He knew when he left for work that he would attract taunts and remarks.
It did not fail.
Thursday, Hadrien, 38, went to the office in a shirt.
A first.
“I have a colleague who approached me and said to me:
But it's not okay, it goes against all the rules of dress!
During a meeting, several of my colleagues laughed while talking about my shirt…” And yet: with the heat wave, they are more and more frequent, in the office or in the street.
To the point of creating a debate: can we really wear a shirt in 2022?
Hadrian took a long time to turn the corner.
He had been thinking about having a shirt for years.
“I found it cool on the others, but it can quickly get messy.
I had tried on several, but it was badly cut, it didn't suit me… And, for my ex, it was a love killer, so I didn't fight.
It was last summer that he fell in love with two shirts he bought, including the one that would earn him all the looks at work, black with white and green patterns.
"It's a lighter material than a shirt, and it's even more breathable than a t-shirt," he defends.
"Stay chic without being hot"
In the “for” camp, there are many – and their ranks are growing.
"It depends on how it's worn, but I really think it can add something to an outfit," says Juliette, 18, for example.
A way to “stay chic without being hot”, abounds Jules, also 18 years old.
On Instagram, the hashtag #chemisette coexists alongside #outfitoftheday, #sunglasses, or #boy (among others).
On Google, where you can see the evolution of searches, the query "shirt" is more sought after each year than the previous one, with the arrival of summer.
"The shirt has undergone a real fashion transformation to become a strong piece of
trendy
, even
hype
, locker rooms ", analyzes Laureen Allegro, stylist, founder of Les Jolis mômes.
“I don't know if the shirt is really a subject today,” confesses Guénolée Milleret, fashion historian.
Before, indeed, to raise a cleavage around the garment, democratized decades ago with the arrival (in particular) of the Hawaiian shirt.
“In a formal place, like in legal or banking, it may not be accepted.
But in a start-up, nobody cares if we have a shirt, a short-sleeved shirt or a t-shirt!
»
“Since the early 2000s, the shirt was not accepted because it has a negative connotation.
»
Frédéric Godart, sociologist, fashion specialist
Because yes, the shirt pleases as much as it is hated.
For some, it's a clear no: no one can wear the shirt.
Opponents even gathered for a time behind Facebook groups – “Shirt trackers”, “Committee against the shirt”, “For the banning of the shirt and tie at the office”, etc.
All are now inactive… proof of acceptance from above?
“Since the early 2000s, the shirt was not accepted because it had a negative connotation.
It was an undistinguished office worker, explains Frédéric Godart, sociologist, fashion specialist.
We have the image of the series
The Office
(
with Dwight Schrute, emblematic and somewhat nerdy character of the program, always in a shirt
) or that of Michael Douglas in a shirt in
Freefall
.
"There is also often a
has-been
side because we immediately think of the Hawaiian shirt or the shirt of the sixty-year-old tourist with his banana", also observes Malaika Ewande, assistant to the artistic direction at Promostyl, a company specializing in the observation of fashion trends.
“It gives the impression that we did not choose”
"With or without reason, I think it's a lot," judge Chloé, 27.
And the young girl to have a “horrible” memory: “My father came to a wedding with a shirt on which he had put a tie… It was awful!
I had been so ashamed.
“Same clear opinion for Thibaut, same age:” I find it ugly.
And the worst, according to him, is the shirt without a pattern.
"It's like the sleeveless down jacket," he says.
It gives the impression that we haven't chosen: it's formal and informal at the same time, it's contradictory.
»
Objectively, the shirt "enters the wave of bad taste", notes Frédéric Godart.
Nothing nasty or insulting in the expression, he assures us: "Bad taste is going against the formal rules that apply to fashion, such as not associating green and blue or navy blue and black… It's just against the conventional rules.
»
Hadrian's shirt, which caused a lot of talk.
Anticonformists, then, the wearers of shirts?
“The new generation does not have the same cultural references.
What they see, what they like, is nostalgia,” notes Frédéric Godart.
And these young people (and not so young) have a choice with the brands that are increasingly entering the niche.
We must add the rise of thrift stores "which gives access to a variety of styles" and therefore to more colorful shirts than each other (when some would say "uglier").
“A lot of things that were said to be old-fashioned have finally come back into fashion,” notes Malaika Ewande.
According to her, the shirt also owes its rebirth “to the post-Covid world where we need lightness”.
Aloïs Guinut, stylist, confirms.
From a trend reserved for “hipsters”, it tends to become widespread.
“This chic holiday side,
Jacquemus
, is gaining momentum.
Beyond the aesthetic trend, I would say that there is a climatic necessity to wear it, ”she says.
Read also Heat wave: what to eat in case of high heat?
The shirt, Hadrian “assumes it completely” despite the nice teasing.
He has also noticed: “I was not the only one to wear it.
So…he'll keep sporting it.
"I'll see if I assume to put one for my next Tinder date," he smiles.
And the shorts, even at work?
“I wouldn't be against it, but it wouldn't necessarily be well seen… But maybe next time I'll do a mix: shorts and shirt.
» Frédéric Godart has only one piece of advice for those who want to switch to short sleeves: « On the shirt, you really need a pattern and, above all, take it all the way!
»