It would not be possible to collect American workwear without knowing what a buckle back, a chinstrap, or a rivet is. It’s the same for French workwear: this universe is full of specific terms – sometimes untranslatable – that we must know. Mastering the ABCs of French workwear is an essential first step in becoming an expert.

Biaude

Prized by collectors, the biaude is a blue, black, or white canvas blouse that is worn over clothing. It was worn by many trades, from carters to farmers and firefighters to post officers. The biaude is loose, not buttoned at the front, open at the chest, and tied with a drawstring. The word dates back to the 16th century, and is an evolution of the old French word blidalt, which means “silk garment”.

Bourgeron

A bourgeron is a short canvas jacket worn by workers and soldiers for certain tasks. The word, in itself, comes from the old French bourge, which was a kind of canvas. In his book L’Héritage mystérieux, published in 1857, Pierre Ponson du Terrain wrote: “He wore a blue blouse, one that barely goes down to the hips and is called ‘bourgeron’.”

Double boutonnage

Double boutonnage is the French word for double-breasted. We say “double-breasted” when there are two vertical, parallel rows of buttons on a jacket. French double-breasted jackets are very popular among buyers and collectors today, especially the indigo linen ones, which have been prized in Japan for many years.

Grand Teint

The inscription “Garanti grand teint” can be seen on many French workwear tags. It literally means “Colorfast dyeing guaranteed”. A colored fabric is said to be “Grand teint” if it is of excellent quality, and has good resistance to washing, light, and chlorine. Basically, it means that a blue jacket will not turn white after being washed twice.

Maquignon

The maquignon is a horse dealer – a very popular profession in the 19th century – that would choose horses, evaluate them, negotiate prices, and present these animals for sale. Most of the time, the maquignon would wear a biaude, or the famous “blouse de maquignon” with its characteristic round pockets. Note that maquignons often had a bad reputation, due to the scams perpetrated by some of them.

Métis

Métis is a fabric made from a mix of noble materials: linen and cotton. It is a light and quite soft fabric. Ironically, the word Métis comes from the old French mestiz, which means... “bad weaving”. By using the word Métis to define a mix of noble materials, the French language has clearly gone against the etymology of the word.

Paletot

A paletot is an overcoat that is worn over other clothing. It usually is the length of a blouse and is buttoned up at the front. In a French catalog of work clothes from 1935, the paletot cost 70 francs while a blouse cost 65, a jacket 35, and a bourgeron 25.

Velours côtelé

Velours côtelé is the French word for “corduroy”. It’s a fabric that was particularly used in France for work clothes. It’s a textile made up of twisted fibers (parallel to each other) and short, tight fibers. Thick, warm, and resistant, it was used in particular by farmers (pants), but was also very popular among hunters (jackets and pants).

You'll find more information and anecdotes about French workwear in the book An Anthology of French Workwear, still available here: