[TEST & ADVICE] The Nines shirt in Japanese chambray: workwear elegance<

Presenting itself as an "agitator of elegance", The Nines is a French ready-to-wear brand for men that we really like at Masculin.com.

In our eyes, it is even one of the best brands of shirts, one of those offering the best value for money. Also, when I was offered to discover the new selvedge Japanese chambray shirt in preview, it was hard to resist!

If you don't know The Nines yet…

Well, we don't blame you… but that means that you don't read Masculin.com's fashion section carefully! The Nines, we have already talked about it several times on the site (notably here and there). Created in 2008, the brand is in fact the result of the merger of several entities: the Belt Workshop, the Cufflink House, the Tie House, the Hosier, the Scarf Counter and the Shirt House. .

Its name refers to the English expression “to be dressed up to the nines“, which could be translated as “being dressed to the nines”. In fact, if you're looking to dress smart without being turned into an embittered old banker (and we've got nothing against bankers!), The Nines is a great go-to.

It should be noted that The Nines wardrobe has expanded significantly in recent years. Alongside shirts, the collections now include pretty polo shirts, suits and technical pants (among others!).

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A new shirt for lovers of workwear style

One of the particularities of The Nines is the variety offered to men to choose the collar and the fabric of their shirt. Poplin, flannel, twill, breathable fabric, reverse collar, Italian, round, American, cutaway, officer... it's hard not to find what you're looking for!

In this fall of 2021, The Nines wanted to go a little further East, more precisely to Japan. From this trip to Asia, the brand has brought us back a brand new Japanese chambray shirt, a true testament to local know-how. We already knew the Japanese selvedge canvas for our jeans; it now comes to us in the form of a shirt.

“We wanted to find something exotic“, explains Nicolas Boukhers, marketing & communications from The Nines. "Japanese fabric is starting to become more popular in Europe, but it's still something you don't see much of in France, especially on a shirt. And then, the story is beautiful when you think of this typically Japanese selvedge canvas, which brought something extra to a very American tradition!“

Surfing on the current workwear trend, the brand has opted for a resistant canvas with a raw and authentic look. With its weight of 185 g/m2, it offers a touch that is both thick and structured... but not too rigid either! Two types of cuts are available, in order to adapt to all tastes and morphologies: fitted to be worn alone, or regular to be worn as an overshirt or with a t-shirt underneath.

The Nines specifies that its chambray shirt is woven in Japan (then made in Europe), in a partner workshop of an Italian house with which the brand is already working. A guarantee of quality because “the selvedge produced elsewhere is unfortunately not very successful“, still recognizes Nicolas Boukhers.

Our opinion on The Nines Japanese chambray shirt

From the first contact with this shirt, the feel of the Japanese fabric is surprising: not necessarily usual for a shirt, but nevertheless relatively flexible. We immediately notice the attention given to detail, and in particular the iconic red border of the selvedge canvas.

The very fine English seam (7 points/cm) or the mother-of-pearl effect buttons in eco-responsible vegetable resin with a horizontal opening for the last (to prevent the shirt from opening unexpectedly) are to be added to the list of these impeccable finishes.

To reinforce the Asian influence, The Nines opted for the mandarin collar, which I personally like a lot, offering a more relaxed and yet elegant aesthetic. We could almost have seen it associated with a popover shirt, particularly trendy this season.

Having opted for the slim fit, I was able to see that this Japanese chambray shirt can be worn on its own as well as as an overshirt. It allows you to fully play the workwear card, which can be just as easily associated with chinos or technical trousers and white trainers (the New York from Odxey for example), as with jeans and a pair of Timberland type boots!

As for the price, this Japanese selvedge shirt is available in presale from €89 (before a final price of €109). It is a little more expensive than the other The Nines shirts, but justified by an irreproachable quality which should (I hope) be confirmed over time.