It was a year ago, the first time we set foot on Japanese soil with Geoffrey.
We started with Tokyo, this gigantic megalopolis that has been told 1000 times. And my eyes were wide open while walking in Shinjuku and Shibuya.
I wanted to see how Japanese people dressed around the best boutiques in the world. How they dressed outside of magazines...
Just a few of the many looks discovered on the streets of Tokyo. To be found in episode 1 of our road trip to Japan.
And finally, it's with very relaxed, natural pieces. Even blazers and other “suit” pieces are unstructured. The pants are baggy, perhaps because we often eat there sitting on our knees in a cramped apartment… At least that's what I tell myself.
It is this gentleness of life and this modesty in the approach to clothing that we wanted to transcribe in this month of April.
3, 2, 1… here we go for the new stuff!
Which parts ?
There are exactly 4 of them:
- relaxed fit pants
- a workwear jacket in the same fabric, so-called “neppy” denim
- a linen/cotton officer collar shirt, with an ecru base and a thin stripe
- a chambray shirt with irregular white stripes
And they are all made from Japanese materials!
We have never been so close to the most beautiful Japanese materials.
For what ?
The neppy denim jacket and pants have a clear workwear tone, to be worn separately or together.
Worn together, these pieces form a very harmonious outfit, like a suit, but obviously 100 times more casual!
And for these two shirts, the goal was to choose fabrics with lots of character and texture, for effortless strong spring style.
Which subjects ?
There are three Japanese materials used:
- so-called “neppy” denim, with tiny white particles of cotton dotting the surface and giving it a crazy personality
- a blue chambray with irregular white stripes, with a brushed effect that makes the fabric very soft
- an ecru cotton/linen blend with fine dark stripes, with a very summery feel
That's what I love so much about these materials, this natural beauty, as if these fabrics have just come out of the ground, and which don't scream: "look at me, I'm here".
Everything is in simplicity, in modesty, but with a thousand nuances.
And as usual, we thank Boras who agreed to pose in front of the lens.
Our parts in detail...
A workwear jacket and neppy denim pants
A workwear jacket in neppy material! Fatigue Black Flag pant, Maison Cornichon t-shirt, Jinji necklace.
Trousers with Italian pockets, with a relaxed fit. BonneGueule shirt, pants, and sneakers, Maison Cornichon t-shirt, M'Hong gold bracelet brought back from a trip to Vietnam.
What is neppy?
So-called "neppy" denim is when, during weaving, white cotton fibers create small particles on the surface.
In the jargon, we call this little white dot a “nep”.
The result ?
A “snowy” visual appearance, as if tiny snowflakes had just fallen on an indigo lake…
Not to be confused with "slub" denim, where the weft thread is irregular in certain places, which gives very marked and variable vertical streaks.
Well, I'll be honest with you, when the material fades, between the thousand and one indigo shades and the "neps" that will emerge, it will be simply magnificent. We are right in the middle of the material which becomes more and more beautiful with time.
Concerning the origin of the material, we went looking for it far away since we found it during our trip to Japan, from a small Japanese manufacturer.
To give it more flexibility and softness, this material had a first wash in the Oeko-Tex certified factory.
The sun brings out all the nuances and “neps” of this beautiful fabric. Benjamin Jezequel sweatshirt, BonneGueule pants, APC and Cabo del Mar bracelets.
A workwear jacket
With this material, we made a workwear jacket (work jacket in good French).
Last September, I had already said all the good things I thought about this garment:
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!
Don't hesitate to wear this jacket with naturally faded jeans, it's totally in the spirit. BonneGueule jacket, Soulive jeans, Visvim shoes, Maison Cornichon t-shirt and sweatshirt, Jinji necklace.
And obviously, my opinion has not changed on this piece!
I particularly like this piece during this mid-season period, where it very easily modulates an outfit depending on the cold/heat, because it can be worn with a t-shirt or sweatshirt underneath, or even as a under a parka.
And obviously, with white jeans, it's a jacket that goes perfectly! BonneGueule jacket, shirt, and jeans, Yuketen moccasins, Maison Boinet belt.
We find the three patch pockets characteristic of this type of piece, but above all, an interior zipped pocket for personal belongings to be secured.
You loved it, here it is back: the very useful secret zipped pocket!
Yes, like our previous work jacket, the buttons are "fish eye", meaning the gutter protects the thread from external friction. Jinji necklaces.
Carrot cut pants
Here, we wanted to have a little more fun with the cut, with two criteria: comfort and relaxation.
