As you have seen, this month, Japan is in the spotlight at BonneGueule. There is our mini-series ( discovering fashion in Tokyo , discovering Japanese designers ) which relates our big trip to the land of the Rising Sun, and also our launch this week.
So this month, we're going to equip you with a work jacket , an essential piece of workwear style that transitions easily into a more urban style, with two denim shirts and a pair of very special jeans that Nicolò will tell you about later in the week.
And as usual, we warmly thank Boras , a big fan of Visvim and Japanese workwear, who took part in the modeling game.
Let's start with the work jacket. It's a very underrated piece in a men's wardrobe. While it's 1) beautiful 2) comfortable 3) and goes with everything (or at least, with 90% of your casual wardrobe).
You don't have to have a statue in your closet to keep it well!
Why a work jacket?
Chinos, a light shirt, white sneakers, nothing more is needed...
It's a piece that has huge everyday "uniform" potential, because it goes with many, many things, especially for a casual style . Chinos, jeans, or even wool pants, t-shirt, shirt, sweatshirt, a work jacket can easily go with almost your entire wardrobe!
With this type of piece, it's time to let go of your shirt and pants, because the blue of the jacket will "calm down" the other clothes.
It is therefore a piece perfectly suited to layering:
- It's a little warm but will the temperatures cool down in the evening? A t-shirt + work jacket and you're all set
- It's getting colder ? It will serve as a mid layer between your shirt and your parka or softshell
- And in winter ? Wear it under your coat.
No problem wearing it with a t-shirt.
On the feet, whether it's sneakers, or derby shoes worn in a fun way, again, nothing could be simpler, this jacket can be worn with a large number of shoes. And obviously, if you are a fan of work boots (Wolwerine, RedWings, Chippewa, Viberg), this is where you will have the best combination.
In a typical workwear look, the possibilities are really nice, like with this vest or these shoes.
What finishes?
Due to its working-class background, over time, this jacket had to be simple to make and practical to use .
This is why there are patch pockets, because this allows you to quickly remove and put your personal belongings in them: no flap or zip, because the workers did not need them. In my case, I put my packet of tissues, my metro or cash receipts, or sometimes my headphones.
But you know me, you know that I like to know your personal belongings are safe: there is a secret zipped pocket inside the jacket, which awaits your important papers or your wireless headphones!
As for the buttons, they are made of horn, with a "fish eye" effect (also known as "cat's eye"). It is a button with two holes placed in a small groove which resembles the pupil of a fish or a cat.
It's a button that we find a lot in workwear. My personal theory is that this gutter was used to protect the wires from friction from external objects.
Why a Japanese material on this jacket?
France has a long history of work jackets, so much so that some workwear sites call this work jacket the "French worker jacket". Whether from Vetra or Le Mont Saint Michel, there are reissues of these sturdy work jackets.
They are often made of moleskin or canvas, which makes them very solid. But I find that these materials lack flexibility and do not lend themselves well to layering. In terms of sensation, the result is close to denim. I want a work jacket that can certainly stand on its own, but that can also be worn under a coat or parka, which requires flexibility.
A beautiful photo which allows you to have an overview of the nuances of this material.
And the last fundamental point in our choice of a Japanese material: there is much more texture and "grain" than a moleskin. The style of a French work jacket is very clean and uniform. I wanted something more varied in texture.
Given the flexibility of the fabric, the fit is more relaxed and less rigid.
That said, the Japanese are great connoisseurs of French workwear, so much so that jackets from the French brand Vetra are distributed in trendy boutiques in Japan.
This is how the French work jacket became a great classic among Japanese workwear brands.
And obviously, they reinterpreted it with a fabric used over time (in the past?) in Japanese work clothes.
The circle is complete: we have a French-inspired jacket made from a fabric used for Japanese workwear .
Our material: a fabric from Dova
And continue to work with Dova, whom you have already met on the indigo canvas pants that Boras is so happy with .
It is this Japanese supplier, always so mysterious, who works with many Japanese factories of different sizes, in order to find a wide variety of Japanese fabrics.
It is therefore a fabric dyed with indigo, with a particular relief, a great classic of Japanese clothing. With time and washing, it will patina nicely.
To give you an idea, I strongly suspect Studio D'Artisan of having used the same fabric as us for their splendid teddy .
The texture that appears once the material has been washed in the factory is really nice, and you will easily understand why we turned to this material.
Yes, this is the ultimate tea drinking jacket. And if you hold the cup carefully, the taste will be even better!
Why did you wash the material?
It’s true that we love raw materials at BonneGueule! Except here, if the material had been unwashed, it would have a very stiff appearance. On pants, it could work, but on a jacket, the result would be difficult to wear , and not very comfortable.
