What with being neither a page boy nor a snooker player, I had not given much thought to waistcoats until recently. I guess I thought of them as belonging to a wardrobe that didn’t concern me: a world of braces, cravats and flat caps. Of Guy Ritchie films, wedding rentals and carnation buttonholes.
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Well, I guess the joke’s on me now, because waistcoats aren’t novelty or naff any more. They are happening, and I need to get up to speed on how to wear them. The waistcoat has entered the fashion chat in the slipstream of the trouser suit. Women have been wearing them for decades, but until the last decade it remained a slightly niche move – not weird or eccentric, just a bit of a statement. It is only in the past few years that suits on women have become unremarkable.
These days, women of all stripes wear them: the Princess of Wales, as well as politicians, film stars on the red carpet, brides and moguls and mums. Ahead of the women’s Euros, which kicks off next week, M&S has released a collection for the Lionesses that gives a playful nod to Gareth Southgate’s famous waistcoat. This time around it comes buttoned asymmetrically. The waistcoat is either the third part in the suit look or an alternative to the jacket.
This waistcoat moment is very different from the last one, whenKate Mosswore them in the 00s. That was an entirely different iteration: a spry, shrunken scrap of a thing, worn with skinny jeans and a ribbed vest. It was very informal, worn either tight and buttoned (no bra) or hanging loose from the shoulders over other layers, almost like a scarf. It was rakish, romantic and a bit Fleetwood Mac.
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The waistcoat hits differently now. Sometimes it is worn as a top, when it works as a kind of froth-free corset, buttoned tight to cinch the waist. This is good when you want the silhouette of a vest top but with more structure.
Another plus is that it is one of the few summer outfits that looks just as good when you layer a jacket on top. Any kind of tailored blazer will work well, so long as the necklines of the jacket and waistcoat run parallel, or close (a high-necked waistcoat under a cutaway jacket will get a bit messy, visually). A cardigan definitely can’t go on top, though, or you will look as if you put your clothes on in the wrong order. Cardigan stans might, however, do well to lean into the waistcoat-cardigan hybrid, in the form of a simple front-buttoned knitted tank. I have one I wore between a shirt and a jacket for most of the spring – and which is now working as a summer top on its own, buttoned up with a midi skirt; I’m also planning to take it on holiday as an evening throw-on over spaghetti strap dresses.Zara has a Knitted Topwith gold starburst buttons (£29.99) that’s very pretty.
But the waistcoat shape that’s most useful right now is one that can be worn as either a top or a jacket. The key details you are looking for are as follows. First, it needs to have a simple, round neckline, one that will map neatly on to the neck of a T-shirt, not a V-neck. Second, you want one that’s not too skimpy at the shoulder. It should extend to where the shoulder seam of a shirt sits, because that way you can layer it over something with sleeves, if you want to. Third – and I know I’m being a fusspot now but bear with – look for a silhouette that buttons from neck to waist and then opens to a shape that flares at the hip. This will look great worn open as a casual sleeveless jacket, and smart worn buttoned with the belt of your trousers just seen at the waist.
Me+Em have aSeam Detail Tailored Waistcoat(£250) that will be a hard-working piece of your everyday wardrobe but, worn fastened with smart white trousers, would be polished enough for Wimbledon or a city wedding.
I am also a big fan of Albaray’sSoft Yellow Tailored Waistcoat(£75), which has a chic notched neckline and an adjustable closure at the back of the waist so that you can shape it to suit you. Am I overthinking this? Possibly. Making up for lost time.