Wearing Waistcoats
Finding waistcoats, choosing a fit, and wearing them.
There are a few varieties of waistcoat and vest you might be interested in wearing — a typical modern waistcoat is ordinarily assumed to be part of men’s formalwear, with two front sections that button at the centre or to one side of the abdomen, and a back section. For wear with a suit, you might expect the vest to be made of wool, tweed, or linen, either entirely or in weave blends, although cheaper waistcoats might be made of polyester and/or viscose with elastane, especially if you’re looking at stretch-fit pieces.
I’m going to be using “waistcoat” and “vest” relatively loosely throughout this piece— “vest” in US English typically refers to any sleeveless garment worn overtop of a shirt or other undergarment, and is often used interchangeably with the word “waistcoat”. I personally would distinguish between a waistcoat and a vest by saying that a waistcoat fastens (or appears to fasten) at the front or side of the garment, meaning that it can be worn open, or is taken off by opening its front and then easing it from the shoulders, whereas a vest does not have any sort of fastening at its front or side, and is put on or removed by pulling it over the head.
Waistcoats typically have a bit more structure and shape than vests because of this fastening in the front, and…
