The hoodie

Monsieur Lacenaire, young, yet famous Parisian brand shrungs off our chlildhood traumas deciding all that pocket thing was really practical. Along the same line of their summer collection, fresh, Monsieur Lacenaire presents a regressive though chic hoodie. Knitted in France with Egyptian cotton, this hoodie hides a secret: a back pocket in which it can be folded entirely.

Two colorways are available: “marin” (blue and white stripes) or “marine” with a madras lining. My choice goes for the first, stripes really render well and perfectly match raw jeans. More about the back, check at the shoulders finish with stripes finished with a central seam.

Once turned into a cushion, the hoodie multiple purposes: you can sleep on it, hit someone, play football or rugby, hide things into it…

The test

This hoodie has a perfect fitting and it is extremely soft. Well of course, it is pricey, and for those who are used to buy their hoodies at American Apparel, checking out will be a weid moment. But I guess this hoodie does not target the same persons. It is the kind of rare pieces you like to own, symbol of a creative commitment from people who know how taking risks and revisit urban classics, like Garance Broca, Monsieur Lacenaire’s designer. Tested and approved!

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The jeans

Since few weeks I’ve received my Louis, freshly “baked” in the Okayama workshop of the brand, in Japan – kind of a Mecca of denim. It’s a basic 5 pocket straight cut trousers made of a 14.5 oz raw selvedge denim, meaning it is really thick, heavy and rigid. By this way, know that manufacturing a pair of Renhsen jeans requires 2.50 meters of fabric, which is around two times more than any classic jeans. “Raw” means that the fabric wan’t treated, so yarns forming the fabric are still soaked with their natural indigo color, meaning that as you wear the jeans, or if you wash them, this color will fade leaving then white marks.

The product is extremely well finished, sewing points are perfectly made and the jeans leaves an impression of sturdyness. Details are appreciable: the label inside, the rivets, this horizontal trimming on the back pockets in a slightly different blue and the selvedge finish (which still makes quite an impression). The Louis also has a firmly sewn YKK zip, rivets strenghtening the font pockets and a leather tab with the brand logo. Easy to see that we are talking about real quality jeans.

Test

When unpacking the plastic wraping the jeans, a first thought comes: the postman got me a wrong package, it is well too rigid! Well, there’s actually no mistake, my jeans are here, as rigid as a cardboard. The fabric will untighten wearing them, leaving some scars on the hips and at the knee pits. That’s fortunate, this is the only way we like them! First try, the Louis has a straight cut, like a good old 501. I confess I was expecting a slimmer cut, but in some way, things are better like that, it’ll make a bit of a change for once.

Like told before, they are really rigid and leave their marks on my body, a bit like a new pair of shoes you wear for the first time. But the fabric gets softer after few times wearing the jeans, and they quickly become really comfortable after around 5 days wearing them. I have picked my usual size (32/34 for 187cm, 6.15 ft) and the jeans fit perfectly now, after 3 months.

I’m rolling up hems (3 times to really say) which gets the fit slimmer. For the moment, small fades start to appear from the knees, and I haven’t washed them yet (I’m planning at least 6 month wearing them 3/4 times in a week before any wash). Like one says: “each wash gets you new jeans”. That’s really good jeans, I happy with them even if I’m thinking about altering the legs by a retoucher (fyi : until then I was wearing a pair of Naked & Famous SkinnyGuy). Tested and approved then!

Where to find some?

Renhsen’s distribution remains restricted to few retailers. Today, the Louis RSB I have tested is out of stock on L’Exception store http://renhsen.lexception.com, but when you look for such quality jeans, better is to try them before. Renhsen showroom: 22 rue Beaurepaire, 75010, Paris.

Ps : the Louis exist in grey, black and blue, all three in selvedge. Sizes: from 27 to 36, legs=34.

