An ARNYS PARIS ‘Forestière’ jacket, estimated to date from around the 2000s.
A truly special piece has arrived.
We had been searching for one for a long time, and at last it has come to us: a piece from the legendary maison ARNYS PARIS, a house that no longer exists.
Beginning with its signature model, the "Forestière Jacket", ARNYS offers a sense of design rarely encountered elsewhere, and many people are surely still searching for its pieces with great determination.
Once spoken of as ‘Hermès on the Right Bank, ARNYS on the Left’, it was one of the great names of the Left Bank of the Seine.
Where the Right Bank leaned towards the aristocratic and the conservative, the Left Bank, so it is said, had a more popular, innovative and artistic character.
Through changes of distributor and an acquisition, ARNYS gradually disappeared.
In June 2012 the LVMH group bought all of its shares and folded it into Berluti, so ARNYS no longer exists as a brand in its own right...
It was mentioned in the same breath as Hermès, and its tailoring is first-rate in every piece.
The house even used different workshops depending on the item, such was its devotion to making things well, and you can feel that quality.
The piece we present here is the celebrated "Forestière".
It is also known as the ‘keeper of the woods’ jacket.
It is probably the most popular ARNYS model, and the one most people are searching for.
This Forestière, so the story goes, came about through the famous master of modern architectural theory who defined the twentieth century, Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret), who placed an order with "Léon Grimbert", the second head of ARNYS.
"A jacket in which I can raise my arm easily when writing on a blackboard is what I want," he is said to have asked.
Its inspiration was the gamekeeper's jacket.
In other words, a hunting jacket.
With armholes cut generously for freedom of movement, it has a casual air, yet at the same time something elegant and refined about it.
It also has the easy wearability of a French vintage coverall.
This piece is a Forestière in 100% cashmere.
100% cashmere alone makes it exceptionally rare, and on top of that it comes in an easy-to-wear black...
Surely one of the finest, in both fabric and colour.
On a base of black, the most versatile colour of all, the purple sleeve lining, close to the colour of azuki beans, makes it like a work of art that only ARNYS could create, unmistakably ARNYS.
Mostly black and quietly composed, ordinary in the best sense, yet the purple that shows when you roll up the sleeves reminds you that this is ARNYS.
Neither too plain nor too loud; a piece with just the right balance.
ARNYS's singular sense of colour is sometimes said to have been inspired by the kimono, since the wife of Jean Grimbert, the third head of the house, was Japanese.
Beautiful. There is nothing more to say.
Naturally, every button is an original ARNYS button.
Finely carved buttons with a black rim. These alone carry real value.
Marked size "48"
Large marked sizes of "50" and above make up most of what is out there, so a Forestière in this size almost never reaches the market.
A small miracle.
We think it is an ideal size that most Japanese builds can wear without difficulty.
The catalogues also show it worn large, with dropped shoulders, so it will look good on a smaller frame too.
There is slight abrasion typical of the fabric; otherwise it is in good order. There is no significant damage that would affect wear, so it has plenty of life left in it.
This is not something money alone can buy, and we cannot promise that another will come our way.
It is a piece of value not only for the wardrobe but also as a collector's item and as a source of design reference.
Whatever the era or model, "ARNYS PARIS" rarely appears on the vintage market.
Tailored jackets surface now and then, but a casual jacket like this, one you can wear about town, is almost unheard of.
All the more so for the celebrated Forestière.
A piece said to have been born for Le Corbusier.
For anyone who loves architecture, or works in the field, it is a piece worth securing.
The brand has recently been receiving renewed attention, with features in magazines and elsewhere, and given that it no longer exists, prices are certain to keep climbing; if you have been looking, we suggest acting soon.
【Size Details】
Marked size 48
Length 82cm
Shoulder width 55cm
Chest width 60cm
Sleeve length 56.5cm
※ Please allow for slight variations in measurement.
【Condition】
USED
※ Abrasion.
【Fit】
Model: 165cm 50kg
【Returns and Exchanges】
Owing to the nature of vintage items, we are unable to accept returns or exchanges.
Please check all details carefully before ordering, and contact us if anything concerns you.
Damage and wear that come with age are not considered defects and are not grounds for return.
Colours may also differ slightly from the actual item; this is not grounds for return either.
Returns for reasons of personal preference, such as the size not suiting you or the item differing from your expectations, cannot be accepted.
We kindly ask that you purchase only if you are comfortable with these terms.
【Inquiry Code】
J0407
