Saint James Meridien II

Nothing says summer like a good, rough Breton tee. And I say rough because I want the cotton to be carded and stout and not combed and soft. This is why I've always preferred Saint James over Armor Lux for instance. Though both made in France, I definitely prefer Saint James. There are other good makers like Orcival and Le Troyes, but Saint James is easily available, so that's why I always opt for Saint James.

Furthermore I think the Meridien II model with its boat neck is perfect and the colourway ecru/marine (more like indigo actually) is not only great in itself, it develops over time and become second skin.

Saint James has another great model called Ouessant, which is very popular in Japan because it fits a lot slimmer through the body and the sleeves and is still made of the carded cotton. In Japan you can even get it in solid colours. However having tried it, I didn't really like the slim fit, but I guess it comes down to you body type, but I think it could work really well on women. The Meridien is still my favourite.

Present London

There are some good shops around the globe. Most of them are located in Japan, and most of them are totally out of reach, unless you have a good proxy - or going there yourself.

One of the shops, that is doing great in our Western Hemisphere, is Present London. Not only do they stock hard-to-get brands like Mt. Rainier Design and Filson Black Label. They are also doing a great private label and some good collaborations with Tricker's and other brands.

Lately the fall/winter goods have been hitting the shops, and we can follow the progress online. While some shops are playing it a bit too safe, Present London are pulling out the big guns this season.

They are now stocking Orcival - which I have been following for a long time, but it has almost been Japan-only until now. They offer some more interesting stuff than the usual St. James and Armor Lux. Now, we just need the French brand Le Troyes, as well.

What I also found interesting was their "Shaggy Dog for Present" sweaters, which are an obvious nod to the iconic Shaggy Dog sweater that J. Press (and other American clothiers) have been doing for years. I believe that these sweaters are indeed made by a Scottish woolen mill called Laurence Odie.

Finally I like the fact that they aren't just selling clothes - and espressos - in their shop. They are also selling a lot of interesting books and magazines and recently they added some fine stationary to their assortment from two very fine brands Midori and O Check.