I can't say I understand the nuances of seasonal trends--all I've gathered so far is that over-the-knee boots and red lipstick are supposed to be tres "in" this fall. So I have no idea where menswear-inspired pieces fall in the spectrum of "trendy - dowdy," but something tells me it's the sort of thing that never goes out of style. And so friends, I give you: waistcoats for women.
Now, I am not talking mere vests, that foul Americanization of the word. Though people might assume that vests and waistcoats are interchangeable, I beg to differ. While a vest, to me, is any old thing with no sleeves worn over something else, waistcoats involve some must-haves:
- Tailoring: Lapels, darts, seams, interfacing. This means that a waistcoat must never be made of any shapeless sweater-like knit material!
- Buttons or some other closure of some kind. Again, it is not something you can just pull over your head like any common vest. It requires patience! Class! Preferably of the double-breasted sort!
- Some interesting detail: Okay, this is just my personal opinion, but it's one thing to wear something that looks like it belongs as part of a three-piece suit. It's another thing to wear a stand-alone waistcoat that makes a statement all on its own!
Vests/waistcoats were the kind of accessory that never crossed my mind as a legitimate investment, when I was growing up. If you had given me a vest in high school I would hardly have known what to do with it. It just seemed so extraneous, so unnecessary! But now they're growing on me for that very reason. So what if they don't keep you warm, or hold something up, or cover up something that needs to be covered? It sort of hit me the other day when I was at my friend's wedding and saw a (very cute) female server with a a simple, well-tailored black waistcoat over her white uniform, and thought, "I should totally rock that look!"
I think we're on to something here.
List of items above: 1. Heimstone Gilet for acrimony. 2-3. Boy by Band of Outsiders. 4. Candy and Caviar for 80spurple.com. 5. Citizens of Elysium on etsy.com. 6. 17th-century woman's waistcoat. 7. Erik Hart for revolveclothing.com. 8. 17th-century floral embroidered waistcoat. 9-10. Forever 21. 11. Generra at bluefly.com. 12. Heimstone Gilet, in black. 13. MBH Saddlery show halter waistcoat. 14. Paper Denim Cloth. 15. Play the Odds. 16. Yellow quilted Provencal waistcoat. 17. Roberto Rodriguez at bluefly.com. 18-19. Silence and Noise for urbanoutfitters.com. 20. Vintage textile waistcoat. 21. Alice + Olivia.