James Perse | The LA Casual Take on Sunspel's Men's Basic Cotton Tees & Polos
Recently Eddy bought a Japanese-made cotton Polo shirt from James Perse, so I'm writing about this brand. Like Sunspel, James Perse also focuses on classic basic cotton T-shirts and Polo shirts at different price points, but James Perse has more of a Southern California casual feel, while Sunspel is more British.
In terms of pricing and target consumer, the two brands are similar. Mid-range regular cotton is priced between $160-$160 (USD), while the highest quality, most delicate cottons are between $220-$400. The cheapest James Perse item is $80, whereas Sunspel's lowest price is $115.
Furthermore, besides T-shirts and short-sleeved shirts, Sunspel offers a full range of products including underwear, coats, suits, and trench coats, and their wool fabrics are also quite good. James Perse, on the other hand, mainly focuses on pure cotton short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts, with occasional sweatshirts and casual pants. Therefore, Sunspel actually has a more complete product range and leans more towards a business style than James Perse.
Both Sunspel and James Perse make menswear and womenswear, but because the emphasis is on menswear, the primary consumer group is men, so this article will focus on menswear. Female consumers who like pure cotton can also consider them after understanding the pricing and brand story.
Although it's easy-to-care-for pure cotton, it's recommended to hand wash or use a gentle cycle for Sunspel and James Perse cotton T-shirts priced above $220. High-quality cotton is very delicate and has a luster; it cannot withstand vigorous machine washing, as it will fade and the cotton texture will become rough. We've learned this the hard way.
It is also recommended to buy cotton T-shirts from these two brands that are priced above $220 to get a sense of quality and differentiation. Cheaper ones don't differ much in quality from other brands' cotton T-shirts.
Next, I will introduce James Perse in terms of its brand history and core items. The accompanying picture this time is the representative James Perse Luxe Lotus Jersey Polo shirt that he bought.
01
The James Perse brand was founded in Los Angeles in 1994 by architect James Perse. The core of James Perse's design philosophy is "Low Maintenance High Fashion." He is committed to creating classic, timeless, and easy-to-match pieces, emphasizing simplicity, practicality, and comfort in clothing. The brand's inspiration is deeply influenced by minimalist architecture and interior design, pursuing clean lines, neutral tones, and respect for raw materials.
To this day, James Perse continues to operate his fashion brand while also designing villas for LA celebrities.
James Perse is the son of Tommy Perse, the founder of the LA-based high-end streetwear boutique Maxfield. Growing up in this environment, James Perse developed unique insights into fashion, design, and retail. Because two generations of his family have been involved in LA's fashion industry, although James Perse is not that well-known internationally, male celebrities in Beverly Hills, LA, and related movies and TV shows often choose James Perse for everyday short-sleeved shirts.
The image below is a brand guide from Maxfield, mostly featuring streetwear brands.
Being located in LA, the brand is also influenced by Southern California's sunny Mediterranean climate, relaxed and natural atmosphere, and beach culture. Sunshine, beaches, outdoor activities, and palm trees – these elements are all integrated into the colors, fabrics, and silhouettes of the clothing.
The architecture and sunshine of Los Angeles remind me of Mallorca, Spain. The Spanish dress brand Cortana, which I wrote about last year, was founded by Rosa Esteva, whose father is a Mediterranean architect. She was also immersed in the local Mediterranean climate from a young age and designs silk dresses for summer wear. Writing the stories of these two brands allows me to feel the sunshine of the Mediterranean climate, a bright and infinitely warm feeling, with an overall relaxed and natural atmosphere. Los Angeles, however, has more palm trees, private pools, and a sense of money.
Due to his cross-industry identity, James Perse's philosophy is not just about selling clothes, but about creating a complete lifestyle experience. From clothing to home furnishings, James Perse tries to integrate the brand's simple comfort and California's relaxed ease into every design, instilling this concept into all aspects of the consumer's life, creating a comprehensive lifestyle brand.
In recent years, James Perse has extended its design philosophy to the home sector, launching products such as furniture, bedding, and towels, bringing the brand's minimalist aesthetics and comfortable experience into home life. The first image on the brand's official website is related to home furnishings.
However, James Perse's core products are still T-shirts and long and short-sleeved POLO shirts. The brand's founding and cornerstone were driven by the pursuit of the perfect T-shirt.
In 1994, James Perse launched his first T-shirt collection, which quickly gained popularity for its soft and comfortable cotton fabrics (like brushed cotton, Peruvian cotton), well-fitting cuts, and attention to detail. Building on this success, the brand expanded into a womenswear collection in 1996 and gradually developed into a comprehensive lifestyle brand covering menswear, womenswear, home goods, and even furniture. The basic cotton T-shirts have also been continuously improved, resulting in a wide range of T-shirt and Polo shirt SKUs featuring various cotton fabrics and price points, from soft Slub Jersey T-shirts to high-end Japanese fabric Luxe Lotus Jersey short-sleeved shirts.
