Love at first sight
Is it even possible not to love him? Soft and thick, warm and comforting, generous and consistent, flannel is one of those fabrics that offers a unique extra soul to the pieces that are adorned with it. As admirers of her wealth, we have reserved for her on our racks the space that she occupies in our hearts: a place of choice. Presentation.
A little story of a misunderstood person
From everyday language to the most technical of jargons, the use of the word “flannel” almost always raises questions. And for good reason, the meaning of the term has evolved significantly over time. First designating wool itself ("gwlanen" literally meaning "wooly" in his native Wales), he then characterized the woolens used in textiles and furnishings before encompassing all the fabrics scraped from fluffy appearance .
Formerly woven in carded wool, possibly combed, always brushed to obtain the fluffy effect that we know, flannel is understood today less as a material than as a manufacturing technique. For this reason, no one will be surprised to find cotton flannels today - or even synthetic flannels - which was strictly unthinkable before the 19th century.
Like denim, the success of flannel has gone far beyond its initial attributes, thus decorrelating its name from its primary characteristics.
Flannel today
In the contemporary meaning of the term, and independently of the fiber used, flannel is therefore a fabric crafted in plain or twill weave , brushed until a soft and velvety texture is obtained . This characteristic scratching gives flannel, in addition to its famous felting, particular properties which make it a formidable ally in winter : warmth, softness, insulation, comfort and reassurance.
By playing on the tension of the weave, the diameter of the threads or the brushing technique, the flannel can then take on very different shapes : loose and fluffy, dense and fleecy or even nervous and shaggy. For this reason, she dresses pants , shirts and jackets with the same ease (to cite only her achievements in the modern clothing sector). Versatile and polymorphous , a fabric with 1,001 faces, each more cozy than the other, you will find it as dry and close-fitting on a suit as it is abundant and airy on a shirt - or vice versa. Depending on its thickness and density, whether it is wool or cotton , whether or not it touches the skin of its wearer, depending on the expected visual effect, it will thus be milky or uncombed, sometimes imitating velvet and sometimes foam.
Flannel in the Hast locker room
For us who passionately love textured pieces, flannel (and its strong character) is a must-have. Unsurprisingly, we have reserved a special place for it in our locker room, for your greatest pleasure. At Hast, you will find it here and there, on this or that item of clothing, always in majesty:
- on our shirts , firstly, available in a fine and creamy material to wear next to the skin . Flanked by an American collar , officer or hidden buttons , plain or patterned , available in a pretty range of autumnal shades , these creations are intended to bring a little tenderness into your winter wardrobe - and into this brutal world. If you (also) have trouble leaving the duvet between October and April, these beautiful cotton, cotton-linen or cotton-tencel duvets will quickly become your best allies.
- on our thick shirts and overshirts , then worked in a heavier fabric. Designed to support a long-sleeved t-shirt , a sweatshirt or a sweater , these exploit their full potential in layering . Military-inspired , structured by chest pockets or imagined as the “winter hair” versions of our oxford models , we have made sure to produce an extremely rich range, resistant to the onslaught of the thermometer.
- on our pants , made from more compact woolens intended to dress the legs. Navy blue with clips or particularly smart , you will be able to choose them very sober or more original, immediately giving your outfits a very British chic.
- on our suits , to stay looking your best even in the harshest of winter. And for good reason, the wool flannel suit is a ready-made solution to save formalism from hypothermia . When others put elegance into hibernation at the first cold snap, you will only have to take out your gray flannel two-piece , or its navy flannel counterpart , from its cover, to show that the drop in mercury does not does not imply that of refinement. Not at your house, at least.
Focus on our chalk stripe suit
Not content with having invented the modern suit (thank you Beau Brummell), our British neighbors also forged the legend of the striped suit. A centerpiece of the formal dress code in the 1920s, it was indiscriminately adored by bankers, businessmen, politicians and gangsters of all stripes.
Ostentatious and a bit flashy, it fell into oblivion after the Second World War only to come back in force in the 80's and even more so in the 90's. Very widely associated with financial affluence and Wall Street style, this upsurge was short-lived since it ran out of steam before the end of the millennium.
It is only recently that this motif has made a notable comeback, thanks to less serious and austere creations. By playing on the cut, the contrast, the spacing of the lines or the color of the stripes , the striped suits of the 21st century free themselves from their bourgeois heritage to take a particularly tasty turn.
Touched by the DNA of this garment, between absolute classicism and extravaganza , we wanted to integrate it into our fall-winter 2024 collection to perpetuate the tradition.
With this in mind, we worked it in a magnificent super 110's wool flannel , sourced in Italy from a known and recognized weaver (Marzotto not to name him).
With its 310 gr/m2 , it will faithfully escort you from the first freshness of autumn to the last chills of spring through the coldest of seasons. Vertically on the deep blue of the wool, its “ chalk stripes ” (as the English say) will never have lived up to their name so well, the white threads appearing on this vaporous material like so many strokes of chalk.
With controlled spacing , these move away from pure British tradition to join Italian sprezzatura , a convenient way of distancing ourselves from an overly literal interpretation of the power suit . Combined with a cut relatively close to the body, the choice of this pattern places our suit balanced on a crest line, with formal elegance to port and controlled nonchalance to starboard.
Its two slits in the back , its 8.5 centimeter lapel , its coin pocket, its two-pleat pants and its 19.5 centimeter leg opening don't say anything else.
Worn in one piece with a poplin shirt and a silk tie , you will touch the height of delicacy. In addition to an open denim shirt over a t-shirt , you will move the cursor towards a more casual chic register which will work no less admirably. By mismatching your suit , the range of possibilities increases further since you can combine your flannel pants with a work jacket , or your striped jacket with your favorite jeans (for example).
We couldn't tell you any other way, this chalk striped suit is a total piece of clothing: there's nothing it can't do.
The final word
Flannel is king. Worked in wool, cotton or with more particular alloys, it envelops its wearer in a cloud of cocoon-like tenderness. Elegant and special, it is sometimes thick and soft, sometimes fine and creamy, but always magnificently fluffy. Wearing our shirts as well as our pants and suits in our wardrobe, it is a declaration of love for versatility as well as a plea for texture. Everything we love about Hast, and everything you love about us.
