The men's original, heavy cotton Saint James 'Meridien' sailor shirt has been made in Saint James, France since 1889. The first cross-dressing success story I can think of is the young Coco Chanel photographed on the beach in Deuville wearing this staple of hard working French fisherman. She looked tres chic, naturellement. Coco's rule- breaking style in her Breton sailor top is faithfully recreated in the movie Coco Before Chanel.
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But then there was the gamine Jean Seberg in the film Breathless and Edie Sedgewick photographed in Andy Warhol's Factory in a Breton shirt and black tights. The little top is a blue chip standard for ease and a detache cool that is distinctly French and fashion designers can't resist revisiting the graphic simplicity of the look. Forget the American prep and yachting connotations and wear a Breton-inspired tee or sweater with black pants and boots or jeans and flats. It is the perfect ingredient for taking the stuffy out of any look- offering the perfect punchy graphic under a leather jacket or blazer.
A note about how to wear the original Saint James. It's cut is boxy and ideal for girls who love loose volume on the top and a slim bottom. For waist definition, try hitching just the center front into your waistband with a belt and leave the back untucked.
LEFT TO RIGHT: 1. Big bad shoulders Breton from the Balmain Fall 2009 runway on style.com. 2. The original Saint James Meridien available on saintjames-usa.com and brittanyboutique.com 3. Cashmere sweater from Lutz & Patmos on vivre.com. 4. Button cuffs tweak the look at j.crew.com.
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