Circa 2000s, this is the ARNYS PARIS 'Forestière Jacket'.
An arrival of exceptional significance.
ARNYS PARIS, established in 1933 at 14 Rue de Sèvres on the Left Bank of Paris, stands as a legendary house in French menswear history.
The genesis lies with Jankel Grimbert, known as a Jewish tailor of exceptional calibre, and the lineage that inherited his craft.
What rendered ARNYS singular was not merely the production of fine garments, but rather the distillation of Left Bank sensibility into cloth itself.
Where the Right Bank embodied the formal restraint of classical maison dressing, the Left Bank represented the soil of intellectual pursuit, culture and artistic endeavour.
ARNYS cultivated a distinct aesthetic: the gravitas of tailoring preserved, yet infused with an unhurried palette, the texture of English tweeds, the pragmatism of sportswear, and a distinctly French refinement.
The location itself signified its essence—an atelier and salon for those of discerning taste, where intellectuals and cultural figures came to be dressed in the language of their sensibilities.
The emblem of this philosophy became known as 'La Forestière'.
Born in 1947, it emerged from the specifications of Le Corbusier, the master of modern architectural theory, who sought a jacket that would not bind the arms when raised—a garment for the working intellectual.
This genesis has become the stuff of legend.
Its silhouette—the collar subdued, the pattern-work responsive to movement, the rationality of workwear married to Parisian urbanity—embodied the complete philosophy of ARNYS in a single form.
In 2012, ARNYS entered the LVMH constellation, and the Rue de Sèvres boutique underwent transformation into a Berluti flagship.
The significance lay not in disappearance, but in recognition: the tailoring knowledge and ateliers of ARNYS became the foundation upon which Berluti's menswear ambitions would be built.
'The air of an epoch when Left Bank sensibility was most concentrated.'
'The conviction that maison-level construction belonged not to formal dress alone, but to the jacket of everyday life.'
Few brands achieve both simultaneously.
Classical, yet with an undercurrent of resistance.
Precise, yet possessed of a certain grace.
A garment that elevates not the wearer's title, but the manner of his living.
This is ARNYS.
The pieces we present here are not mere reliquaries of a vanished era.
Upon wearing, there rises the intelligence and refinement cultivated on the Left Bank, the ease of French tailoring.
Singular without affectation.
This paradox resolved—this is where ARNYS reveals its true substance.
We introduce now the model most sought after and most dramatically elevated in value: the very emblem of the house, the enduring masterwork—the 'Forestière Jacket'.
The 'Forestière'—literally, the forest keeper—emerged from a specific commission. In 1947, the modernist theorist Le Corbusier required a custom piece.
He sought comfort and elegance in a jacket that would not constrain him when his arms moved freely—when chalk met blackboard, when sketches demanded the full reach of gesture.
Inspiration arrived from an unexpected source: a 1939 French film by Jean Renoir, 'La Règle du Jeu', wherein a gamekeeper from the Sologne wore a hunting jacket of practicality and refinement. Le Corbusier brought this vision to Léon Grimbert, the second generation of the house, and commissioned it as bespoke.
Thus the Forestière was conceived with movement as paramount.
The sleeve employs the 'Manche Pivot'—a pattern devised by Jankel, Léon's father, in 1920. Drawing inspiration from the kimono, this construction reverses conventional logic: an exceptionally generous armhole paired with a consistent sleeve width permits the arm to rise without resistance, creating a range of motion that defies typical tailored construction.
The shoulders carry no interlining, no padding—a deconstructed approach that departs entirely from formal tailoring.
Le Corbusier's original commission was rendered in black corduroy with black silk lining—a palette that reflected his own austere preferences. It has been noted that Le Corbusier carefully curated his archives, and photographic evidence of him wearing the Forestière remains scarce—a deliberate preservation of his idealized intellectual image. A distinctly architectural form of self-authorship.