But the result is there: the fabric is much more flexible, softer and the texture appears more prettily.
Why did you choose a shawl collar?
Most work jackets from French brands opt for a shirt collar, a classic collar. Here, it's a small shawl collar that folds over, because I find that when you wear it with a shirt, the collar of the jacket surrounds the collar of the shirt more nicely , a bit like if you had a cardigan with a shawl collar. It’s a nod to this piece that I love so much.
If you put a t-shirt and/or sweatshirt underneath, it rejuvenates the piece by recalling a bomber collar.
And more simply, it gives this jacket a welcome touch of originality.
The collar of this jacket nicely surrounds the collars of shirts, here with our drawn thread shirt .
Our two Kurabo denim shirts
There, I must begin this paragraph by making amends : I am sincerely sorry that such a classic of the men's wardrobe is being offered so late.
If there's one shirt that smells of adventure and the wild west, it's this one.
Nothing could be easier than wearing it with a blazer.
At Pitti, some wear it with a blazer and a tie, to create a nice style contrast.
Also have fun wearing it with a thin white t-shirt underneath, it's an easy and casual outfit, where the shirt almost plays the role of an overshirt.
A very simple outfit but one that has an effect. Don't hesitate to roll up your sleeves to reveal the Harpo bracelets and your vintage watch.
We offer this shirt in two colors, with a more or less marked wash.
Advising you on one color rather than the other wouldn't make much sense, it's really a question of taste, and that's precisely why we're releasing two colors rather than just one.
Here, the darker model, to create contrast with the rest of the outfit.
What thickness of material?
Who says denim shirt can lead you to think that it is the same thickness as your jeans.
Don't worry, this shirt is obviously lighter. Of course, in summer, it will be too hot, but for fall, winter, and spring, it will be very suitable.
For those interested in technology, it weighs 8oz , or 227g/m2. It is therefore a slightly thicker shirt than an Oxford, but not to the point of making it wearable next to the skin (far from it)!
On the lighter one, the washing is more marked, with nice color contrasts.
A more accessible material…
And I have to talk about the price. This shirt will be cheaper than the rest of our Japanese shirts for two reasons.
First reason, the canvas is not selvedge, so the fabric roll is wider, so a shirt needs less linear meter. So we can make more with the same amount of fabric.
Finally, Kurabo being particular about the choice of its cottons, our very dear Japanese supplier chose an American cotton here. He spins it in Japan, and through a game of partnership, he weaves it in China. In the end, we buy this fabric from a Japanese company, Kurabo.
These two elements — the ability to produce more shirts with the same quantity of fabric and weaving in China by Kurabo Japan — allow us to have a more competitive price.
The (un)usual finishes
This time, we wanted to have a little fun and add finishes that you wouldn't expect to find on this type of shirt.
First of all, we change the mother-of-pearl and these are bone buttons that we find here. They are more resistant, their color which is slightly ivory is absolutely charming.
The bone button and the zampa di gallina (dark shirt pattern).
They are also sewn in zampa di gallina . Normally, you only find this on dress shirts, but with the whiteness of the bone and the color of the thread, I really liked this button seam, which is both visible to those who know how to recognize it, and discreet for most. people.
We also find the hidden button down!
And finally, last nice finish: there are French seams.
For those who don't know and to explain it simply, on the sides of the shirt, at the junction between the front and the back, instead of having a double seam as is commonly the case , you only have one line of sewing. This is the famous folded English seam.
So this is a classic seam, with two rows of seams, which we find on the vast majority of shirts, on the sides, where the front and back of the shirt join. This is not the finish of these shirts (this is a prototype).
Here is this more high-end sewing, with only one line of sewing. The result is finer and more refined. It’s the one on our shirts!
Here it's more visible on the light wash! Have fun looking at your shirts, you will see that it is a finish that is missing in 99% of cases.
This is a detail that brands like to boast about, claiming that it makes the shirt more durable, etc. From my experience, compared to a classic finish, it doesn't change much in terms of resistance, but... it's prettier.
Or more accurately, it's more refined, as it's usually a finish found in tailoring and dress shirts.
There, instead of having two rows of wire, there is only one, and the result is “cleaner”, sharper, in short, more high-end!
And obviously, we find the reinforcement swallows!
And of course, the last buttonhole is horizontal! As a reminder, this is a finish that serves to better distribute the tension at the bottom of the shirt.
Did one of our clothes from Japan catch your eye?
Our low-tension selvedge jeans, the workwear jacket in textured fabric and our light or dark denim shirts are available in our stores in Paris , Lyon and Bordeaux and on our e-shop .
