Men's Waistcoats & Vests - What They Are & How to Wear Them

SHOP THE VIDEO:

00:00 Introduction

00:42 History
It's basically a contrasting waistcoat or vest that is different than the jacket and or the pants. Let's start off with odd vest history. It has been around since the 1800s and it was always an elegant way to add color to your outfit and to stand out. Often, they had artistic buttons and intricate detailing.

Let's say you have two jackets and one suit in your wardrobe; adding another jacket gives you another outfit instead, if you take the same money and invest in three odd vests, let's say in a red one, burgundy, maybe blue and green, all of a sudden you can create 27 outfits.

01:52 Lighter Colored Odd Vests
They're really easy to combine with a darker suit or darker garments simply because they add this contrast. Ideally, you don't want the vest to be the same color as your shirt, otherwise, it all blends in.

In terms of material, I like a white or off-white velvet or mole or doeskin, simply because it's warm in the winter, it adds an extra layer, and it looks magnificent with any kind of dark suits whether it's gray, blue, or brown. Alternatively, a buff waistcoat or a light gray waistcoat looks really dapper as well, it also is appropriate for business suits, as well as formal morning wear.

The most important thing when wearing a vest is that you never combine it with a belt. Why? you might wonder. It adds a little layer underneath your vest and makes it gap between the pants and the vest and it looks cheap and odd, therefore, either go with side adjusters on your pants or with suspenders but never a belt.

When you start, I suggest to go with solid colored vests for business suits such as gray, maybe buff, light blue, or something darker.

06:41 Tartan Vest
It has its origins in Scotland and one of the most popular fabrics is probably the Black Watch tartan. Some people like to pair them during holidays maybe with a velvet jacket and I suggest to only combine bold waistcoats like that with solid jackets, otherwise, it's an overload of patterns and it's not flattering.

07:06 Tattersall Waistcoats
It has basically small cheques or mini window panes in two different colors, on a lighter background such as pastel yellow, buff, or sometimes even off-white. Most of the time, it comes in basic colors such as green, yellow, blue, or red, for the cheques and it's a staple that's very bold but because it's classic you can wear it without a problem.

08:36 Knit Vest
It's warm, it's as comfortable as a sweater and maybe even more so because it doesn't have sleeves, and you can easily take it on or off, and it a very casual character.

Another popular sweater vest pattern is the fair isle pattern. It was popularized by the prince of wales and it works so well because it uses lots of different colors to create that pattern that is so typical for that sweater or for the vest.

09:47 Where should you buy your waistcoats?
So the easiest route for you will be to go custom. I've also had good luck finding them at thrift stores because back in the day, people would wear waistcoats a lot more especially odd vests.

At the end of the day, I think every man should have at least five waistcoats in his arsenal because the more of them you have, the easier it will be to combine different outfits that look unique.

To learn more about Layering check out our guides on the website

#howtowearvests #waistcoats #notsponsored
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Gentleman's Gazette

[adrianraygoza]

The Gentleman's Gazette has helped me seamlessly transition from a medical scrubs-wearing job to a gentlemen's business style attire downtown Chicago career. I had no idea where to start. Watching these videos made me realize that I had a few items in my closet to combine for an elegant look. I've taken the first few checks to really invest in my look based on these videos ever since. I'm going nearly 6-months strong now.

[micahbush]

Personally, I think vests with suits are severely underrated; they have a nice slimming effect, they counteract the sometimes unflattering angle of suit lapels, and they allow you to continue looking dapper and professional if you remove your jacket.

[fabianprado]

I have to say it, as a guy with a little overweight, I LOVE watching you as a model of your outfits! Great video and great info Raphael, and oh, sweet accent. Cheers from Argentina

[terrydrums]

I wore a belt under my vest today and no one minded because they were all wearing cargo shorts, flip-flops and superhero t-shirts. To them, I was wearing a tuxedo. It's all relative.

[Atemporalacab]

Gentleman Gazette this chanel is not a fashion trend chanel, this is the art of being a gentlemen

[mecchabaron]

Waistcoats are for sure my favourite item of clothing, and something I love wearing as a "signum". I often go with a more casual style with an odd vest, a simple dress shirt (possibly a tie) and an overcoat. I think it's a really versatile item which can be dressed up or dressed down. Great video!

[steelresilience]

Your videos are like the Ph.D. level of style.

[petervamos]

1:20
“So why should you wear odd vests, and why should you inVEST in them”

[johnviano]

Hello, I just subscribed after viewing several videos today. I enjoyed this video on vest. I'm 64 years old and nice to see you have embraced some of the styling of the past. Best Regards, John

[claremiller]

So happy to hear a man say "not too matchy matchy" in reference to men's wear - this is a well known women's style sin and it does apply to everyone!
Great video, I'll definitely need to go custom because waistcoats for women just don't exist nine years out of ten. I have one from years ago which I do like a lot, though it's not of great quality.

[victorespino]

Never seen someone wear a full suit with 7 different colors

[mutahharjalal]

Man, the level of detail in his videos amuses me. True gentleman

[RedcoatsReturn]

I have been looking my whole life for your channel! Thank you for helping men to become Gentlemen all over the World! Style, Class, Beauty, Elegance and those special good manners! I hope a ˋHow to be a real Lady´ will start up, God knows they are becoming rare too!

[simplyelitetravels]

It's a lot of style vids on youtube. But this channel is underrated. This video is maybe the greatest style video of all time.

[TimothyRCrowe]

Love your videos and follow most of your advice. However, I have one exception on vests when it comes to men of a more full-figured, rotund physique. For us gentleman who are more built for comfort than speed, vests are a godsend. They make you look more uniform in shape and the hang of your clothes. However, a vest that ends just above the belt-line isn't as flattering, especially if you have a bit of a pendulous belly. I use a XLT for a little more length to cover that anatomical feature, and it works very well to make me look more streamlined in the front. However, the suspenders are a must! Keep it up, my fashion guru!

[kaiyusun]

These are wonderful videos to watch even for appreciation purposes only.

[annmarieveronicajames]

I love men in vest especially knitted. Winter 🥶 is lovely to see how the men looks and coordinated for the cold weather seasons.🙏🏽📖😇

[ProgressivePatriot]

That moment when you find out that the way to wear a vest for business is without a belt and now you realize you need suspenders, but you're kind of excited about it because it's a new clothing item type. Thanks for another awesome video, Sven!

[bemnet]

Amazing video. I usually wear vests, I learned more about how to wear it.

[ardentdfender]

This was a very great detailed and in depth video on Vests and how to wear. It surely filled in the many questions I’ve had on how to wear and if to wear. Now I understand they are completely versatile and if you have a variety of suits with vests to mix and wear with different outfits. I definitely like the Burgundy, Tan or Copper tone color ones for versatility to really mix things up.