New: our first western shirt and 4 look ideas

Along with our perfecto, the western shirt was one of the pieces I was asked the most questions about during our lives.

You've been waiting for this shirt and I understand you, because it's a much more versatile piece than you think , which is really capable of making the splits in terms of styles.

So let me introduce you to this shirt made in Portugal, and more generally, my cry of love to the western shirt...

Why a western shirt at BonneGueule?

Above all because it is a piece with quite an aura , and it is not for nothing that it is prized in creative circles.

Indeed, it is a shirt which very quickly found its place in cinematographic and musical culture . As an American singer, Guy Clark is one of its greatest representatives:

This photo is important to me because it served as inspiration . I really like what it looks like: a shirt open on the chest, the sleeves rolled up and a Panama hat in one hand. There is a spirit of independence that coexists with real relaxation.

In France, it was Serge Gainsbourg who regularly wore the western shirt with a suit, a powerful and elegant outfit:

These photos clearly illustrate the particular aura of this piece, which we readily associate with authentic and adventurous cultural celebrities.

And ultimately, it makes sense, when we know that it is a garment associated with cowboys and their romanticized image of Wild West adventurer.

The distinctive signs of a western shirt

Today, the western shirt has become a must-have in the men's wardrobe . In the US, it is considered to have the same place as the button-down collar Oxford shirt: a timeless and very relaxed shirt.

And above all, the western shirt is one of the most famous additions to the men's wardrobe from the United States.

It is immediately recognizable thanks to certain elements, true visual signatures of the western shirt.

Sign #1: why have snaps on the western shirt?

There are several competing theories on this question.

One is that it allows the shirt to open immediately if the cowboy falls off his horse and his shirt gets caught somewhere, like his saddle pommel.

Another theory is much more “fashionable”, I would even say, more unique…

We owe it to the inventor of the western shirt: Jack A. Weil . He is the founder of Rockmount, which is THE American brand that invented and popularized the western shirt.

Jack loved cowboys and all the fantasy around them. He considered that cowboys, ranchers, or farmers had a strong taste for independence.

He had noticed that they wore their own shoes, jeans, and hats, but he lamented that the shirt was just an ordinary work shirt. He therefore wanted to create a distinctive element.

And that's where he got the idea for the snap button, which he developed in several shapes, including the diamond shape.

He was also the one who had the idea of ​​putting these press studs on the flaps of the chest pockets. It was also a way to make the shirt more unique, of course, but also to prevent the button from tearing off if the front pocket got stuck in something. , because for Jack A. Weil, a cowboy does not have the possibility of sewing his shirt between two rides.

As for the material of the buttons, it is imitation mother-of-pearl plastic.

The choice not to use mother-of-pearl is voluntary, because in general, it "cracks" easily when faced with repeated pressure and intensive use. Due to the rounded shape of the button, a button with mother-of-pearl is also more vulnerable when put in the washing machine, particularly against the walls.

The plastic of this button is much more durable and impact resistant.

Sign #2: a curved back yoke

The back yoke, called "back yoke" in English, is an important feature of a western shirt.

As we have seen, the design of a western shirt has its roots in aesthetic and utilitarian considerations.

And this is also the case for this back yoke, which has the particularity of being “pointed”:

• aesthetically, it serves to emphasize the cowboy's build ,
• From a practical point of view, this additional layer of fabric added durability , especially against the repeated friction of a scarf beaten by the wind. This yoke also adds a layer of fabric which helps insulate the cowboy a little more against the sun or the cold.

It's a visual element that I really liked and that we wanted to keep that way.

Sign #3: “ single point ” chest pockets

For our first western shirt, we chose a so-called " single point " pocket design, with a single "point", unlike other designs called "sawtooth" in English.

The single point pocket seemed to me to be a very good balance between the roots of the western shirt and modernity.

As for the presence of a flap, it makes complete sense: it prevented the cowboy from losing his objects stored in the chest pockets during a gallop or a trot.

Does wearing a western shirt give the impression of wearing a cowboy outfit? No, especially when I see how the western shirt is increasingly finding its place in outfits made up of blazers (I talk about it extensively during my Gimmick on the subject ).

A new collar for this western shirt

Ah this pass… I couldn’t wait to present it to you!

We wanted to work on a new collar, with proportions more in harmony with the rest of the shirt.

It is therefore a collar with points length of 7 cm, larger than our usual collars, and a collar stand height of 3.5 cm.

With 7 cm of tip length, this collar will fit perfectly with your blazers, but also your jackets or overshirts.

We also made slight modifications to the pattern, just under the collar, so that the denim sits better on the chest.

A (re)valued fabric from Kurabo

Keen observers will have noticed that it is the same fabric as our Manzo denim shirt . At the time, in spring 2018, we had ordered a lot of fabrics and rolls (three years already!).

And we realized that we still had 500 meters lying dormant in our Portuguese workshop. Rather than getting rid of them, we wondered how to revalue them.

That's good, I've been wanting to make a western for a long time and this fabric was perfectly suited for this use: a pretty color and the thickness "just right".

The more I look at the prototype next to me as I write these lines, the more I tell myself that this is the perfect fabric for a western shirt, with a nice level of blue, a thickness that can be worn most of the time. year, and overall, a great result, which blends wonderfully with the snaps and the western spirit of this piece.

It is a fabric with an average weight: 8 oz, or 271 g/m2.

So you can wear it alone for hot days or with a t-shirt underneath and a jacket for cooler days.

A thread for seams in a particular color

Here's a detail where I didn't expect so much intense reflection! Since this is a product where the sewing thread is visible (pockets and other inserts), I find that the color of the thread can change everything on the piece:

• thread too orange? Too first degree!
• thread too blue? Too flat!
• too white? Too sad !

So with Julien we spent a little time choosing the right color of thread, always with this delicate balance to find between heritage and contemporary sensitivity.

Our final choice fell on a slightly gray thread , which makes the shirt “live”.

What to wear this western shirt with?

Not necessarily with a hat and a lasso

First of all, know that I have already delved into the question with my episode of Gimmick on the western shirt, where I analyzed five outfits with this piece:

With a gray blazer and jeans

We start with a combination that I really like: western shirt and suit piece. I'm not going to go into this combination again because I talk about it at length in my Gimmick episode above.

Straight jeans and burgundy loafers are in the same vein as the western shirt/blazer style contrast.

With olive fatigue pants

You saw it with the fatigue pant presentation article: olive color + indigo color = winning combo every time.

And here it works very well, in an outfit with heritage influences.

With a workwear jacket

An outfit that you have already seen in the article presenting our workwear jacket . Here too, a western shirt makes complete sense with a workwear jacket, and its color bridges the gap between fatigue pants and the workwear jacket.

With a double-breasted blazer and white pants

Definitely one of my favorite outfits from this launch. I find that the seersucker double-breasted blazer mixes unexpectedly but very successfully with the western shirt, with a nice contrast in style.

The white pants add even more panache to the ensemble, and the canvas sneakers keep the outfit overall casual.

How to get our new parts?

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