Last Saturday, we offered you our 10 basic looks for the summer , 2020 version. In this article, we made an outfit in which was the Nato blazer from Hircus . Many of you were interested in it and several of you even asked us what we thought of the play. For the record, Rody and I tested it for the first time in 2018. Two years later, the brand offers us a new version of its jacket and promises us several changes and improvements. Curious, we wanted to see what new Nato had in 2020! Here is my test:
Technical sheet
Model: Nato
Blue color
Fitted cut
Fabric: Reda 99% wool, 1% recycled elastane Roica® V550
Lining: in viscose and unstructured
Shoulders: Neapolitan
Assembly: semi-canvas
Reverse: 8 cm
Pocket: with flaps
Buttons: 2 horn
Buttonholes: non-functional
Slots: 2
“Barchetta” chest pocket
Manufacturing: Europe
Style
- Before going into the details of making this blazer, let’s talk for a moment about its general style. Clearly, Hircus played on a style that was both modern and timeless with a straight two-button jacket. The lapels look standard size (but I won’t hesitate to measure their exact size with my tape measure in the “Design” section) and the one on the left accommodates a Milanese. Two straight flap pockets dress the front panels of the shirt, which are also closed with two brown horn buttons. At the back, Hircus favored two slits. Navy blue, the Reda fabric chosen by the brand is made so that it presents a kind of pattern. In short, this blazer looks rather classic but includes some well thought out little details. Let’s take a closer look.
Design
And it starts with the fabric. As I said, this one comes from Reda, an Italian house recognized for the quality of its paintings. Mainly navy blue, I notice that some threads are green, which gives a rather original and elegant rendering. The first version of this blazer was made from a hopsack fabric, which resembled a basket weave, both in terms of visual rendering and touch. Here, we are in the presence of a canvas smooth to the touch but which, by its assembly, presents a nice relief. Finally, this Reda fabric is obtained 99% from wool and 1% from Roica® V550 elastane. This polymer is developed by the Japanese company Asahi Kasei and has the specificity of being from recycling and being able to be recycled at the end of its life. Rather nice,
For assembly, Hircus favors semi-canvas. For those of you who don’t know, there are three ways to construct a suit jacket: heat-sealed, semi-canvas, and full stabilizer. If you want to know the differences between these three assemblies, we invite you to read our article on the quality criteria of a costume . But back to this Nato. Here, the semi-canvas allows to obtain a jacket whose fall is more fluid. Thus, over time, the piece will match our body shape, making it more and more pleasant to wear. Also, the semi-canvas has the advantage over the heat-sealed to be more breathable.
Taking an interest in the fit used by Hircus naturally made me lean over the shoulders of this blazer. Traditionally, we can find two types of shoulders on a costume: English or Italian. If the first uses a foam called padding to give a certain build to the jacket, the second does without it. And it is this option that the brand has chosen for this Nato. Which is not very surprising when we see that it is unstructured and only doubled at the level of the shoulder blades and shoulders.
After finally putting my hand back on my tape measure, I confirm what I thought: these cuffs are indeed 8 centimeters! Just below, there are two brown horn buttons that contrast slightly with the navy of the jacket. The pockets, straight and with flap, are piped and sewn in a half-moon, which gives them a nice drape but, above all, better resistance. Speaking of pocket, Hircus made the chest pocket in “barchetta”, which makes it slightly curved and not straight. Inside this Nato, there are three pockets: two piped wallets and closed with a button and a flap and another more classic. Finally, the back of the jacket accommodates two slits, for more ease and a nice fall in any circumstance.
Fitting
Hircus recommends taking your usual size or opting for the larger size when hesitating between 2 sizes. Two years ago, during our first test, I took a size 50 which was a bit tight for me, so I chose a size 52 this time around, especially since the end of confinement allowed me to return to the gym and regain some of my muscle mass.
The choice turned out to be wise because I find that the jacket fits me much better! I can now close a button without it pulling too much on the jacket (which then forms slight folds). I find the sleeve length to be optimal. On the other hand, having taken a size larger, this also affects the length of the jacket but being relatively large (1m87), it remains harmonious. In this size, and probably also thanks to the addition of elastane, I find the jacket more comfortable than the first version. From a style point of view, and although I incorporated it into a casual / chic outfit, it can easily fit into more urban outfits, with a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers for example. In short, his style is very versatile!
Hircus Nato Blazer | First Sleeve Shirt | Chino LePantalon | Crow Foot Shoes | Belt Foot Biche
