When I arrived at BonneGueule, my interest in clothes came down to dressing in what I liked, without thinking too much about developing my own style. Now I enjoy trying on pieces I would never have worn before. The vest is one of those items that I appreciated, without taking the plunge of purchase.
A piece with a rich history: the vest
The ancestor of the vest is called “the doublet”, it was a jacket that was worn under armor to keep warm. In the 18th century, when wearing armor was no longer necessary, “French clothing” appeared. It consists of an overcoat, a jacket and breeches. It's a bit like the ancestor of the three-piece suit.
Example of a quilted doublet.
Here, we can clearly see the three garments that constitute the “French habit”, worn since 1717.
In the middle of the 18th century, the jacket lost its sleeves for the sake of comfort and gained more ornaments. The vests are decorated with embroidered designs, the front often being made of a more precious fabric than the back. Even today, many vests have kept this “tradition”.
Two typical 18th century vests. You can see that the collars are crew neck.
Under the First Empire
The fabrics become more sober and darker.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the vest widened according to the bellies of the bourgeoisie, who never stopped eating Big Macs . It is even said that King Edward VII ate so much that he appeared one evening without having buttoned his last button; the habit has remained and still continues.
But the vest, despite its formal appearance, also takes root in the workwear world. Indeed, in craft trades, it allows you to have additional pockets to put your tools. It can also protect from the cold, while allowing adequate mobility to work. A little wider than its formal counterpart, it is often made of a more solid material.
Here, army vests reinterpreted as fishing vests.
You will have understood: the vest - just like the shirt - is a piece which, depending on its cut, its material and its details, can be a formal garment or workwear.
How to wear a men's vest without looking like a bourgeois or a carpenter?
Generally speaking, the vest can:
- Either serve as a link between the different parts,
- Or be the central piece.
In a formal outfit, always choose a close-fitting model, there is nothing more unpleasant than a loose vest under a jacket. Regarding materials, it is preferable to choose a fabric very close to the garment placed above. A linen jacket will be difficult to combine with a thick wool cardigan, for example.
On the other hand, if the vest is the central piece of your outfit, and it is not going to be covered, go easy on the materials.
The best way to choose a formal vest is to buy it directly with the suit, it will combine perfectly with your jacket. You can play with the collar of the vest so that it contrasts with the blazer.
Here, Luca chooses a three-piece Louis Purple suit . Its vest has a shawl collar, the neckline is plunging and its buttons are crossed. This is an elegant vest that is best worn with a tie.
If you want to mismatch the vest, choose it in a simple color such as blue, gray or even beige and, if possible, with a plain back to also wear it without a blazer.
Florian opts for a denim vest with a shawl collar. The light wool blazer matches perfectly with his vest. Note that by removing the blazer, the look would still work.
More classic, the top of the outfit is very formal but the raw jeans relax the whole look.
My numerous reports on Pitti made me discover how Alessandro Squarzi wore it. She is one of the people who wear the vest best, whether in dressy or casual looks.
He loves vintage and the vest is one of those clothes that has gone through history. It is no coincidence that its Fortela brand offers a wide range. Among other things, he gave me confidence in wearing this piece.
The central piece of the look is the cardigan but, without the vest, the contrast between the cardigan and the shirt would be too strong. Here, it therefore creates the link between the formal shirt and the rest of the outfit.
Max Poglia
The look is very simple: raw jeans, a white t-shirt and the vest which serves as a strong piece. To enrich everything, he accessorizes his look with a bag, a belt and boots with a very masculine DNA. A perfectly executed summer look.
A piece that straddles several styles, we find the same vest with pants and dress shoes. It contrasts this aspect in a very marked way, thanks to the t-shirt and its open buttoned collar.
After studying risk-taking for a long time, I decided to take the plunge. It is important to remember that the vest is not a difficult piece in itself, but you must take the time to develop a solid base to which it will add its twist . When you decide to take the plunge and try a piece that is out of your comfort zone, it can be useful to get inspiration from other people to make it your own!
I really had a clear idea of what I wanted: it had to be a denim vest . I find that it's similar to a denim jacket, so probably easier to master. Not being used to dressing in suits or formal shirts, I wanted a model that could flesh out my outfits by giving them depth.
But before that, I needed to find a brand that mastered this piece... and Luca told me about Hollington .
Hollington: tailoring, architecture and sturdy clothing
Formerly, the brand was called “Schreiber Hollington” , because it was born from the meeting between Michel Schreiber and Patric Hollington in the 1960s.
Michel Schreiber is a fashion designer who trained with a tailor; it was through this training that he began to make a name for himself. At the same time, he joined an interior design school, which greatly influenced him in the design of his clothes.
Of Irish origins, Patric Hollington spent part of his youth in France with a family in the Basque Country where he learned French. He studied journalism and began a career in Cyprus. Back in France, he worked in a purchasing office: his knowledge of French and English allowed buyers from American department stores to establish contact with suppliers in France.