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Most of all, I first liked the design with a subtle mix canvas/leather. However the product has something missing: a compartment inside for the laptop. Incidentally, I had to take out my old laptop cover again and put it into the bag along my back, the way where it remains better protected. These five day in Barcelona allowed me to test my new companion in real conditions! There I asked myself “how could I have waited such a long time to get a backpack?”. It is really more comfortable than carrying a bag over the shoulder. So, in term of praticity and style, a big “Tested and approved” mention!

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A black stainless steel case, a black dial with the LIP logo in bevel, black hands with white luminescent areas, a mate black deployant clasp (which remains practical), a genuine crocodile leather strap: dressed up with these new colors the LIP CDG is proud looking. As for the mechanism, the brand opted for a Swiss made “PWP1-11″ automatic movement with a 28800/h frequency and 44 hours power reserve.

The sapphire glass is scratch-proof. The date marker is put at 3. The watch is 100m waterproof. Also notice that the “CDG 145″ is assembled in LIP’s manufacture in Lectoure, France. So, that’s a yes, we’d proudly wear this LIP 145 automatic on our wrist like shown below! For the beginners in watchmaking, know that this kind of watch does not have a battery but works thanks from your wrist movements. The kind of watch you keep a whole life. Tested and approved mention! More info at http://145.lip.fr

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The inside is lined in nylon, which brings waterproofness. Manufacturing remains the same (France & Portugal) as the attention to quality and details making this bag a beautiful item to carry your toilet stuff. To put it into context, I have tried to inventory what I bring with me when travelling (without any volume or weight restriction): my razor, my clipper, my toothbrush, etc. Of course, the ideal would be having the matching bag.

In my washbag: Braun Pulsonic shaver – Remington trimmer – Philips Sonicare toothbrush – Shiseido cleansing scrub – 66°30 moisturizer – Alchimie forever contour gel – Soapwalla deodorant cream – Avène solar reflex sun care – Institut Karité lipstick – Fluocaril toothpaste – World Wide Men shower gel – Cotton buds – Earplugs

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Young brand Balibaris created what they consider being the perfect t-shirt, the one they’ve been dreaming about : really close fitted (without being skin-tight) with shorter sleeves (which you can even rool up), a chest pocket and a 100% cotton jersey construction (for greater comfort).

They manufacture it in a French workshop (near Troyes). The t-shirt exists in white, charcoal, grey marl, roundded collar or v-neck. As for me, I went for a v-neck marled grey. And quickly, it has become one of my wardrobe essentials (I wear it every time!). In a way this may be the ideal t-shirt with a fair price for such a quality. Big “tested and approved” mention!

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Amongst many available colorways, I have been appealed by this classic model, a white dial and croco strap chronograph. Sturdyness, style are ingredients that have always been part of Tissot’ succes, the PRC 200 is no exception. It is equipped with a saphire glass, a stainless steel case highlighting the dial. This latter also features three subdials (for full chronograph functionality) and large arabic numbers at 3, 6 and 12h. This may be a detail some would remove, but I really think they add something “tasty”.

A good quality movement is embarked, a ETA Swiss quartz with a very good reputation. In term of precision, it would only be about one minute per year. Once on your wrist, the watch pays a reasonable size (35mm case) and it is not very heavy (75gr). Again, I relly like this colorway matching may outfits for various occasions. Nice, sturdy and reliable, tested and approved!

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First question: does it really smell beer? I have tested the Corona version, and we cannot say the smell is very pronounced, but it still remains particular compared to any classic soap. The beer smell is just anecdotal actually. However that does not removes the natural quality of the brewer’s yeast the soap is made of – highly known for its benefits on nails, hair and skin beauty (anti eczeme and anti acne).

The bewer’s yeast contains proteins, mineral salts, trace elements and vitamins. It really worth some sweet almond or argan oil, believe me! In any case my skin does like it. Then it is a big YES for the beer soap! And think about it for any gift occasion, good laugh is guaranteed. Please note that the price may appear a bit high, but still cheaper than a shower gel which you usually put to much on your hand zny time you use it. In principle this must last several weeks (as a beer never lasts more than half an hour)

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