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What’s This About
BCBG (bon chic bon genre) is a French label for neat, classic dressing in navy, white, beige and grey, with good tailoring, plain knitwear and few logos.
This guide covers French BCBG dressing for men, such as:
A navy suit outfit for a gallery opening
Separates for a café lunch in the city
A suede jacket and chinos for a country weekend
A Breton top and boat shoes for an evening by the water
What to wear to the opera, with and without black tie
and many more!
Each outfit names the garments, colours and shoes, so you can build it from clothes you already own or any maker you like.
Key Points
01BCBG became a widely known French label in the 1980s; it describes a way of dressing, not who you are.
02Fit matters more than labels: jackets should close without pulling and trousers should sit cleanly on the shoe.
03Navy, white, beige, grey and olive combine easily, so a few garments make several outfits.
04Check any written dress code, especially for galas, yacht clubs and opera premieres.
BCBG is short for bon chic bon genre, a French expression for a neat, conservative way of dressing: navy, white, beige and grey, well-cut tailoring, plain knitwear, leather loafers and very few logos.
The phrase became widely known in the 1980s, helped by Thierry Mantoux’s 1985 book BCBG: le guide du bon chic bon genre, often described as a French counterpart to The Official Preppy Handbook.
In France today the label is often used with a smile, or even mockingly, so treat it as a description of clothes rather than a group you need to belong to.
The clothes say nothing about anyone’s background, and you do not need a particular budget or label to wear them well.
BCBG overlaps with the old money style many readers search for, and this guide keeps to the practical side: five complete outfits for real occasions, then a short list of dos and don’ts.
1. Art gallery opening
A gallery opening usually calls for smart clothes without the formality of a black-tie evening.
Wear: a navy wool suit with a single-breasted jacket, a white cotton shirt, a silk tie with a small geometric pattern, a black leather belt and black leather Oxford shoes.
Choose a cut that lets you move: the jacket should close without pulling across the chest, and the trousers should sit on the shoe with little or no break.
The illustration names one maker for each garment, such as Lanvin for the suit and Charvet for the shirt; any well-fitting equivalent gives the same effect.
If you prefer a softer, lighter jacket, our guide to Italian classic dressing explains the Neapolitan soft shoulder.
For an evening opening, a dark grey suit works just as well, and the tie can be left off if most guests are dressed more casually.
2. Café lunch in the city
For a lunch meeting or a weekend walk, BCBG dressing relaxes into separates.
Wear: a light blue cotton button-down shirt, beige chinos, a navy cotton or wool V-neck jumper, a brown leather belt and brown suede penny loafers.
The photograph shows the jumper worn over the shirt; on a warm day you can carry it over your shoulders instead, a habit often seen in this style.
The illustration labels makers such as A.P.C. for the jumper and Paraboot for the loafers; similar garments from other labels work just as well.
A brimmed straw hat shades your face in strong sun; take it off indoors.
This relaxed version sits close to Parisian chic, and the same muted colours run through the old-money aesthetic and our list of quiet luxury brands.
3. Weekend in the countryside
A country weekend calls for clothes that cope with grass, gravel and changeable weather.
Wear: a white linen or cotton shirt, olive green chinos, a light brown suede or cotton blouson jacket, a brown leather belt and brown leather ankle boots.
Add tortoiseshell or metal-framed sunglasses and a simple watch on a leather strap.
The illustration labels a Charvet shirt and Polo Ralph Lauren chinos; a plain white shirt and well-fitting olive chinos from any maker give the same outfit.
Suede marks easily in rain, so swap the jacket for a waxed cotton or quilted jacket if the forecast is wet.
A vintage watch or a second-hand jacket suits this look, which values clothes that show some wear.
4. Harbour or yacht club evening
The striped Breton top is the most recognisable French garment in this guide.
According to the maker Armor Lux, a French Navy decree of 27 March 1858 set out a striped knitted shirt for sailors.
Saint James, in Normandy, has made fishermen’s knitwear since 1889 and is one of several French makers of the top today.
