After the superb selections of Benoît , David , Nicolò and Michel , the time has come to show you some nuggets from my bag.
A nugget is of course the piece that causes the great thrill, as Benoît would say. The one you don't need but which reminds you why you love clothes so much. Mouth agape, in front of the screen like a pointing dog in front of game. You entered your bank details without realizing it. The doorbell rings. It's the delivery guy.
But the nugget can also be the piece that is missing from your wardrobe. More pragmatic but powerful too. The piece that fulfills a specific function, in the right cut, the right color and material, with a pretty twist.
And sometimes it's both. And there, it’s magnificent. But that doesn't happen often.
So let's see these nuggets. I'll let you guess which category(ies) they belong to.
This henley from Hemen Biarritz
Henley Harri in Stone color.
Why Hemen Biarritz ?
For quite a few reasons.
“Hemen” means “here” in Basque. This shows the attachment of its three co-founders to Biarritz and its region, where they live and create. Two of them take care of the brand full time: Marie Guyot and Emmanuel Mouazan; the last partner being Vincent Lasserre, expert in vintage pieces.
And I had the chance to meet Marie and understand the philosophy of the brand.
Thus, I discovered his attachment to slow fashion
And that, at BonneGueule, we particularly appreciate!
Hemen is a brand that values proximity:
- The one with the customer: it’s Marie who hides behind the customer service of the online store.
- And the one with the suppliers and manufacturers: Portugal being close to the Basque Country, it was the perfect place to have their collection produced. The knitting of the material, the making of the garment, everything is done there. And then, when it's close, we can get there more easily, it facilitates professional relations.
Finally, the brand only uses GOTS certified organic cotton and has the OEKO TEX label.
Hemen does things well.
Why this henley?
Zoom on the pass.
First of all, I was looking for a Henley. I was already convinced that such a piece would be good for my wardrobe but it wasn't a priority. Only, when I wrote the article on how to choose and wear henley , the impatience suddenly became too great. I needed one.
I wear a lot of t-shirts in the summer. But white and rather under light shirts, themselves tucked into the pants and open up to the navel or the t-shirt under a workwear vest or a jacket. As the basis of a more elaborate outfit, therefore.
So, for winter, I needed the same thing but warmer. So yes, I have many shirts that do the job, but some days we feel more like a wild west rebel.
I didn't need a particularly expressive texture. I wanted something simple, well cut, without excess material, but comfortable, with a little personality. This is exactly what I found in this henley (especially with this red border which is reminiscent of selvedge, bringing the piece even closer to its workwear universe).
For the color, an ecru seems more natural, more authentic, vintage than an immaculate white which goes better for a formal dress shirt, I think. And then, this broken color allows you to make a softer bridge with olive and brown shades for example.
In short, an addictive piece.
A welcome well of light. A workwear spirit. The first button open so as not to be too tight.
These dress pants from Scavini
High-waisted herringbone pants in super 130's wool flannel from Tallia di Delfino.
Why Scavini ?
Pants adapted to your body shape are difficult to find. I recently devoted two articles to pants: the first on the right length to adopt , the second on the positioning of them on your waist .
Scavini is a tailor renowned for bespoke and half-measures. He chose to use his know-how in the development of a range of pants. It still piques your curiosity, right? Because here, it's ready-to-wear that we're talking about, but with the skill of a tailor, to reach a whole new clientele.
The main interest of this range of pants is the diversity of cuts offered. Quentin Dupont-Rougier, who welcomed me, told me how some of his clients had become fans of this or that cut, while others could wear them all without distinction.
To answer pragmatically the question "Why this brand?", I would simply say: because I am demanding about the cut of my pants and Scavini offers different ones from what you can find in ready-made pants. wear, well worked and well finished products. So I was sure to find what I was looking for.
Why these pants?
It's the S3 cut that I chose, the most "pittiesque" it must be said: pleats, a little fullness of legs and high waist. It's the high waist that I was especially looking for, because my legs are a little short and I need to lengthen them to give my silhouette a little height. The waistband of these pants hits somewhere not far from the navel and that's what I needed.
Always in the interest of slimming the silhouette, I had it cut short.
So. To appreciate the cut.
Slate gray pants are useful in a locker room. It goes with all blues even the darkest, with the black of some of my shoes, with other grays (light or dark), with browns too, all browns, especially camel ones!, and beige too, off-whites,... But I'll stop here because this gray goes with everything. But really everything.
Think of a color... Go for it... That's what I was thinking... it goes with it.
Zoom on the material. You see this uneven look in a sleek slate gray. It's the kind of discreet, easy-to-wear pattern that really appeals to me.
The clips give the charm that I like, the slightly old-fashioned side which, if you wear it with a simple shirt, a round-neck sweater or anything simple, invariably gives a little something extra, charm yes, That's right.
The hand then seduced me with its softness, it's as stupid as that. Dressing yourself in soft pants in the morning is still more pleasant for obvious reasons: firstly to feel loved, and secondly because you have to take care of your legs. As they say: “he who wants to travel far takes care of his horse”.
And then, in addition to the softness, there is this luminous chevron, beautiful like a Parisian parquet floor, bringing relief to any outfit.
About the finishes, the belt under the hands is sturdy, no loops, but adjusters on the hips and then, buttons inside the belt for those who want to wear suspenders.
This vest from (L’Egoïste)
The Marius Patch Flannel vest
Why (The Egoist) ?
I went to see Jean-Bernardin Giacinti, in his boutique in Saint Germain, left bank in Paris. From the street, as I walk forward, I see the intriguing window display. Jean welcomes me with simplicity and warmth. My eye is already curling and dragging over all the clothes spread out on the walls, the wooden furniture, the shelves. Everywhere. It reminds me of a thrift store without the old smell, a cabinet of curiosities. In any case, it is a space in which you feel good and immediately.
We are talking. Jean tells me about his personal journey: first fashion photographer then manager of his multi-brand boutique. And then one day, he meets Stéphane Gaffino, discovers (L'Egoïste) there and naturally gets involved with him. Jean is passionate, he has just met another enthusiast, a fashion enthusiast who he doesn't want to lose sight of: the brand's clothes speak to Jean too much to let this opportunity slip away.
He therefore dedicates his store to the brand.
Jean explains to me that (L'Egoïste) finds its roots in Biarritz, that the creator cut his teeth at Façonnable and emancipated himself from there to be able to fulfill himself personally and professionally in an independent project that resembles him.
Photograph from the brand's Instagram account .
Stéphane's influences are Americana, vintage, military, workwear, the roughhouse wardrobe of England with its heavy tweeds and flannels, but also the sea, the coast, the swell and the sun.
When I discovered (L'Egoïste), there were very few pieces but they were already remarkable (I remember a matching vest and jacket in camouflage cotton). Today, it is a complete, atypical and beautiful wardrobe, and Stéphane does not intend to stop there.
With Jean, we talk about Instagram, brand development and changing times. He tells me that, concerning (The Egoist), they do not force destiny. They are concerned with designing beautiful products, in beautiful materials, in the style of those they would like to wear, and which are spoken about by those who are, like them, sincere in their attachment to the brand and the product.
I was sensitive to the frank camaraderie that emerges from the brand's lookbooks, I know it from the way Jean talks to me about these shootings, moments where he can take out his camera again.
A brand to watch closely.
Why this vest?
Photos taken in Jean's boutique.
The more I browsed the brand's e-shop, the more I said to myself: "that's for sure, they make it in Asia!".
Lost. The brand is manufactured in Portugal and Italy. Which makes me say, given the constructions, finishes and fabrics used
The vest is emblematic of the spirit of the brand. It is not that common on the market. Wrongly because it is a fun and practical piece for those who want to give it a chance. (L'Egoïste) has so many different models of vests, it's Ali Baba's cave for those who like to wear them. Jean also warned me: “Be careful, it’s highly addictive!”
The one I chose is made of flannel. It's a patchwork of shades of gray which seduced me with the controlled asymmetry it offers. It looks like a vest that has been patched together over time with different flannels. Moreover, Jean showed me a vest that a client had wanted to customize with a typical Indian fabric (from a trip). And this desire of this customer seems legitimate and natural to me: we want to make these clothes our own, it's true. Uncompromising.
A not unpleasant zoom.
The clean interior.
And the cotton back. So that doesn't shine. With his martingale.
I hope you enjoyed these three nuggets. Next Sunday, it will be the turn of Christophe, our editor-in-chief, to select his nuggets and deliver them to you on the silver platter of his sharp writing.
