Men's Fashion Casual Fall 2014 Trends in the 1920sl Casual Summer Haircuts with Scarves Illustration: Mens Fashion Vests Men's Fashion Casual Fall 2014 Trends In The 1920Sl Casual Summer Haircuts With Scarves Illustration Photos

Mens Fashion Vests Biography
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Every year as the weather turns cold, I very much look forward to wearing my odd vests. Of course, I could also wear them in summer but most of the time it is too hot, while the fall/winter season is perfect for the extra layer of fabric. Not only does a waistcoat keepme warmer, but it also provides my outfits with a very different look. Even if you have a limited wardrobe of 3 suits and 3 odd vests, you can create a total of 12 outfits (3 without vests, 9 with vests)! Today’s article will be all dedicated to the odd vest and how to wear them, the different options you have as well as some vest etiquette.

Giveaway

To start on a high note, we have a great giveaway of 3 cordings waistcoats – just fill out the survey here, and even if you don’t win, you will receive a $5 off or 10% off gift coupon from our store. And here to obligatory giveaway terms. Contest ends Dec 10, 2013 midnight CST.

Cordings Waistcoats

Odd Vest History

The contrasting odd vest has been a long standing staple in menswear since the 1800s. Gentleman at the time would carefully select their contrasting vests with artistic buttons made of intricately woven fabrics and combine them with their outfits. Sometimes, they would even wear two contrasting vests on top of each other, like Bernard Wolf in the painting below. Subsequently, vest slips became en vogue and today you can still see them worn by gentlemen, especially with formal daywear. As you can see, the odd vest is even older than the lounge suit, nevertheless an odd waistcoat looks great with a suit particularly when the color is lighter than the suit itself.

Bernard Wolf with Double Vest in 1823 painted by Sophie Rude Beaus in the 1800s with contrasting striped waistcoats

Why Odd Vests?

You may wonder why you would want to invest money into odd vests if you could just get a three piece suit. Well, the advantage of odd vests is that they expand your wardrobe in size and flexibility. If you are just starting out and you have a total of 2 jackets and one suit, and you invest in 3 odd vests rather than one additional jacket, you can now create 27 different outfits! If you had bought a jacket, you would just have four outfits. So, contrasting odd vests can have a substantial impact on your wardrobe without breaking the bank. Even if you have a large number of suits and jackets, a few odd waistcoats will allow you to create a lot of new outfits. To prove my point just look the the following pictures. The jacket is the same, but because of the vest and accessories, the look is quite different.

Alpaca sweater vest in blue with wool tie and paisley pocket square by Fort Belvedere Different texture of sport coat & vest Sweater vest with the same jacket looks very different Brown tweed jacket with burgundy odd vest, ascot & navy corduroy pants

When you start wearing odd vests you may wonder what colors work best with your suits or jackets. My suggestion is to begin with a solid colored vest that is lighter than your suit or jacket because it is very versatile and will almost always look magnificent. Historically, dapper gents would wear white gilets or vests with their daywear and even today a white vest in either flannel or or worsted looks fantastic with navy or charcoal suits. At the same time, white stains very easily and sand tones, buff or dove grey work very well and are more flexible.

If you get a single breasted vest in buff or sand you can wear it as a morning waistcoat or with a stroller suit, business suit in solids or pinstripes as well as sport coats and tweed suits.

Stroller Suit with Contrasting Vest Ralph Lauren Rope Striped suit with DB vest in white

Important Characteristics of a Vest

If you are in the market for an odd vest, there are a couple of points you should pay attention to:

1. Length of the Vest

It is very important to choose the correct vest length for your trousers. As a rule of thumb, the vest should always cover the waistband. So depending on your height, your torso length and the rise of your trousers your vest has to be different. Also, bear in mind, that many men leave the bottom button of their waistcoat undone. If you want to do that as well, the vest has to be long enough so you won’t see any shirt fabric.

2. Big Armholes for Easy Movement

Unlike with jackets, it is not desirable to have small armholes because it doesn’t have any sleeves attached. Larger armholes are better for vests, so that it will not restrict the motion of your arms at all.

Cordings Moleskin Vest with Tattersall Back

3. Lined Back

Very few evening waistcoats come without a back, but true waistcoats always have a lined back. Sometimes it is made out of thinner viscose or silk, other times from cotton but rarely is it made of the same fabric as the front since that would be too heavz. Moreover, it is important that the back is rather smooth so your jacket will hang and drape nicely. Cordings - home of the covert coat – has vests with a viscose and a tattersall cotton back, which looks unique when you take off your coat.

4. Never wear a belt

As mentioned in our 25 Tips to Dress More Elegantly, when you wear a vest, always skip the belt in favor of side adjusters or braces because a belt will always make your vest stand away from the trousers waistband, which looks bulky and crowded.

Business suits

If you want to wear a odd vest with a business suit, I suggest you go with muted colors and simple textures. For example, white or gray linen, and light blue, buff or gray worsteds work well with navy and charcoal solid and striped suits. Also, a dark burgundy may work but make sure not to wear tweed, leather or moleskin vests to the office because their distinctly casual feel are not formal enough for the setting. Also, skip bold patterns and shiny buttons. Depending on your job, a knit or sweater vest may work well for you.

A great option for business is to swap out a piece of a three piece suit for a contrasting item. For example, in this picture you can see the vest and trousers of a houndstooth suit paired with a solid blue jacket. If you do that, it usually works best if you pair a subtle pattern with a solid, such as prince of wales vest with solid jacket or chalk stripe suit with solid vest. The key is to experiment until you find a combination that really works for you.

Houndstooth Vest & Trousers with solid peaked lapel blue jacket