Please note: in the photos, these pants have been deliberately altered so that they are short, because we believe that this is how they are most interesting to wear.
We can clearly see here all the work on the pants, with a little fullness at the thighs and a leg that is gradually becoming slimmer. Visvim jacket, Maison Cornichon t-shirt, GH Bass x Universal Works shoes.
But if you want to wear it with a classic length, don't worry, we've planned enough length for launch day! 😉
The crotch is low, which gives the silhouette this relaxed look, and the leg tightens at the ankle: that's what a carrot cut is all about.
Important detail: it has pockets like chinos.
For what ?
Because when you put your hands in your pockets, it relaxes your silhouette and posture enormously. And it fit perfectly with the spirit of the piece.
Can we wear the jacket and pants together?
Yes we can !
It gives a kind of ultra casual suit, in the vein of certain Japanese brands which offer jacket + pants sets with a very "chill" tone.
I'm thinking in particular of Nanamica (for their Club Jacket and their Club Pant) or Nonnative (for their totally unstructured costumes to wear while traveling).
Here, we take the casualness a notch further since the shape of the jacket is not a blazer but a work jacket.
By having fun with the accessories (necklace, bandana in the chest pocket), with a casual white shirt, you get a beautiful casual outfit with personality. BonneGueule jacket and pants, Borali braided necklaces, Yuketen moccasins, NN07 shirt for French trotters.
You should therefore not hesitate to wear the two together "Japanese style":
- with a frankly casual shirt, why not with “Ivy League” influences as the Japanese brand (overpriced) knows how to do so well 45r
- with a striped or heather type t-shirt (light, so as not to be confused with the neppy look)
- with casual sneakers or loafers, and even a pair of vintage-looking cordovan shoes
Two striped shirts with simple and discreet beauty
Lovers of shirts with smooth and consensual beauty, move on!
Geoffrey and I disagree, we each stick to our favorite shirt positions.
On my left, a raw-hand linen and cotton shirt, and on my right, a very soft chambray shirt, with a beautiful visible selvedge border.
#1 Our ecru fine-striped shirt with officer collar
This is Geoffrey's favorite shirt! Its cotton/linen feel gives it freshness, and the "slub" (= irregularities) of the fabric gives a natural look to this shirt.
Oh, and to make sure you're not tempted to wear it with a tie, we put on a stand collar.
The officer collar greatly relaxes an outfit! BonneGueule cotton/linen shirt and t-shirt (yes yes, both are in a cotton/linen blend), necklace from the 'Tibet forever' boutique in Paris.
A linen/cotton blend from Maruwa
It is a 55% linen and 45% cotton blend, where the linen provides texture.
The base is an off-white, natural color, as if it has just been woven and has not yet received much treatment to diminish its natural beauty.
Look at the design of the stripes, both imperfect and discreet... You can see it a little in the photo, but the ecru base is made up of tiny and discreet tone-on-tone chevrons. A decidedly subtle fabric!
Then, it is dotted with discreet and modest stripes but which do not lack charm: we are right in the wabi-sabi that we love so much!
At the beginning, when the shirt is new, the hand may seem a little "stiff", but quickly, from the first wears and washes, it will soften.
An open stand collar shirt, “fatigue pants” (yes, it's really called that), a pair of moccasins, and that's the ultimate relaxation.
#2 Our pinstripe chambray shirt
My passion for chambray has spoken again!
And this one is magnificent! Besides, I wore the prototype of this shirt several times in my videos and, each time, it didn't fail: you systematically asked what this shirt was.
Between the irregularity of the stripe and the brushed effect, the result is very, very, very cool.
Small particularity: I really liked seeing the red line of this selvedge edging coexist with the simple and spontaneous white stripes of this fabric.
We therefore decided to assemble the shirt differently, with the edging visible all along the throat, in addition to its presence on the reinforcement swallows and at the level of the capuchin tab. So when you roll up the sleeves, it will be very nicely visible.
Look at how this little irregular red border delicately coexists with the white stripes…
A striped cotton from Kuwamura
Kuwamura has worked this irregular cotton thread impeccably well, where multiple slubs dot the fabric, horizontally or vertically.
There is also a brushed effect which brings a lot of softness to the fabric, and which gives a "snowy" side to the stripes, like a very light fog which does not leave the fabric.
We can clearly see this raw and irregular aspect that I like so much in the weaving of this chambray.
How to get the jacket, pants and two shirts from 🇯🇵?
Visit our stores in Paris 3rd , Paris 6th , Lyon and Bordeaux or on our e-shop .
