Our test and opinion: the Seagale “Action Merino” henley

If you follow BonneGueule a little, you probably know Seagale .

Launched in 2014 with a swimsuit (which we have a women's range .

The brand can be described as urban techwear : the clothes are designed to be worn in an urban setting, but they all have a certain technicality (stretch, water repellency, breathability, etc.).

While the brand still offers swimsuits, today it is technical tops that spontaneously come to mind when Seagale is mentioned.

So in this test I offer you a review of this fiber on their "Action Merino " henley, ivory color , sold for €65.

Will the promise be kept?

Cut, render, manufacture ✂️

1. Color

The colors of the shooting are very representative of the product: it is an off-white tending slightly towards yellow.

This garment, rather thin and light in color, is slightly transparent. If this prospect puts you off, go for another color, darker and more opaque: navy blue, green or gray, for example.

2. Cut

This henley is rather fitted and long.

If you are rather small or of average height, you can roll up or tuck the sleeves and wear it tucked into pants to energize the silhouette and avoid a " dressing gown " effect.

If you're a little overweight, it might show a bit here.

If you are rather tall and of slim, average or athletic build, this will be great for you.

I am 188cm tall and weigh 80kg and I chose the henley in L. It is the right size for me.

3. Details

The three buttons on the throat are made of corozo, ecru in color and of medium thickness. They are sewn crosswise.

Photo from our Henley tips article shoot.

The top button came unstitched when I first wore it. It was sewn back on and I haven't had any problems since. The brand gave me a €10 voucher for a future order when I reported this little problem to them.

The brand logo (a cicada) is embroidered at the bottom left of the garment, tone on tone. This detail is almost invisible on the ecru model.

This henley is made in Lithuania (European Union).

Understand everything about the very special material of this henley 🤔

1. Analysis of the composition

The composition is as follows:

55% tencel

This henley is not mainly made of merino wool but of tencel.

What is tencel? It is an artificial material.

To understand everything about these artificial materials, I invite you to read the guide written by Nicolò which explains the main elements to know about them .

In summary, we could say that an artificial fiber is somewhere between a natural and synthetic material .

Its basic material is of natural origin (cellulose extracted from eucalyptus wood at Seagale) and its transformation into thread is carried out by man using chemical processes.

38% merino wool

Here it is, our famous merino wool.

38% is not a majority, therefore. But it is not negligible either.

The wool is 17 microns at Seagale: this is superfine wool .

As a reminder, merino wool has many advantages, as Michel has already explained to you very well :

• It is the material that retains the least bad odors,
• It insulates heat in winter and protects you from it in summer,
• It keeps you dry by absorbing sweat

No other fiber has been able to reproduce all of these properties with the same efficiency.

8% elastane

That's a pretty high percentage. If you look at your stretch clothes, you'll find somewhere between 1 and 3 or even 4% elastane.

Here, the 8% elastane therefore gives significant stretch to the material .

2. Concretely, this material: what is it worth?

Rendering: slightly textured

As we approach, we notice a slight marbling on the material.

I'm talking about the little horizontal streaks visible here.

However, there is no comparison with henleys with a more pronounced texture:

Henley BonneGueule on the left, RRL on the right.

If you're looking for a very raw, workwear henley: this model is not quite for you.

If you're looking for a more casual henley, with a bit of texture, this one will suit you.

Comfort: top notch

This material makes you want to be touched and worn.

This henley is very comfortable:

• Tencel is a soft material that feels pleasant against the skin.
• Merino wool is also a soft material that does not itch.
• Spandex makes the garment very stretchy.

Nicolò had tested a pair of boxers from the brand with the same material, which he described in these terms:

“Touch and feel of the material: 9/10

This is a great strength of the brand: the touch of this blend is truly sensational. Tencel (derived from eucalyptus) is already very soft, breathable and "smooth" in itself, and the merino brings the additional down that gives a natural and airy touch to the material. Truly a pleasure in contact with the skin.

Heat: Not what I expected

When I bought this product, I said to myself:

“It’s a long-sleeved top made of merino wool. That’s great, it’ll keep me nice and warm in winter.”

Well, it turns out that this henley isn't very thick, and it's not all that warm.

It makes sense actually when you consider that tencel is not a very insulating material , which I wasn't necessarily aware of when I bought this product.

Tencel is a rather cool fiber. You won't find tencel in winter clothes, but more in spring/summer collections, on flowing shirts and blouses in particular.

For example: a 70% tencel, 30% linen shirt at NN07 .

This is perhaps the biggest disappointment I had with this product: I was expecting a particularly hot product, and it is not.

I want to clarify that at no point on the sales page is the word " hot " written.

However, the very name of the product, " merino henley ", may suggest these properties (" merino " = wool = warm by association of ideas).

It would seem more accurate to me to speak of " tencel merino henley ".

If we consider that tencel is a cool material and merino a more insulating material, mixing the two on a fairly thin garment... gives you a moderately warm garment.

It is not suitable for very hot weather (over 30°) or when it is very cold (less than 0°) but is relevant over the entire range of intermediate temperatures.

Technical performance: excellent

This henley dries quickly, absorbs little odor and has excellent thermoregulation : if it's a little cool, this garment will bring you a little warmth. If it's a little warm, you won't suffocate.

To put it simply, you have a similar level of warmth to a mid-weight 100% cotton garment, but with much better properties .

