Cafe Du Cycliste Henriette Short Sleeve Jersey

New fave jersey alert! Here, ladies and gents, we have a lovely specimen, a retro-styled road jersey from new-this-year French company Café du Cycliste.

The brand started life in an actual caf, holed up in the hills - proto-Alps more like - behind Cannes. Now, it's based in Nice, where the philosophy remains the same: creating elegant and retro, yet roadworthy clothing.

The Henriette is from the company's 'Sur le bitume' (On the Tarmac) range, which is designed for performance rather than town riding. Not that you'd know it. The technical features - of which there are a few - are hidden behind the jersey's casual looks. Personally, I think the styling is spot on, and, while it's not going to endear you to the tech-heads out there, that's not really why you'd buy it, is it? The company logo, embroidered on the sleeve, and on a reflective panel on the back - a lady on a bike, drinking - is a cheeky, '60s Bardot-esque touch.

Most noticeable, once you take the Henriette out of the gingham-cloth sleeve it's delivered in (a nice detail - and the print's repeated on the inside collar hem), is the material. Although it's made from 100% polyester, like the majority of cycling jerseys, it immediately stands out. Café du Cycliste says it worked with an Italian fabric maker to create this exclusive 'piqu' fabric, which gives a pleasing textured appearance and the rough/soft feel - think '80s tennis shirt. It really is different, and what's more, it doesn't have the heft of an old polo shirt. It's much lighter and thinner as befits a piece of cycling kit. The main body is complemented by ribbed cuffs on the sleeves, again more like a tennis shirt than a cycling jersey, and by a beautifully soft, high collar. This is more roomy and loose than a classic cycling collar, and it looks good zipped up, or unzipped and hanging down, giving something of a polo shirt look.

On the bike it's clear a lot of thought has been put in to the design. The Henriette fits to size - not too large or small - and is a close but not 'race' fit. The three rear pockets are medium sized, and securely hold everything you need. Reflective strips between them are a practical touch, and the additional zipped valuables pocket seems larger and wider than some, giving a lot of stow space for wallets, keys and phones. All the zips have lock-down pullers.

The piqu material means the Henriette is well ventilated and, to my nose, it performs pretty well in the stinky-jersey jersey stakes (which a lot of polyester tends to fall down on). It's not a cold-weather piece of kit, and the loose collar probably won't keep you as warm as a tight collar, but it's served me well with arm-warmers and a gilet during cool starts.

Having ridden this extensively through town, and over several hundred kilometres out on the road, I have nothing but good things to say about it. I wore it on a 110km ride, then went straight to meet friends for lunch, and it was equally good in each situation.

Verdict

New fave jersey. Looks and feels lovely. Works well on the bike for long rides but - genuinely - it's something you'd feel happy wearing in any non-bike situation.