After the dobby shirt , the chunky knit cardigan and the flannel pants , it was time to offer you an even warmer piece, which you will wear several times a week... This is the coat from the BonneGueule line , which is our third 100% wool piece this winter .
The first question we asked was “how can we add something to the world of coats by adding the BonneGueule touch?”
The coat is worn here with the belt and the collar lowered. Florian wears Mark McNairy derbies, a Gantt Rugger suit and an Office Artist shirt.
Observe how the material takes on the light, while contrasting with the tie (Bruce Fields model).
Because there is woolen cloth... and woolen cloth
On a winter coat, the crucial point is the material (I'll talk about cut and quality in a moment).
A good material is a 100% wool fabric which resists cold seasons year after year, and which maintains its hold over time : the color and density of the woolen cloth are preserved over the years.
Some coats, after two winters, have a color that fades, and certain parts - such as the collar or the shoulders - sometimes lose their shape.
Other times, it's the buttons that fall off because some wool sheets are not dense and thick at the same time (ours is 760g/linear meter, or approx. 510g/m2).
None of that with us. Our efforts have therefore been focused on the search for THE material.
The two disadvantages of synthetic
I wanted a very thick material, real armor against the cold for a very structured coat.
I have nothing against blends with 20% synthetic as it is widely used (even on pieces costing several hundred euros), but we wanted to offer the best of the best in wool cloth. Indeed, there remains real know-how in this specific wool sector.
Why not synthetic?
- We wanted a natural, raw, uncompromising result that lets the material speak, and which contrasts with the very structured side of the coat. I prefer that to materials with 20% synthetic which have a very smooth finish, sometimes too precious,
- Synthetic shines under the elbows and where you sit over the years
A navy blue woolen sheet from Jules Tournier
Jules Tournier is a fabric manufacturer existing since 1865, established in Mazamet (near Toulouse). The company was founded as a manufacturer of woolen cloth for the uniforms of the Napoleonic armies .
View of Mazamet.
Some machines used for dyeing.
Since then, the company has remained family-run, and offers wool sheets 100% made in France, 100% wool . Its particularity is to be 100% vertically integrated, meaning that it carries out the spinning and weaving of its woolen cloths itself. It is this mastery of the wool industry that the luxury houses that source from Jules Tournier seek.
A large part of its turnover is also generated in Japan, a country that loves artisanal know-how.
An overview of the colors available at Jules Tournier, all worked with incredible care. No wonder the company exports so much.
A thick, natural, and... yarn-dyed sheet!
We chose a magnificent navy blue, very thick (760g/m) and 100% wool!
For the color, it is so-called “yarn-dyed” wool : it is yarn already dyed before weaving (the wool wool is dipped in vats of dyes). This is the opposite of a “piece- dyed ” sheet, which is woven in a natural ecru color and dyed only after weaving.
Yarn dyeing gives a material that “catches” the light : there are subtle and deep bluish reflections in the yarns. This consumes more pigments, but the depth of color that we obtain could not be obtained with a room tone with a “flatter” finish.
And 100% wool provides a more complex texture than a mixture with synthetic which tends to "smooth" the material.
This is the tank used for dyeing the threads.
This is the result!
And this is Florian and Tom passing a bakery.
A woolen cloth abandoned by today's consumption
We are very happy to have found this woolen cloth... and above all to have been able to produce it, for three reasons:
- 760g/m is a weight that is now neglected by brands , because it is difficult for an assembly workshop to work on such a density. The thickness of the fabric implies more precautions (slowing down the production line, breaking more needles, lowering productivity).
- It is an expensive material : a wool sheet of this quality costs much more than a classic wool sheet, even natural. In fact, from an economic perspective, few brands use it. And for the record, our woolen cloth was of great interest to a major Italian luxury house...
- The know-how of Jules Tournier allows an unrivaled lifespan of the sheet . Your coat will accompany you for many years: it is a long-term investment, a true piece of French heritage which will protect you from the cold.
Given the quality of the material used, we wanted to place a blue, white and red “Jules Tournier” label inside.
A collar with tailored finishes
We opted for a tailored collar, because of its proven hold and elegance. It is a collar made up of a flap and lapels.
The assembly of the two parts forms a notch on each side of the collar, the lapel then forms the extension of the folded collar.
Thanks to the high weight of the material and a well-constructed waistband, we have a very beautiful collar, which holds perfectly when it is raised. It doesn't sag.
Even when raised, the collar retains its full appearance.
But anyway, what is a banana? It is a discreet piece of material, essential on a winter coat, and located between the collar and the neckline. Generally used to raise the collar of a jacket or coat, it is used to keep it straight at the nape of the neck. Be careful not to confuse it with a collar stand which goes all the way around.
The closing tab is also very practical when you forget your scarf! And just below you can see the banana.
A moderately slim fit, with room for a sweater or jacket
The fit is a BIG debate at BonneGueule. The tricky part is having a slim fit, but with room to put a chunky knit or jacket underneath .
It's easy to make a coat as fitted as a jacket, but unfortunately it becomes uncomfortable when you add a few layers. It wasn't what I wanted, and I had to curb my desire for a very fitted silhouette, to have a certain comfort allowing it to be worn with chunky knits.