By the 1950s, the Forestière was integrated into ARNYS's ready-to-wear line, and its ascendance was swift. According to Dominique Lurisse, who contributed to the house's design during this period, early iterations carried shoulder padding and straighter proportions. The removal of padding and the lowering of the shoulder, when later applied, produced an unexpected explosion in demand—the Forestière became responsible for half of ARNYS's revenue, the house's defining signature.
By the 1990s, under the stewardship of Jean Grimbert, the third generation and son of Léon, the collar evolved into a more refined Mandarin interpretation. This represents the Forestière in its definitive form—the version we know today.
This particular specimen dates to that completion period, the early 2000s.
The label affixed within reads with quiet authority: 'Veste "FORESTIERE" / Modèle créé par ARNYS en 1947 / CONFORME A L'ORIGINAL'. A declaration that this jacket adheres faithfully to the original vision.
Consider the details that distinguish it.
The Mandarin collar strikes immediately—the essence of the Forestière. Where conventional tailoring demands a lapel, this design dispenses with it entirely, lending a composed, almost austere presence to the neck.
Five buttons march down the front, each stamped with the ARNYS PARIS imprint—four-hole construction of understated character. While some ARNYS pieces display marbled, decorative buttons, this example employs a simpler stamp—and therein lies an honesty, a whisper of workwear integrity within refined form.
Three patch pockets: one at the chest, two substantial ones at the hip.
The hip pockets are rounded at the corners—a marriage of utilitarian practicality and metropolitan ease.
Elbow patches of self-fabric reinforce the sleeves, a workwear convention that introduces a subtle trace of the maker's hand into an otherwise refined composition.
The interior carries its own quiet intelligence.
Though unlined, the seam allowances are bound with gingham—a fine navy and white check that plays against the herringbone exterior. The same gingham appears on the hanging loop, a hidden flourish that rewards the wearer alone—a principle embodying Left Bank sensibility: ornament reserved for those who know to look.
The fabric comprises 55% silk and 45% wool in a herringbone twill—a proportion that reverses the typical hierarchy. The addition of silk bestows a refined luster and drape upon wool's structural integrity, creating a paradox: the functional silhouette of workwear rendered with a subtle, dressy luminosity. The herringbone weave shifts with angle and light, refusing monotony.
While Forestière pieces in corduroy or cotton remain the most recognized variants, this silk-and-wool composition introduces a decidedly more refined presence, expanding the jacket's interpretive range considerably.
The colour—silver grey—offers versatility without compromise. ARNYS cultivated a reputation for considered, occasionally bold coloration, yet this neutral rendering accommodates diverse wardrobes with ease. For those desiring a Forestière yet preferring to begin with an accessible palette, this presents an ideal entry point. The distinctive ARNYS palette will reveal itself with future acquisitions; the foundational piece need not overwhelm.
Marked as size 48, equivalent to a contemporary M to L.
The measurements suggest a golden proportion for Japanese physiology, accommodating a broad range of builds.
By design, the Forestière assumes an ample silhouette. Those accustomed to more tailored proportions may initially perceive it as generous—but this is precisely the jacket's intent, the 'loose, easy' idiom it embraces. Combined with the Pivot sleeve's expansive armhole, it promises freedom rather than constriction.
Signs of wear are present—creasing, surface texture variation, minor loose threads—but no substantial damage impedes continued wear.
ARNYS PARIS, now defunct, appears in the market with extreme scarcity regardless of era or model. Among its offerings, the Forestière commands the highest demand and remains the most elusive.
This example is notably French-made—a provenance that matters considerably to those who value origin.
Furthermore, the silk-and-wool herringbone represents a material variation less commonly encountered than its corduroy or cotton counterparts, introducing a more refined aesthetic dimension.
Though the house no longer exists, its value trajectory continues upward, sustained by renewed editorial attention and collector recognition. Whether as an active wardrobe element or as a design reference and archive piece, specimens of this calibre warrant serious consideration. Should you have sought such a jacket, we would suggest not allowing this opportunity to pass.
