It all started in the winter of 2014.
We had released our first blue double-breasted coat . Luca then came to see me and said: "Benoît, it's good, but I want a camel coat." And then he confided in me: "Every winter, it's the same thing. Impossible to find the camel coat."
I almost fell off my chair: "But Luca, there are camel coats everywhere!"
And then, Luca stood up and pointed at me: "That's not true, Benoît! You're talking nonsense! You don't know anything about it! Every time, it's out of stock! Everywhere! And when I say I can't find any, no one believes me! At Pitti, they all have one! While I don't have mine!"
And he left, leaving me lost in thought and completely destabilized. "Luca is a hot-headed young man, he'll get over this camel coat thing," I thought. What a mistake on my part!
In the fall of 2015, as we were bringing out our gray woolen cloth coat a year later, Luca came back to me: "Benoît, I want a camel coat!"
Having prepared the parade in my head, I hastened to tell him that there was no camel coat , but that instead, a very beautiful mottled gray wool coat by Jules Tournier had arrived.
But nothing worked... He looked at me and, overcome by his sadness, said: " But why didn't you listen to me? Why? I told you that it was impossible to find a nice camel coat because, last winter, they were all out of stock! I told you! And this winter, it's the same! More out of stock! And nothing has changed, no one believes me! No one understands my sadness."
And there, feeling sad, he turned on his heels to go and shoot an episode of Le Bon Look.
It's going to be okay, Luca...
His sadness made me think... I decided to go see Alex in the greatest secrecy, telling him all of Luca's despair. He was extremely sensitive and reassured me with simple but effective words: " Benoît, we'll get there ." Except that I was still marked by Luca's harsh words: " But Alex, we won't get there! Camel coats are everywhere at all prices! It will never be enough for Luca! "
"We'll never get there, Alex!"
Alex remained silent for a few moments, his gaze benevolent, and simply repeated these words to me that I will never forget:
Benoît, we'll get there.
A few months later, in October 2016, Luca - more sprezzatated than ever - came to see me.
Except this time, proud and prepared, I knew what to answer him:
“Benoit, I need a camel coat.
- Luca, let me show you something..."
This camel coat, I want to dedicate it to Luca (who really complained about not finding one!). I also want to thank Alex for working for Luca, by putting up with my little quirks as usual when I design a new piece in my head.
This camel coat, it's for them, it's for you. Let me begin its story...
A special color: a mottled camel
The difficulty of finding the right shade
Choosing the "right" camel - or rather the one you prefer - is the most difficult, as the debates can be endless between the different shades of beige that you can see.
Alexandre showed me a plethora of camels, but it still wasn't right: we didn't want to make a camel just for the sake of it, simply because we needed one. We wanted to bring something different, but which clearly didn't exist in Alexandre's selections. .
Alexandre and I were aligned on one point: what we saw was too "flat", too "uniform", too "bland"... Something was missing.
This, in my opinion, is too dark a camel, lacking "light" (and a little too wise for my taste, between the seen and reviewed lapels and the three buttons). We were able to advance in our reflections thanks to this image.
That’s when Alexandre suggested we turn to Jules Tournier. After all, they had developed an exclusive gray for our coat and our sheepskin-collar jacket. Maybe they held the key to presenting us with a beautiful camel, different from all those we had seen?
So Alex called Lionel, who creates the wool blends at Jules Tournier, and said:
Benoît wants a camel, but with a little something extra that you don't see elsewhere.
I wondered how he would manage with this specification but Lionel is a man of taste, there was reason to be optimistic about the final result.
Of course, when we received the envelope containing the sample of material, I was impatient... And there, we discover a very slightly mottled material. That was the key: putting a well-measured mottling on this camel .
A French woolen cloth from Jules Tournier
Camel with a tiny bit of white, the winning (and unique) combination!
"A vintage camel! That's a great idea, we should have thought of it sooner!" That's how you recognize a very good partner: they understand your needs well and are able to make relevant suggestions, by mixing their DNA into them.
All the credit goes to Lionel de Jules Tournier, you won't find it anywhere else. It is therefore a 100% wool woolen cloth in mottled camel which equips this coat.
A weight adapted to the camel coat
Its weight is 410 gr/m2. Why this choice, and not a heavier cloth like on our double-breasted coat?
Our previous coat had been designed with a "pea coat" spirit in mind, so quite thick. But on a camel coat, more elegant and designed to be worn with a blazer underneath, it was necessary to offer a lighter weight:
- We obtain greater fluidity ,
- And it's more comfortable too!
Rest assured, we are still quite thick: most other coats on the market are between 360 and 400g.
We can clearly see the micro-shades of beige!
Water-repellent wool
Lionel's last suggestion: adding a surface treatment to make the wool water-repellent . This is a primer, applied to the material, which prevents water from penetrating.
Let's be clear: this is not a fully waterproof techwear piece, with heat-sealed seams and a hood. However, in the event of a light shower, the water will simply "bounce" off the wool.
Thanks to the water-repellent finish, water has difficulty penetrating the material.
Once the material was chosen, our journey to the ideal camel coat was far from over. We had to focus on the design...
An elegant design
Italian influences
My personal vision was this: I didn't want to come out with a three-button camel coat with little "sporty" notched lapels. . It was too wise for me. It's really a piece that gives allure, a gentleman's coat ! So I might as well give it more flamboyance, more presence.
The first thing we decided was to put on sharp notched lapels (= pointed). Luca, with his seasoned sprezzatura eye, accustomed to the Pitti outfits, suggested we raise them slightly in order to visually lengthen the silhouette.
We listened to Luca, and we did it. And Luca is happy.
