On my first day at BonneGueule, I went there with a little knot in my stomach. Hired as a trainee editor, I was going to assist an editorial department, with only very well-dressed people in it. I had dressed well (without overdoing it), but I was afraid of being light years away from my future collaborators. After a few minutes and a handshake, Christophe reassured me, I didn't have to come in sartorial to work. Phew.
A few days later, I had noticed that everyone had their own style. A series of questions came to me: do I have a style? A particular style? Should I question everything? Why do I find Jordan or David so handsome? (ah no, that's not it).
In the midst of introspection, I self-evaluated. Retrospective.
Creative, but just a little
I like to be comfortable in my clothes, to have a nice outfit, clothes that I like, but I have never worked on my style.
I have a memory of my choices at the time. I lived in Reims, and every Champagne resident knows that it can pour (rain) at any time! Since I wasn't the last one to hang around outside, I equipped myself accordingly:
From that time on, I loved the “cool” side of the K-Way . It has no shape, it can be stored anywhere. No matter the season, I didn’t go out without my raincoat. I would put it in a ball on the ground to make a football post, I would hide my sweets and my first cigarettes in it (smoking is bad, you see), it was my essential.
The rest of my starter pack is justified differently: it was fashion. I didn't focus on the intrinsic quality of the clothing, but mainly on the fact that I went unnoticed in the schoolyard. For example, I wasn't particularly a fan of Converse (my opinion has since evolved, when I discovered that Converse were century-old sneakers ) but I still pestered my poor mother for this pair. Incredible.
A Converse advertisement from the 1930s. Credits: Chausport
Same for the V-neck. Personally, I always found it a bit ugly, but it was so widespread that the social side took precedence over the aesthetic aspect.
Taking a step back, I noticed something: a lot of the clothes I chose were very standardized, very basic. And yet, by putting on a slightly flashy K-way, I was twisting my outfit. I wasn't particularly looking to stand out, but I liked wearing an unexpected piece of clothing. Something that surprised.
A few years later, here's where I was:
Not yet an adult, I walked the streets of the fifteenth arrondissement of Paris (the Reims period was over) in this slightly geeky style. As for my middle school look, I wore extremely common clothes (like the Nike Blazer, the plaid shirt , etc.) with a surprising favorite piece . Once again, it was at the jacket level that I tried to innovate: I had therefore set my sights on a magnificent jacket from the English brand Ben Sherman. A perfectly cut, simple bomber jacket, with this internal lining recognizable among a thousand. I loved wearing this jacket.
@benshermanofficial
The rest of my wardrobe from those years is very simple: I was still succumbing to the fashion effect, and I wasn't specifically looking to have a particular style. I always preferred simple and well-cut clothes. I was looking first for the garment to fit me well, for me to be comfortable in it.
Without complexes
Good thing to know, my weight fluctuated a lot at the time: in 2 years, I went up to 95 kilos, before going back down to 65 kilos. I could have changed my style radically, but no: I continued to wear rather dark and quite tight clothes, to tuck my shirts into my pants ... I was rather comfortable with that, I didn't want to change my habits for extra pounds.
At 17, I was already not a fan of logos or patterned clothing, my favorite brand was Uniqlo . Simple, not too expensive, a minimum of quality, I highly appreciated this brand (I have since met Benoît,who opened my eyes to the case of Uniqlo ). The sobriety of their products suited me perfectly.
And now ?
“ Having a style is a conscious choice. Style tells others what you don’t want to verbalize, ” Émilie from the product department whispers to me. Here I am, an adult, vaccinated, (almost) emancipated, and one question remains: what does my style say about me?
Today, I think I have a casual style, halfway between workwear and “ sport-chic ” (more sport than chic):
- I have developed a cult following for s-shirts (or anything with a collar stand). It is a garment that reassures me, and I wear it in many ways.
- I continue to find bomber jackets super stylish , right halfway between sport and workwear.
- I threw away my skinny pants , which change the silhouette. Depending on the context, I opt for straight jeans, or more tapered dress pants. I have quite long legs, these are the pieces best suited to my size.
- Few formal shoes on my feet, I alternate between leather or canvas sneakers, depending on the outfit. My favorite pair? For sentimental reasons, it's an old pair of black Van's with holes. They've seen it all, experienced it all.
- I still don't buy colorful designer clothes , which I find unsightly.
- I now consider the sock a real plus . I haven't invested heavily in it yet, but I plan to one day.
- I expanded my color palette , black ended up tiring me out!
My casual, all-purpose style defines me well: I like to stay discreet, not make noise. I like to cultivate the elegance of discretion, which probably makes me someone terribly boring.
I hope I don't look like this. Credit: Getty
However, I like the unexpected, the surprise. Over time, I have fallen in love with many clothes that I think would not suit me , would make me look like I am in disguise. I have not yet taken the step of " strong pieces ". Here is a small list of clothes that I would love to wear but whose rendering leaves me skeptical:
Why? Because it's not my style! Small confession: I'm one of the shy ones. It's with my shirt (or t-shirt) tucked into my pants that I'm most comfortable in society. Inexplicable but true.
Steve McQueen, the height of the style I love. Credits: Pinterest
Under the influence
When I arrived at BonneGueule, I devoured the media's content. Out of intellectual honesty already, but above all because I'm curious. By expanding my knowledge of clothing, I noticed something: among all these stories, it was the one about workwear that spoke to me the most.
When a garment reserved for manual workers becomes democratized, it becomes loaded with history. It is a heritage that speaks to me. My parents always instilled in me the value of work: a good and virtuous man is a man who gets his hands dirty. It is the worker who satisfies the general interest. It is the very nature of this style that seduces so much.
Comparing my wardrobe with that of the basic workwearer , I noticed some similarities: more jackets and denim vests than blazers, lots of simple and straight cuts, few light and bright colors, denim, shirts, pockets everywhere. Without knowing it, I was already under the influence of workwear !
I'm not going to buy a pair of overalls or military fatigues, but their existence in the fashion landscape reassures me. Clothing trends are good reflections of society , and today more than ever, the society we live in needs hard workers.
Logomania, a trend that wants to harm you. Credits: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
We are in the era of image and logo and I really have a hard time listening to the story of at least 80% of the clothes that are currently coming out. If in the remaining 20%, the clothes say “I have tough skin, I am made for those who sweat”, my choice is quickly made.
In the end, all it took was a little education! By talking daily with Benoît, Quentin, David, Christophe, Nawal, Jérôme and so many other colleagues (what am I saying, comrades!) from BonneGueule, it allowed me to verbalize what I liked about clothing: it tells a story . My story, it tucks her shirt into her pants, and gets her hands dirty.
