What to Wear in Southwest France in Autumn

Cool mornings, warmer afternoons and the knit I designed for days when nothing in the wardrobe feels quite right

By late October, mornings in Southwest France begin to feel cooler.

Not properly cold yet. Just cool enough to find yourself standing in front of the wardrobe thinking that nothing quite works.

Summer clothes feel too light. It is still too early for a coat. The afternoon may turn warm, but in the morning you want something soft to wrap around you.

And some mornings, you simply do not feel like thinking about an entire outfit.

In fact, one of the Adèle & Soleil knits was born from exactly this kind of morning.

Lundi Matin.

Why I called it Lundi Matin

Lundi Matin means Monday morning.

I gave this knit its name because I wanted to create something for those mornings when you wake up, the air is cooler and, standing in front of your wardrobe, it feels as though there is nothing to wear.

You know the feeling.

Everything is there, but somehow nothing feels quite right.

I wanted a knit you could simply put on and feel ready.

That is why Lundi Matin is long.

Some mornings, I do not want to wear anything particularly considered underneath it. A simple T-shirt, jeans and Lundi Matin. The long silhouette does enough on its own to make everything feel pulled together.

On another day, I might feel more like playing with it.

A shirt or T-shirt underneath. Jeans. A scarf. Perhaps a little jewellery. Different layers and textures.

The same knit, a completely different feeling.

One knit, two very different mornings.

Autumn does not always need more clothes

I love layering in autumn, but I do not think it needs to mean wearing as many things as possible.

Sometimes you simply need the right layer.

On a cool morning in Bordeaux, a T-shirt, jeans and a long cardigan may be enough. As the day warms up, wear it open or take it off for a while.

Beside the Bassin d’Arcachon, the breeze can make the same temperature feel quite different. It is good to have something soft and warm that you can simply pull around you.

And if the day turns into a long lunch, a visit to the market or an afternoon wandering through town, I like clothes that do not require too much thought along the way.

Autumn dressing does not always need more clothes. Sometimes it simply needs the right layer.

Why a long cardigan works

The length of Lundi Matin is not accidental.

I love the way a long knit can make even the simplest combination feel complete.

A T-shirt and jeans can be completely ordinary. Add a long, soft cardigan and something changes.

The silhouette changes.

There is movement.

And at the same time, it is simply warm and comfortable.

That matters to me in a good piece of clothing: practicality and beauty do not have to be two different things.

Lundi Matin is made from a soft mohair and wool blend. The mohair gives it the airy, slightly fluffy texture I love, while the long silhouette makes it the kind of knit that is easy to reach for on a cooler morning.

We have written more about mohair in our Journal, because there is much more to this seemingly delicate fibre than first meets the eye.

And then the afternoon arrives

Perhaps what I love most about autumn in Southwest France is that one day can seem to contain several seasons.

In the morning, you want to pull your knit closely around you.

At lunchtime, you undo the buttons.

And on some days, by afternoon, you are simply carrying it with you.

The light changes. The air softens. People still sit outside on café terraces, and autumn does not yet mean that life has to move indoors.

Perhaps that is why knitwear feels so right here.

It moves with the day.

Clothes for real life

The clothes I love most are the ones that do not demand too much thought.

Not because getting dressed cannot be fun. Quite the opposite.

Some mornings I want to play with colours, layers and little details.

On others, I simply want to put something on and walk out of the door.

I want the same knit to work for both.

For morning coffee.

For a walk.

By the sea.

For travelling.

For wandering through Bordeaux.

With old favourite jeans or over a dress.

Simplicity, warmth, practicality and beauty,  all together.

Lundi Matin was made for mornings like these.

The ones when it feels as though there is nothing to wear.

And then you realise that perhaps all you needed was the right knit.

Toujours le Soleil ☀️