3. Compared to 100% merino, how is it worth?

• Warmth . This blend is less warm than 100% merino, without a doubt.
• Breathability . As this henley is less warm than merino, it will be more suitable for rather moderate, slightly warm temperatures. On the contrary, 100% merino will be more suitable for cool and cold temperatures.
• Odors . Many brands talk about breathable fibers that dry quickly, but forget to mention odors . This tencel/merino/elastane blend doesn't pick up odors very much. However, I generally sweat very little, and my sweat isn't very acidic. The difference is potentially more obvious for someone with more increased or odorous sweating. If I had to make a prediction, I would still say that merino picks up odors a little less, but that this material does very well in comparison.

This henley, tested in many conditions 🏃‍♂️

Having understood the properties of this garment, I modified its use, and began to wear it in situations where it could be most useful.

1. To travel

For taking the train, the plane or for car journeys, it's perfect.

When you arrive on the train a little sweaty because you had to run with a big suitcase, the thermoregulating and anti-odor properties of this garment prove very useful.

I often pair this henley with a fine merino wool knit to add warmth and maintain very good breathability and odor retention.

2. To spend an evening in an apartment or in a bar

This henley is my default garment when I'm invited to indoor parties:

• Thanks to its good thermoregulation, it manages temperature variations well, especially if you go out onto the balcony or terrace in the evening, then come back in, then go out again, etc.
• It hardly takes on the smell of sweat or cigarettes.

3. To go to a concert

When I went to the David Guetta concert in November 2019, I thought a lot about my outfit because I wanted to avoid going to the cloakroom while being warm enough outside (around 10°) and cool enough in the venue.

I chose to wear this henley as a first layer that I paired with my wool military jacket. and a cashmere scarf with reduced dimensions .

Warm, with minimal bulk.

I tied the jacket and scarf around my waist during the concert, and I wasn't too hot or too cold in the henley.

The experience was pleasant and I was able to fully live in the present moment .

4. For running

For the purposes of this test, I did a running session in January 2020 of about 5km with this henley and a cotton hoodie over it. The outside temperature was around 5°.

The test is generally conclusive:

• I was a bit cold for the first few minutes, then it got better.
• When I got back from the race, the henley was a little wet at the chest. It dried in an hour or so, it didn't smell bad.

5. To do bodybuilding

This is not the correct position for squatting.

For the purposes of this test, I did a weight training session in the gym with this henley, around 45 minutes.

The room temperature was moderate.

For comfort of movement: no worries.

This garment doesn't absorb odors very well and dries quickly: no worries.

On the other hand, this henley seems a little fragile to me for regular use in the gym . Excessive friction (against a bench, a wall, with a bar on the shoulders) risks quickly damaging or making holes in the material.

To help out, this henley is very good. It's even perhaps better than a 100% merino t-shirt which tends to be a little too warm for intensive physical activity. On the other hand, for regular use, it's rather a no.

6. And for outdoor use such as hiking?

I don't do hiking or any other outdoor activity.

However, given the properties of this henley, in my opinion it can completely replace a merino t-shirt in your rotation if you need a cooler base layer .

However, I do not recommend wearing a backpack directly on this garment because friction may cause holes in the material. If you want to wear it for this type of use, put a jacket on top (softshell, hardshell).

7. To stay at home

Being stretchy, soft and thermoregulating, this henley is perfectly suited to being worn at home, which I have been doing regularly in recent weeks.

The brand also shot this product indoors for the photos of their leggings:

You can also sleep with this henley without worries.

Interview 💨

Here are the different methods I tested:

1. Machine wash at 30°, low spin, dry flat: no problem
2. Hand wash in lukewarm water, hang dry: vertical relaxation of several centimeters
3. I then rewashed the henley by hand in warm water (not boiling), dried flat: the garment returned to its original measurements

Also, this garment creases very little . It does not necessarily need to be ironed.

Style tips 😎

You can go for slightly workwear looks: don't forget that the henley is a heroic garment .

But your outfits should not be too workwear either because the material is a little too smooth, wise to go with a very raw outfit.

Moreover, it will fit in easily with all your casual chic outfits.

Here are two outfit suggestions, shot at home with the means at hand:

1. Between casual and workwear

Man1924 shirt, Norse Projects jeans , Velasca desert boots

Typically the kind of outfit where this henley has its place:

• With pieces in his mind: green shirt, bleach jeans, desert boots. The pieces don't have a style that's too marked: the jeans aren't very faded, the shirt isn't very thick and textured, the boots are dark in color.
• And colors that complement it: green, blue, brown

2. A touch of chic

De Bonne Facture blazer, Benevento chinos , Moonstar sneakers

The relaxed henley has its place with a relaxed jacket, like this one in seersucker in green/brown tones.

Chinos remain in this idea of ​​relaxed elegance.

Given the spirit of this outfit, overly formal shoes like derbies or dark smooth leather oxfords would be a little too out of place.

For a more city-style shoe, I'm thinking more of a medium or light brown brogue derby.

Is the promise kept? 💡

Let's go back to this visual:

• Ultra soft and stretchy: yes
• Thermoregulating: yes
• Anti-odor: yes
• Breathable: yes

Conclusion ✅/❌

1. Positive points

• Soft and very comfortable
• Excellent thermal properties : like a Swiss army knife, this garment adapts to many everyday situations in an urban setting.
• Good value for money/performance

2. Negative points

• It's not a very warm garment as you might think at first glance. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's important to keep in mind that this tencel/merino/elastane blend is not a strict substitute for 100% merino but is more like improved cotton. .
• The ecru color is slightly transparent.
• The product is potentially a little fragile: do not wear a backpack directly on this henley and avoid excessive friction on the material in general.