We are therefore on a fitted cut, but with enough room to wear several layers underneath. Thus, we worked on three essential points.
1 - Bending at the waist
The coat refines your silhouette , without being too tight when open.
Tom is wearing a size 44 here, you see he has room to wear a chunky knit cardigan underneath. (BG-2.3 cardigan, Vicomte Arthur shirt, and a pair of gloves found in an unknown store)
When it is closed, the belt with loops allows you to refine the cut of the coat . We chose a buckle without a pin (the small needle on a belt that you pass through the holes): if you want to know why, you'll have to ask Geoffrey because he was the one who wanted this detail.
Note from Geoffrey: the barbs are useless given the thickness of the mesh which holds very well on its own: the closed belt will not reopen by chance. And a belt without holes is much more refined.
The pinless belt allows you to adjust the shape of the coat as you wish when it is closed.
Oh yes, and this allows everyone to adjust the bending as they wish . The belt really helps to mark the distinction between the top of the piece (bust, shoulder) and the bottom. Of course, you can remove it if you feel it looks better without it (that's what I do).
2 - The refined sleeve
Even though I wanted the coat to be easy to wear with a jacket, it needed a slimmer sleeve for the silhouette . It has therefore been slightly refined, but only at the wrist level.
The coat is thus refined, but it remains easy to put on several layers. Alexandre is wearing a pair of Adidas Stan Smiths, Carhartt chinos, a Gap sweater, a BGH shirt, and a Six&Sept merino beanie (one of the best alternatives this winter according to him).
3 - A fairly high armhole
The armhole is neither too wide nor too narrow. Understand by this that you can place a blazer with padding underneath without problem , this is the sensitive point that should not be neglected.
The armhole is deliberately high, to accommodate over-shouldered pieces underneath. We are of course thinking of jackets and blazers!
We also wanted to offer you a versatile coat : you can wear it with a suit (or a formal outfit) as well as with a casual outfit . Indeed, navy blue is one of the great colors of the urban wardrobe, you won't have to complicate your life to match it. It will go with everything, whether it's gray pants or raw jeans.
As for the length, it is halfway between that of a pea coat and a long coat . It suits all body types , and does not overly emphasize the very formal side of a long coat.
A very practical coat
We have planned a collar that is both pretty and perfectly protects from the cold :
As with a scarf, the insulation is perfect.
Finally, there are three pockets inside:
- one on the heart side, and another on the opposite side with a discreet tone-on-tone zip . We really wanted to have at least one zipped pocket, to avoid losing your personal belongings or your change when you carry it in your hand or place it on a chair, for example.
The famous zipped pocket!
- You will notice that these two interior pockets are not directly in the lining, but directly integrated into the woolen cloth. This allows them to be fixed more securely than when they are directly on the lining. This is a detail which is rarely present among major brands, and which we are proud to offer you.
Note the facing (the woolen cloth surrounding the zip), with the pocket placed in the woolen cloth and not in the lining, which helps to reinforce it.
- For the functional side, we absolutely wanted to have a final phone pocket, located at the bottom of the piece .
The "smart phone" pocket is placed under the bend line, so as not to distort the chest by overloading the chest pocket.
High-end finishes (no amalgam)
As usual, no compromise on supplies and finishes. We even said to ourselves that we were going to add more...
Let's take the example of buttons: they are made of horn, but above all, the buttons on which the tension is exerted have a reinforcing tail (a wire reinforcement to attach them even more securely).
And behind each of them, we placed a counter-button , which reinforces even more (more more more) the solidity. This will prevent them from tearing off, I hate this defect...
Here is a counter-button, which reinforces the solidity of the button placed on the other side of the woolen cloth.
We have also opted for snap buttons on the side pockets , so that they remain firmly flat and do not "yawn" when you don't have your hands in them.
And the lining is viscose , obviously!
Manufactured by a specialized workshop
For the manufacture of the coat, we used the same manufacturer as for the white shirt and the wool pants. This ensures consistent manufacturing quality from part to part. Indeed, it has production lines in Ukraine, entirely specialized in outerwear .
It is thanks to the presence of this know-how for decades that we have been able to put in both so many details and such complicated finishes to achieve. We simply could not have produced the French cloth in France, for strict reasons of know-how inaccessible below €1,000.
More than a “service provider”, this company is a true partner with whom we work hand in hand.
From the first prototype, we immediately felt that he was on the same wavelength as us. And yet, we had to do no less than four to succeed in finding the most suitable fit!
The agreement with our manufacturer is essential. Only number 10s in my factory.
Of course, the quality/price ratio is also excellent, which is what allowed us to choose a material from Jules Tournier.
The kind of detail that the first workshop that comes along CANNOT achieve.
How to choose your size ?
The coat is a very classic size: just take your usual size , and you won't have any surprises there! If you are a size 48 for a jacket, take a size 48 for this coat.
For example, if you took our blazer in collaboration with Melinda Gloss in 46, take size 46 for this coat. If you took the sweatshirt in collaboration with Benjamin Jezequel in size L, take the coat in size 50. I assure you that there is nothing very complicated.
And we have taken care to offer sleeves that can easily be altered in length (or even extended by 2 or 3 cm).
The French wool double-breasted coat is now available
You can now order:
