An estimated 1950s Le Mont St Michel 'Blue Moleskin Work Jacket'.
A special arrival.
Among French workwear brands, one of the most highly regarded is Le Mont St Michel.
Le Mont St Michel was founded in 1913 in Normandy, France, a few kilometres from the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, in the town of Pontorson.
It is a workwear brand made for the labourers of Brittany and Normandy in western France, craftsmen, farmers and others, who needed hard-wearing clothes. It ceased production at the end of the 1970s, was revived in 1998, and continues today.
Beginning as a family-run workshop, the brand grew rapidly through the 1920s and 1930s, and soon became one of the best-known names in western France.
Le Mont St Michel's early collections focused on clothing designed first and foremost for function, for the craftsmen and farmers of Brittany and Normandy.
The brand's most popular pieces included genuine work jackets in heavy moleskin, corduroy trousers in cord from Amiens, and hunting clothes in durable cotton piqué.
Each garment was designed with a particular task in mind, with pockets and stitching placed deliberately for the greatest possible practicality.
From "Le Mont St Michel", a celebrated brand born more than a century ago, we present a perennial staple of French workwear: the "blue moleskin jacket".
This piece is made in "Moleskin", the great staple cloth of French vintage.
As the name suggests, it is said to take its name from a cloth that recalls the skin of a mole.
Once you touch it you will understand: it is smooth to a degree you would hardly expect of cotton, and the cloth has real weight.
The secret lies in "the weave".
Moleskin is a cloth made in a "satin weave".
Satin weave is counted as one of the three basic weaves, built on a repeat of five or more warp and weft threads; the floats are long, so that only the warp or only the weft appears on the face.
It is dense, thick, supple and smooth, with a strong sheen.
It was precisely because moleskin is so densely woven, so substantial and so supple that it was chosen as working dress for people who laboured in harsh conditions.
This piece is in ink-blue moleskin, the classic colour of French workwear, faded with age: everything that makes vintage so rewarding.
Having actually been worn as workwear in its day, it is entirely practical.
A piece by Le Mont St Michel commands particular respect within French workwear.
Its pieces are valued above those of other brands, and the older they are, the rarer they become.
It also has the much-loved details: a generously rounded collar, an A-line silhouette and V-shaped pockets.
Inside is the yellow-on-black "embroidered label" characteristic of Le Mont St Michel.
Pieces bearing the embroidered label, emblematic of the older periods, are what many people are looking for.
The size label cannot be confirmed. Roughly equivalent to a Japanese "L".
Judging by the actual measurements, it is an ideal size for Japanese builds and should suit a wide range of frames.
It looks right whether worn true to size or oversized.
There are signs of use such as fading, marks, scuffing, loose threads and damaged buttons, but no significant damage that would affect wear, so it has plenty of life left in it.
A work brand that holds an indispensable place in any account of French workwear: "Le Mont St Michel". The brand's blue moleskin jacket can fairly be called a perennial classic.
A piece that more than earns its place, whether in the wardrobe or in a collection.
It is a rare piece that seldom comes into our shop, so if you have been looking for one, do not let this chance pass.