Wear: a navy and white striped Breton top, white or stone linen or cotton trousers, a navy belt, brown leather boat shoes and a cream cotton jumper for when the evening cools.
Let the setting decide the shoes: boat shoes have cut rubber soles designed to grip a wet deck, while leather-soled loafers can slip.
If the club or restaurant has a dress code, a navy blazer over a white shirt is a safe step up.
For more on dressing near the water, see our East Coast yacht club style guide.
5. Opera or gala evening
Ordinary performances at many opera houses have no black-tie requirement, although some set minimum rules.
Milan’s La Scala, for example, asks for clothes in keeping with the theatre and does not admit anyone wearing shorts or a sleeveless T-shirt to the auditorium.
Galas and premieres are different, and the invitation will tell you if black tie is expected.
Wear for a black-tie evening: a black wool dinner jacket with a shawl or peak lapel, matching trousers, a white dress shirt, a black silk bow tie, black patent leather shoes and a white or black pocket square.
For an ordinary performance, a dark suit with a white shirt and tie, or a navy jacket with grey trousers, is enough.
The illustration labels a Cifonelli dinner jacket and Berluti patent opera pumps, which are low slip-on evening shoes; patent Oxford shoes are the more common choice and suit any black-tie outfit.
In cold weather, add a plain dark wool overcoat; our article on Loro Piana looks at one maker known for fine wool cloth.
Check the invitation before you buy anything, because some events ask for black tie optional and a few still ask for white tie.
French BCBG dos and don’ts
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Have jackets and trousers altered so the shoulders, sleeves and hems fit | Wear clothes that pull across the chest or pool at the ankle |
| Build outfits around navy, white, beige, grey and olive | Combine several bright colours or loud prints in one outfit |
| Keep accessories simple: a leather belt, a plain watch, a silk tie or scarf | Wear large logos or several branded accessories together |
| Dress for the occasion and check any written dress code | Expect one outfit to suit a gallery, a boat and an opera house |
| Look after shoes and knitwear so they last for years | Judge an outfit by its price or label |
Well-made garments from long-established makers, such as those in our list of old money clothing brands, can help, but so can well-chosen clothes from any maker.
Our guide to old-money wardrobe essentials lists the garments that combine into all five outfits above.
Style with The VOU
If you would like help applying this style to your own wardrobe, take our three quizzes, then book a consultation if you want personal help.
1. Check your body shape
Our guide to dressing for your body shape explains how proportions affect the way garments look on you.
Check your body shape with the body shape quiz for men.
2. Find your seasonal colours
Our seasonal colour analysis guide explains how colour seasons are used to choose shades.
Find your seasonal colours with the seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Take the fashion style quiz
Take the fashion style quiz for men to see which personal fashion styles match your taste.
None of the quizzes is needed to wear the outfits in this guide.
Paid consultations
For personal help, The VOU offers paid consultations with its image consultants and fashion stylists.
Our guides to styling by occasion, location, season and time of day, garments and accessories cover the basics.
A label alone does not make an outfit work, as our article on luxury brands favoured by ultra-high-net-worth buyers discusses.
You can contact us with any questions.
Mandy Meyer’s focus at The VOU is men’s body-shape styling, garment fit and outfit proportions. Her coverage addresses the practical questions behind a wardrobe choice: how a jacket sits across the shoulders, how trousers fall and how different cuts change the silhouette a wearer wants to create.
Her subject areas include the triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, oval, trapezoid, hourglass and diamond labels used in body-shape styling. These provide starting references for comparing visible proportions; they do not capture every body or prescribe one correct way to dress. The focus connects those observations with garment shape, construction, length and the relationship between the upper and lower parts of an outfit.
Mandy’s editorial coverage combines visual comparisons with fit checks for comfort and movement. Readers can consider whether a cut gives them the room they need, where clothing pulls or gathers and which changes might support their preferred look. The aim is to make menswear choices more understandable while keeping personal preferences and the wearer’s own styling goals central.