Hartford Shirts

Despite their resolute superiority, France really does need the rest of us: half the globe got their backs in the World Wars, and American moviegoers almost singlehandedly financed Gerard Depardieu's nose. Proving the same holds true for shirts, Hartford's summer drop.From a Frenchman and former Hermés designer lured away from the heights of fashion by American '70s rock culture, Hartford retains his old outfit's slimmer dress shirt cut and exacting construction standards, but gets globally casual with fabrics and a general vibe that reps "legendary American relaxation", "English tradition", "Italian exuberance", and most crucially, the former home of the Whalers. Plaid buttondowns include a pocketed red or blue check with an uneven fade; a red, yellow, and blue with a classy spread collar and gingham interior; and a blue and burgundy pocketless (with a smallish spread collar) made of a gauze-like cotton so thin you can see through parts of it in the right light, so stick to the wrong light. Dressier oxford-cloth shirts include a spread collar, purple/bone striped number; one in multiple shades of blue anchored by thin indigo stripes; and a patchwork job that gets different fabrics on the sleeves, collar, shoulders, and chest -- otherwise known as a melange, and to atone for knowing it, you must go watch three hours of wrestling.The wackiest Hartford is probably one with a slim cut, and fabric from Liberty of London, made of a muted psychedelic floral pattern that almost seems to blossom, much like Depardieu's nose, due to the drinking to cope with how long it's been since he was your father the hero.