Without bla-bla, I present to you my three nuggets of the week:
- A denim shirt
- A pair of espadrilles
- Swim shorts
Come on, I'll take you.
A Natalino shirt
Why this brand ?
Natalino is a recent brand and its business model is direct to consumer . So the brand limits intermediaries in order to offer a product of the best possible quality for an affordable price. And frankly, it was successful.
Overview of Natalino's simple eshop.
It therefore only sells via its e-shop which is functional, even if we regret not seeing more products in the offer. But it's just impatience to see them develop other products. There is no need to get carried away. Doing things little by little always pays off. After all, we put one foot in front of the other when walking.
The brand is English and does not intend to reinvent the codes of classic elegance. She plays with them and makes them tend towards a carefully balanced formal-informal aesthetic. Yes, in my opinion they are right, as much in their cuts as in the colors and the simplicity of each product.
And, while keeping the prices relatively accessible (€60 for a polo shirt, €95 for a shirt and €160 for high-waisted pants with pleats for example), the construction and materials exceed expectations: pants in 100% Irish linen from Ulster Weavers made in Portugal or a 100% Australian wool sweater made in Scotland.
Something to intrigue me.
Why this shirt ?
The shirt in question, very simple and yet worthy of attention.
I'll get straight to the point: the shirt costs €95, it is made in Japan with Japanese fabric .
And, if you read BonneGueule regularly, you know that this is far from common.
To continue a little on the details:
- 7 points per centimeter, which is dense and mostly seen on luxury shirts
The shirt is lighter than that. It's actually a sky blue.
- Thick mother of pearl buttons
- Non-heat-sealed cuffs and collar for greater flexibility and comfort
- Soft and comfortable Japanese denim
Once again the blue is lighter than that. But we see that the fabric still has character.
Sunday outfit: 7L loafers, Officine Générale pants, Natalino shirt and Uniqlo t-shirt, Jordan sullen expression.
A pair of Morjas espadrilles
Why this brand ?
Morjas is a brand that I had my sights on for a while now. Through someone I met at a vintage market in Paris who now works for an interesting Swedish thrift store called Broadway and Sons.
Brief.
I was first attracted by their lookbook whose style particularly speaks to me : moreover now we find Luca Rubinacci as an ambassador and other known and recognized faces. On the other hand, the site, it should be noted, is pleasant and the products are well presented.
Luca Rubinacci in an impeccable and enviable outfit.
Let's come to the most important thing, the shoes!
The aesthetics of the models are classic . But in my mouth it's anything but pejorative. It's the classic that will always work, which, combined with beautiful clothes whether classic or not, will enhance the outfit. Nothing crazy, then, but effective. And, for a pair of shoes, frankly, it's the best you could ask for.
So some leathers shine a little too much for my taste, and sometimes that's a bad sign. Here, it seems that it is more of a stylistic choice since the Spanish tannery with which the brand works on these special leathers adds a natural oil in the leather tanning process.
Why this pair of espadrilles ?
I was looking for a pair of espadrille for the summer. But not the kind of espadrilles you buy in the supermarket to go to the Bayonne parties. Ah that, you could say that I used pairs every summer.
But a pair of espadrilles to integrate into elegant outfits, in an urban context but during my free time or during a summer getaway.
And I came across this: I like the thicker sole, the fact that they are in suede calfskin. They cost €90.
It's made in a workshop not far from Almansa, Spain. Many shoemakers work with workshops and factories in this famous region.
The sole is made of a natural material, jute which is also called "golden fiber" because of its robustness and refinement. The jute is woven by hand. The calfskin suede is then sewn to the sole, also by hand.
And one last one for the road:
Vintage Comme des Garçons chambray shirt, Uniqlo t-shirt, Universal Works vest, Suitsupply pants, Morjas espadrilles
An Atalaye swimsuit
Why this brand ?
Even if I really like the subtlety of the patterns offered by Atalye, even if I like the muse they chose, Biarritz, even if I sometimes spend time strolling on their hypnotizing Instagram page, it doesn't That's not really why I chose this swimsuit from this brand.
This is purely for their ecological commitment .
For a brand of swim shorts, the connection to the sea is of course self-evident. But you will see that for Atalaye, it goes a little further than that.
I'm not going to indulge in catastrophist talk, but if we have our eyes open and our ears too, we cannot ignore the turn things are taking when it comes to climate and the destructive impact of Man. on its environment.
When you travel a little, in France or elsewhere and get close enough to the sea, it is not uncommon - in fact, it is even quite common - to see plastic waste lying around, floating, as the world produced every day and we don't know what to do with.
Suddenly, I said to myself that a brand which had joined forces with Seaqual ™ , a Spanish company whose mission was to collect marine waste from the Mediterranean Sea to transform it into textile fibers in order to produce shorts bath that does not increase global overproduction and rids the sea of the waste that has been thrown there, it was an action that was going in the right direction.
Swimsuits, so that they dry quickly and for their UV and chlorine resistance properties, we cannot make them from natural material, so transform the existing plastic suffocating the seas to transform them into a product that we tend to overconsume, that makes sense. Besides, I'm going to try to make these swim shorts last as long as possible.
Click here for more information on the subject .
If someone wants to get into sportswear produced from plastic waste, there is surely a niche there too.
Why these swim shorts ?
The brand's other swimsuits are also produced in Portugal - near Biarritz where the brand is based -, using locally produced fabrics. They therefore already had a reduced ecological impact. But it was really these recycled swimsuits that caught my attention.
The brand offers a navy blue and an algae green, I chose the second, less common.
The fabric is ripstop, therefore reinforced and resistant to tears , too violent movements of summer joy, when you are drunk in the sun. It's better this way. There are reinforcements at strategic points, the seams are doubled and the minimalist aesthetic is attractive.
The shorts are rather short - but not excessively so - which is also better. I don't see what fun there is in ending up with excess material falling on your knees.
On the back, we find the pleasant Atalaye logo which symbolizes the seven provinces of Biarritz, just to further remind us of the regional roots that the founders hold dear.
I would have loved to be able to find other colors in these recycled models, more pastel in particular, and refined patterns; none of that yet. But I'm being picky: the swimsuits just came out and I already know I'm going to get along well with this one.
