand why.

THE HENLEY, THE GARMENT OF EPOPS

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

It then has this cutout, allowing you to play with the temperature.

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

Except that it was in England that Henley was born and not in America, it seems. And besides, it should not have been called that originally since it took this 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 then made of it, and particularly rowing.

In 1839, the Royal Regatta, the largest rowing race in all of England, took place in this town.

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 in this place.

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 only in 1950 that it was born in the form of henley within the American army. The latter, in fact, is experimenting with various forms of undershirt to provide the most accomplished and effective version for the armed forces.

It is therefore a simple garment to the point of purity, whose only element of coquetry (the buttoned opening) 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 of course at physical thrift stores.

But the henley story doesn't end there.

HENLEY IN CINEMA, HIS MOST BEAUTIFUL ROLE

Henley's third life is as a movie star. British cinema of course with, in particular, Chariots of Fire (1981) by Hugh Hudson...

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

As Benoît explained when we left our Henley, this top is used to dress an action-oriented character. The henley underlines the relationship with the body, a muscular body, made for movement, physical activities.

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

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

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

So much for Henley as we see it in theaters today.

However, long before that, what founded the myth of 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 (that is to say instead of a t-shirt, to keep warm or look pretty), then take it ecru. It's easier to match and it brightens your bust a little.

Why ecru and not white?

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

Otherwise, as for 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, this gives an appreciable vintage appearance and therefore authenticity. Which is important if you wear it without anything on top, with jeans and sneakers for example.

Finally, it should have 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 workwear . This fits perfectly with the Americana dimension of this room. 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 do the trick, but we could also have imagined boots like Red Wing or Wolverine for example.

If we had to put a jacket on top, a raw denim jacket would be welcome. Or a navy blue sports blazer with slightly wide lapels. Or a leather jacket like below:

We have something more tailoring here. Very assertive, with this scarf in summer which I'm not sure I can wear for long personally, but the color is well suited.

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

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

UNDER A JACKET

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

Simple.

Henley with a suit. I don't particularly recommend it. Unless you really want to go out of the ordinary, at a party, like David Bowie. But is this really desirable?

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

WITH A VEST

An outfit that must be assumed. But with cleaner jeans or chinos, it's very possible. Moreover, in this way, the henley will be well highlighted since the buttoned cutout will be able to emerge nonchalantly from the V of the vest.

It's not very difficult to do and I'll give you other examples later, with Alessandro Squarzi.

WORN ALONE

Taken as a single piece, the henley is interesting because it shows more than a t-shirt could, thanks to the opening and the buttons. Here, it was chosen ecru and that's so much the better. 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.

Clément 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 there. The idea of ​​this layering is of course to have the non-collar of the henley protrude through the opening of the sweater. This also works with a slightly low-cut round neck sweater.

Same principle, but with a hoodie.

THE ALESSANDRO SQUARZI CASE

It was difficult not to mention Alessandro Squarzi in this article as the man is such a fan of 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 off-white model of the brand but which is no longer offered by the brand because it is a little transparent (that doesn't matter to me #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 arriving 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.

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 which, worn well, brings something charming and can break with a certain monotony.

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