Besnard La Haye

Besnard La Haye, review of a shirt and tie

Text : Romain @Lastrolab
Photos : Thomas M.

Four years agor, Victor Besnard found an old suit made by his great great grandfather (his grampa’s grampa), a French tailor established in the Hague. That was the final nudge for this menswear enthusiast to finally launch his brand, as a side business of his regular office job. Although an outsider, Victor did not really dive into the unknown. He was already familiar with the world of men’s fashion as a former salesman and buyer of a high-end shop in Amsterdam while a student. And that’s maybe a good thing because an ancestor in the trade might not be the sufficient background in order to appear as a serious business partner for the Italian workshops which now manufacture for Besnard.

As a detail-oriented afficionado, Victor designed with his providers (and sometimes with the help of a pattern-maker) an array of clothing and accessories in a subtle an coherent stye. He claims his inspiration from both the Ivy and mid-century Italian Riviera styles (think of a cross-over between the Talented Mr Ripley and the Graduate). Jackets are soft, with a slightly extended shoulders, in the Florentine style. Trousers feature a high rise, single pleat, side adjusters and basta! No extra Gurkha buckles, slim fit flood pants nonsense. Shirts offer a spread, button-down, or camp collar, mostly in subtle light blue and white tones.

Speaking about shirts, I had the chance to try a spread collar shirt, made in a Bengal-striped poplin and a navy grenadine tie in a thick gauge (Garza grossa).

The poplin is silky smooth in hand, and unfolding the shirt reveals a beautiful making: French seams, offset armscye seams for more ease of movement, conical cuffs and nice matching of the stripes. Besnard also prides itself of for hand steps in the making: armhole and collar are hand sewn, and so are the buttons and side gussets. The pros and cons of hand stitching against a nice machine work are always debatable, even at Les Indispensables no consensus has been reached. However, everyone can agree that it is the most beautiful to look at. 

The cut is not disappointing either. Sleeves are long enough and that’s always appreciated. The fit is flattering but not to slim. At least, it contains easily my dad bod. High armholes allow a freedom of movement in case you want to do the clown on the place de la Concorde. The cuffs are cut conical, which mean that they are close to the wrist without preventing blood flow. This is a detail that I love but haven’t found in not so many other brands.

Priced at 175 euros, we are no longer in the entry-level of shirting, but Besnard offers a high quality level that is rarely met by the competition.

The tie is also very well made and hand-rolled at the edges (like my trousers that day). The silk feels nice and crunchy in hand. I am more used to 9cm or 8.5 cm width, but I must say that this tie offers harmonious proportions with it’s 8cm width. The knot sits beautifully under the collar.  

If, despite the red stitching, navy grenadine is too quiet for you, Besnard also offers more textured shantungs, regimental stripes (watch out for actual regiment members!) and prints. The ties are sold for 110 euros. I haven’t bought ties in a while, but a quick benchmark analysis seems to indicate that the pricing is pretty good considering the high level of quality.

In the end, Victor confided that his upcoming new collection draws inspiration from another Hollywood classic: Wall Street! Keep your eyes open (on your Bloomberg terminals)…