The brand's successful development led to the opening of its first retail store in 2003. Since then, James Perse's retail network has continued to expand, not only throughout the United States but also into international markets such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
02
For James Perse, I will only introduce the higher-end cotton T-shirts, long and short-sleeved polo shirts, and shirts priced above $180. Mass-market brands that primarily make pure cotton T-shirts typically offer these three main categories, along with some trousers.
The pure cotton in James Perse's high-end series is almost all Lotus Jersey, produced in Japan. The official website name will specify Luxe Lotus Jersey, and the hangtag for the Lotus Jersey series will change from the brand's half-lotus logo to a full lotus.
James's two most expensive items are the V-neck and crew-neck Lotus Jersey combed cotton T-shirts, which are lightweight, soft, and lustrous.
The cotton fabric for the Lotus series is Made in Japan, while other regular cotton items are Made in USA.
Lotus Jersey cotton long-sleeved shirts and sweatpants are very American casual. Sunspel wouldn't have such loose, ruched, laid-back trousers; their best trousers are straight-leg, slim-fit dress pant styles, which are cleaner and more polished.
These 3 Poplin shirts are also good and are among the brand's most expensive. These are not Lotus, but their high price is due to being Poplin and Suede Jersey, which have a better texture than regular cotton.
Here's an explanation of the differences in these pure cotton fabric technologies:
Poplin: A plain weave fabric, tightly woven and smooth, with a higher warp density than weft density. It is relatively crisp and has a smooth surface, often used for dress shirts, dresses, and shirt dresses that require a structured shape.
Jersey : A single-knit structure, soft, elastic, and breathable, suitable for T-shirts, sportswear, casual wear, underwear, etc. James Perse's classic core fabric is the lightweight and comfortable Classic Cotton Jersey.
Suede Jersey : Based on regular Jersey, but its surface undergoes a special treatment to create a napped effect, similar to the touch of suede.
Shirts made of ordinary Jersey like the one below also sell well for James Perse; their texture is softer and more relaxed compared to the Poplin above. However, we are not very interested in shirts, as we don't have occasions to wear them.
James Perse also has linen and cashmere series. As written before, cashmere, linen, and mulberry silk from mid-to-low-end cotton brands are not recommended. They are not the brand's core focus, and their mass-market positioning can't quite justify or properly handle very expensive natural fabrics.
Next, let's introduce James Perse's most core crew-neck T-shirts and Polo shirts. The wide range of colors shows that the cut of this Luxe Lotus Jersey Polo shirt is very representative for James Perse.
Luxe Lotus Jersey Polo short version.
This time, Eddy bought this one: Style: MELJ3293S, French Blue. He is 178cm tall and weighs 75kg; US size 2 is fine.
Because it's Jersey knit, and the Luxe Lotus is finer, the overall texture is very lightweight, soft, and skin-friendly. The close-up below shows the cotton is very fine.
The photo I took has a color cast, appearing a bit greener; the actual item is the understated navy blue shown on the official website above.
At the same price point and with the same fabric, there's also the brushed Lotus POLO. The difference lies in the washing process; it's softer after washing, but durability might be slightly reduced. I distinguish these two models by the color of the buttons on the Polo shirt collar.
The general style of James Perse short-sleeved Polo shirts is roughly like the one below, which is made of 100% cashmere. However, I see that the bestsellers on the official website are still the cheaper $80-$110 crew-neck short-sleeved shirts.
Besides Polo shirts, James Perse crew-neck short-sleeved shirts also use the same fabric as the Polo shirts mentioned above; the official website names are the same, both being Luxe Lotus Jersey fabric.
T-shirts have even more color options than Polo shirts. For both James Perse and Sunspel, T-shirts are indeed more mainstream than polo shirts and shirts.
This crew-neck short-sleeved shirt, like the Polo shirt, also has a washed version at the same price point.
Epilogue
It's time to wear short sleeves in Beijing now, so this article is quite seasonal. For men in summer, cotton T-shirts or fine-spun wool are good choices. For women, mulberry silk is still a must. Eddy in our family finds cotton and wool acceptable, but I can't; it has to be cashmere or mulberry silk, or a blend of the two.
James Perse offers good value for money. It has also been developing for 30 years, with stable and mature fits, occasionally introducing new fabric processes like washing, or changing cuff colors, but the overall styles are as introduced above.
Because its style and positioning are very similar to Sunspel, James Perse's display at Lane Crawford is often right next to Sunspel's. You can keep an eye out for the mid-year discounts around August, which should be 50-70% off. Since these two brands are already priced for a relatively broad audience, when they go on sale, many Lane Crawford employees buy them for themselves.
Luxe Lotus Jersey fabric is exceptionally delicate, lightweight, and soft, and not very wear-resistant. After taking photos at the foot of the Badaling Great Wall, Eddy put it away. After all, it's a new shirt, and he was a bit reluctant to wear it out, so he switched to a cashmere sweater he bought last year.
The buttons on this Polo shirt are quite interesting: there are two buttons, one hole is vertical for buttoning, and one hole is horizontal.
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