The Naval II breton top by Saint James is the breton shirt famously worn by Pablo Picasso. Whereas early breton clothing is found in creams and navy blues, this one is a crisp white and a bright gitane blue. There are other differences that stand the Naval II apart. As a working garment, the sleeves on breton shirts are always short. On the Naval II they are shorter still. And the French stripes differ; on the Naval II they continue further upwards on the garment's chest than on the arms, leaving a slight gap between the two before the yoke becomes solid white.
The Naval II breton shirt has a wide boat collar and two side slits. To top it off, the material is excellent. It is made in a heavy weight, similar to the Meridien but with a finer and softer weave - more like a jersey. Made in France from 100% cotton.
Saint James clothing was born in 1889 in the town of its namesake, located a few miles from the sea, and close to Mont Saint-Michel in Southern Normandy. The Saint James story began when the Legallais family started to spin and dye the local wool and sell the skeins and wool balls to the shops of Brittany and Normandy, later spinning the wool into shirts for the fishermen. Leon Legallais, the then mayor or Saint-James transformed this workshop into a large industry and in 1929 the company went public. To this day, all of their clothing is made in Saint James, France.