Sharp notched lapels rising slightly, all'italiana!
Smart even in his pockets
Then, no straight pockets. We preferred them slightly inclined, with a double pocket on the right side. Here too, I find that it gives more dynamism to the overall design, and it is more elegant .
To be honest, I was very struck by this photo of a simply imperial Gary Oldman, which has since become cult.
It’s impossible not to want to put in slanted pockets!
Those slanted pockets and those lapels... Now that's a terribly elegant coat. I wanted to find that spirit in our camel coat.
I find that the slanted pockets rejuvenate the camel coat. By the way, note the cut of the sleeve, adjusted as it should be.
Precisely, you will notice the interest of putting a chest pocket, because you can have fun with it. At Pitti, men use it to put glasses, a pair of gloves or simply a pocket.
Lino puts gloves in his breast pocket, but some put a pocket square or their sunglasses, very practical during the low autumn sun.
We took this nod to our transalpine friends even further, giving it a slightly rounded shape. It is therefore a chest pocket called a "barchetta ", as we sometimes see on Neapolitan-style blazers.
There it is, this "barchetta"!
I only thought about it afterwards, when I was wearing the prototype: I, who have only worn double-breasted coats up until now, must admit that the single-breasted coat is very easy to (un)button since, like a jacket, you only close the top button.
It's more practical than the two or three buttons of a double-breasted coat, especially when wearing gloves.
A back equipped with a martingale
A real gentleman's back!
The front face being adjusted, it was now necessary to tackle the back. And you understood, given the stronger direction we wanted to take, we added a martingale:
- She draws the back ,
- And the curve very slightly , marking the waist .
With this coat, we want presence !
We can see here that the martingale slightly hollows out the lower back to highlight the silhouette!
There is a slit at the back, but it is closed. In fact, it is by a folding game that we give ease to this slit . And the fact that it is closed avoids drafts.
In this photo, we can clearly see the usefulness of having a closed rear slit: it blocks air currents at the bottom of the coat!
Fleece lined pockets
This is one of the first features I asked Alexandre for: I was tired of having viscose-lined pockets in winter, which "catch" the cold (in any case, don't retain heat at all).
So I definitely wanted fleece-lined pockets. Yes, good old fleece, which will keep your hands nice and warm.
A cozy little khaki fleece awaits your hands for the winter.
The only problem with fleece pockets is that as soon as you switch back to the "classic" pockets of another winter item, the return is harsh...
The usual horn buttons
As usual, you will find horn buttons, mounted on tails and on counter-buttons , in order to provide solidity over time.
The horn button on the front...
...Its counter button at the back.
How to choose your size?
The sizing is very classic, just take your usual size !
For example, if you are a size 48 in our blazer, also take a size 48 here. You can wear your blazer underneath without any problem.
How to wear a camel coat?
We start with a rather formal look, where Luca wears the coat with a suit. In winter, the turtleneck is a good alternative to the shirt: without losing elegance, you will keep warm. Being on a neutral color palette, integrating colored socks is an easy way to bring fantasy without overdoing it. Finally, note the Pitti-style twist: slip your gloves into the chest pocket, as if it were a pocket square. (Six & Sept turtleneck, BonneGueule navy suit, Mazarin socks, Crockett & Jones loafers, Merola gloves from Beige Habilleur
Here, the coat is completed with a chambray shirt and a donegal blazer. We obtain a richly textured assembly, no two pieces have the same hand. The jeans tie the different elements of the outfit together, where the ankle boots give it character. And it's more practical for walking on rocks! That said, derbies or brogues would be just as possible. (Louis Purple chambray shirt, BonneGueule donegal blazer , BonneGueule jeans - Japan Line, Meermin boots)
A camel coat also fits perfectly into your casual looks! For this one, Luca opts for a denim shirt and bleached jeans. The white t-shirt - you know his taste for this piece - serves to create light on an otherwise somewhat dark top, and echoes the sneakers of the same color. (Faraday Project shirt, MUJI t-shirt, Hèdus jeans, National Standard sneakers, Moscot glasses)
Thanks to the Italian lapels of the coat, close to the proportions of a blazer, the collar of the shirt slips naturally under that of the camel coat.
Flannel shirt and camel coat: the combo to spend the winter warm. The shirt is based on blue, red and gray tones, without clashing with the coat. That's to say how camel is a versatile color! We find small white sneakers for comfort, which we could replace with boots for a more pronounced workwear dimension. We take this opportunity to thank Eric, our Breton reader / top model, for his availability during this shooting! (Naked and Famous shirt, BonneGueule jeans, Converse sneakers - Jack Purcell)
Chunky knit cardigan, wool beanie, thick canvas raw jeans and grained leather ankle boots: speaking of workwear, we are right in the thick of it. The layered construction accentuates the raw influences of the outfit, while giving Luca some stature. Besides, there is really nothing complicated: this is the type of look that you can very easily master! (Muji T-shirt, BonneGueule x Inis Meáin cardigan, BonneGueule jeans - Japan Line, Meermin boots, Six & Sept beanie)
In case of a gust of wind, a gray scarf will slip into all your looks, without any color problem... (BonneGueule Scarf)
As well as a burgundy scarf, an easy and effective way to warm up an outfit. (BonneGueule Scarf)
Since Luca forced me to adopt double buckles, I chose mine from De Lauré, a shoe brand with an unbeatable quality/price ratio (made in France shoes, with a personalized brush patina, for less than €400!). To contrast with the coat and shoes, I took out my trusty Kurabo jeans that are starting to fade. And I'm wearing an Office Artist oxford shirt.
How to get the BonneGueule camel coat?
You can now find our camel coat on the e-shop and in stores.
