Papelino
When it comes to the origins of a sport shirt as intrepidly glorious as the new
Papelino from Bonobos, winnowing fact from rumor is like scrubbing crème de
menthe out of a white denim jean jacket – difficult, but, as we learned at the last
Bonobos holiday party, hardly impossible. So let’s stick to what we do know.
Fact:
It is known that the Papelino sport shirts are 100% cotton poplin and come in three
deep, rich colors, navy, khaki, and pine, with contrast stitching in the cuff placket.
It is also known that poplin fabric – a material famed for its resistance to wrinkles
and wear – has its origins in the legendary French city of Avignon, where it was
called “papelino” in the Middle Ages. Hm, Papelino . . . interesting.
Rumor:
It is widely suspected that deep in the mountains of the Alpes-Maritimes, a thousand
feet above the Rivieran town of Juan-les-Pins, sits a pine-bowed and mistral-kissed
national forest famed for its stylishly virile forest rangers, the Papelinos. Hale
woodsmen, they are always at the ready to lend a hand to hikers and mountaineers
in need, and more than willing to look great doing so. And according to legend, these
Ligurian lumberjacks clad themselves solely in the richest and deepest of forest-hued poplin. In fact, a wayward Swedish au pair trapped beneath an avalanche
even reported hearing rousing shouts of “Papelino! Papelino!” as they descended on
ropes to rescue her from the rock face.
Apocryphal or not, there can be no denying that the Papelino is a truly great solid-colored sport shirt, ideal for pairing with contrasting colors, extremely versatile for
year-round wear.
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