On the left, Patric Hollington, and Michel Schreiber on the right.
Drawing on their experiences and influences, they decided to create a brand inspired by work clothing, making them lighter, more pleasant to wear, while taking care of the finishes . They rework the cut with “comfort” as their watchword, without forgetting the functional aspect of this type of wardrobe. They decided to deconstruct all their jackets by removing the interlinings and shoulder pads, to increase the wearer's mobility. Keeping a simple and refined line is the work of Michel Schreiber and Patric Hollington.
As for the finishes, they add buttons and zips to the pockets and, on certain jackets, slanted buttonholes to make it easier to fasten. They also desecrated the shirt by deliberately removing the collar , to prevent men from wearing ties. They wanted to free themselves from the codes of classic elegance, believing that one could be elegant without wearing a suit.
During the 1970s, they are considered the designers who reinvented men's wardrobe by providing unstructured clothing, with simple lines that are even described as "architectural". They began to dress designers, painters, architects, actors and even politicians, who found in them a functional elegance in keeping with their professions. There is even talk of “Schreiber-Hollington snobbery”.
Mitterrand was a great follower. On the famous election poster “Quiet Strength.”, the President wears a custom-made suit by Schreiber.
This prejudice still weighs on the image of the brand, which has nevertheless managed to keep its identity by offering, from the 70s to today, emblematic pieces which have spanned the decades and remain very current.
The other side of the coin: the customers. In fact, the people who dress at Hollington are relatively old and still continue to dress there. Often of strong build, they seek comfort and elegance there that they cannot find elsewhere.
On all Hollington shirts, the buttoning stops at the plexus so that there are no tension folds at the level of the gentleman's stomach. The Mao collar is also present on all the shirts.
The brand's current work is to rejuvenate itself to target a different clientele. For this, they now offer two cuts: one, fitted and the other, regular .
So I went to see the store located at 7, rue Racine in Paris (6th), to discover their collections as well as their emblematic pieces. I was curious to see the products with my own eyes and impatient to be able to make their style my own.
The emblematic pieces of the Hollington wardrobe
All of Hollington's iconic pieces are offered in a very wide choice of fabrics , ranging from linen to wool, including silk and other blends. They attach great importance to materials which often come from England, Italy, France and India. There are finishes that are found on most sleeved pieces and which make the “Hollington signature”, I will come back to this later.
The Hollington shirt jacket
In wool and linen version...
The shirt jacket is a loose-fitting jacket, with shirt armholes and buttoned cuffs. It is often intended for slightly corpulent men who need to move a lot.
Luca is wearing the denim version here with the sleeves rolled up, during our shoot in Menton .
The carpenter collar jacket
The carpenter collar jacket is directly inspired by workwear from the end of the 19th century. The one on the left, in cotton, has kept all the patch pockets without flaps which accentuate its origin. The one on the right, in seersucker, becomes lighter and just keeps the collar.
The “20 pockets” vest
The "20 pockets" vest is a piece that really comes out of Patric Hollington's imagination. He was having lunch on the terrace of a café and was inspired by the vest of one of the waiters, which had a pocket for each of his tools. He then said to himself that a vest with many pockets would be very useful for an architect and therefore designed this piece, where each pocket has its use. Professionals could put their plans, pens, etc. there.
So I wanted to test two of Hollington's emblematic pieces, the "20 pocket" vest and the carpenter collar jacket.
Test of the Hollington denim “20 pockets” vest (€185)
I wanted to test this vest because it suits my clothing style. Little by little, I was able to develop my taste for clothes that have a workwear heritage and this model, because of its history but also its material, suited me perfectly.
I chose it in its denim version. Over time, the vest will fade and I find that this corresponds well to the spirit of the piece.
As its name suggests, this vest actually has twenty pockets (I counted them, don't worry). What immediately struck me was its cut. At first glance, it seems wide and very boxy but as soon as you put it on, it fits your waist perfectly.
To avoid the “square” look at the bottom of the vest, I don’t hesitate to open the first and last button to give an angle to the silhouette.
The material comes from Italy. There is a little elastane (2%) in the composition of the denim to reinforce the comfort of the piece. The supplies are of good quality, as evidenced by the buttons which are perfectly plated and straight: there is no play with the fabric.
All buttons are personalized with the brand logo. Personally, I would have preferred that only one of the five was, because I find that it weighs down the overall appearance of the piece. (I didn't know that Steeve Bourdieu, aka The Sociologist , made clothes.)
There are snap buttons on the back pockets to hold them securely, as they are wider than the front pockets.
Inside, there are two pockets:
- A snap pocket for quick access, while holding objects inside;
- A zipped pocket for more precious objects, which should definitely not be taken out.
The pocket bags are sewn and cut from the same material as the vest.
The supplies are of very good quality.
Overall, the workmanship is neat. Only small downside: I would have liked the armhole to be braided.
Beyond their usefulness which no longer needs to be proven, the pockets design and structure the entire vest. From an aesthetic point of view, they add character to the room, almost like a pattern.
The pockets are well compartmentalized and all easy to access. You can put anything from a simple pen to a rolled up newspaper, and many other things...
We really feel the care given to the whole piece , every detail is there to increase its functionality. The vest remains very comfortable while maintaining optimal shaping for wearing an overcoat.
First scenario: the vest is the central piece of the outfit. It stands out initially by its color, deep and relatively dark in the middle of a pale palette. Its rougher material and the multiple pockets add relief to the whole. Wanting to stay in a workwear approach, I complete it with a t-shirt with a fairly large grain, which I leave open for nonchalance. (Merz B. Schwanen T-shirt, COS chinos, derby from a Florentine bootmaker purchased in Florence)
Here, on the other hand, its goal is to make the connection between the different elements of the outfit (including, for once, a formal shirt!). Visually, the denim remains close enough to the material of the jacket so that the contrast is not too marked, which allows me to easily combine the two pieces. The "Saharan" inspiration of the jacket echoes the workwear heritage of the vest, where the relationship between the cuts is reminiscent of that of a blazer and its jacket. Don't be afraid of light pants, which lend themselves particularly well to shades of blue! (Ralph Lauren shirt, Inis Meain jacket, Uniqlo pants, Sanders shoes)
Test of the striped “Lyon” jacket with carpenter collar (€260)
When I arrived at the Hollington boutique, Alban - who runs the house alongside Patric - was wearing this jacket. I immediately fell under his spell. I've been wanting a work jacket in this style for a long time, but never found what I was looking for.
Alban told us about the origins of the room and said it had all of the house's "signature" finishes. This is what we are going to see together.
I decided to get this denim canvas jacket so it could match my vest. The stripes bring originality that I didn't find on this type of model, which is often a simple blue.
The first thing that catches your eye is the patch pockets which are not straight. The top of the pockets are angled, which really highlights Hollington's architectural influences.
The double-needle stitching further accentuates the architecture of the garment. Alban told me that this type of sewing was specific to work clothes. Moreover, all jackets are made in a factory specializing in this field.
Here again, the cut is very well balanced between comfort and shaping. Without padding, the jacket fits the shoulders perfectly. We have the impression of wearing nothing, we feel the importance given to freedom of movement. This comes from the material from Italy which, like the vest, contains elastane (1%). The comfort pleat, which is part of Hollington's signature, also enhances the comfort of the piece.
The comfort fold allows, whether you are corpulent or not, to prevent it from pulling on the armpits and back when you hug your dear mother. Hollington made it his signature by making it imposing and giving it a nice curve.
There is care taken in the work of the front pockets: no thread overlock, everything is well folded and sewn with double stitching.
If the pieces are intended to be functional, the cleanliness of the pockets must be impeccable to withstand the entry/exit of the hands.
When you open the jacket, you discover four interior zipped pockets, another Hollington signature element. Most jackets are equipped with it. It's really practical so you don't lose anything when you have to put your jacket on in a random way. in the Titi Twister locker room . In addition, they are cut into the facing, which is also very wide on this jacket.
The pockets are piped and zipped.
The wide facing reinforces and improves the fit of the jacket.
The general tailoring is very good; what upset me about the vest is corrected here...
The armhole seam is bound!
This jacket is truly a favorite, thanks to its comfort and cut. Many people will think that stripes are difficult to include in an outfit but since they are white and blue in color, they go with most of the pieces in my wardrobe.
Paying homage to the Hollington style, I complete my jacket with a white shirt with a Mao collar, a base that leaves little room for error! I then opt for bleached jeans with the desired color and a well-done wash. The denim jacket can be worn with jeans without any problem! And to finish with a touch of comfort, I put on a pair of low sneakers reminiscent of the shirt. (Uniqlo shirt, APC jeans, Nike sneakers)
Even closed, and despite the thickness of the material, the jacket has a slight curve without being cardboardy.
As I told you, I chose the jacket in its denim version to easily combine it with the vest. To contrast with the abundance of blue, I turn to khaki chinos which logically match the workwear influences of my look. Since the top of the outfit is sufficiently heavy, it is important to avoid accessories that would weigh down the silhouette. For the same reason, I keep my sneakers sober and light enough not to polarize the look. (Chino Knowledge Cotton Apparel)
My opinion on the Hollington brand
With these two pieces, Hollington succeeds in updating clothes designed in the 70s . By maintaining strong manufacturing biases, the brand has been able to create its own signature, while anchoring its values. The quality/price ratio is excellent for the level of finish and the attention paid to the materials.
Its objective now is to reach a younger clientele, to pass on its history and know-how. If you are looking for a work jacket, with a more creative alternative and a more marked identity, Hollington will convince you with its enormous choice of fabrics and patterns .
The icing on the cake is that the brand offers an on-site alterations service, ready the same day as your purchase.
