The chameleon garment






Waistcoats aren’t the easiest to wear, generally speaking, but have somewhat become popular these days, both as part of a suit and informal occasions. Traditionally, men don’t have the same diversity of clothing women have, which is why this garment is a playful choice to break up monotony. The right waistcoat to go for when it comes to suits is the one that’s originally designed for it if so to begin with; this way there’s no chances you go wrong with the colour or patterns. Alternatively, succeeding in combining it with different style suits will be a good acquisition, although the fabrics must be considered, and they must be made with high quality materials to be as elegant as possible. In order to make it easy to match them, it is best to opt for neutral colours without a doubt, which blends in well to all suits such as black, grey, and ash colour. The general rule is that the formal waistcoat is a short piece which comes up to 2.5 centimetres below the waist of the trousers. Ties are good to combine them with it and the other parts of our suit too except for informal occasions where you may want to keep it simpler.

 

The waistcoat was created to shape the male figure. During the reign of King Charles II of England (1630-1985), the monarch introduced this garment as part of "dressing well". After the French Revolution of 1789 it becomes less popular due to the anti-aristocratic sentiment that prevailed but later the dandy movement, full of style and rebellion, gave the waistcoat unprecedented popularity. It went from being a secondary garment to a main in the three-piece suit becoming shorter and tighter. In this way, around the 1820s, the most daring men began to wear corsets to modify their figure with a narrow waist and wide shoulders. Given this situation, the vest is narrowed and fitted to the maximum, to the point of integrating yarn overs on the back and reinforcing rods so that the new silhouette stands out. It was a rather striking style, but extremely uncomfortable, so it was only maintained for a few decades, when the designs began to be more relaxed going for on more straightness and less tight waists.

 

Waistcoats have made a “comeback” in trends lately. We have seen them on different catwalks during fashion weeks as well as worn on the streets casually and of course hanging in stores. There are many ways you can wear them as they come in many different styles, from very non-formal looks to the perfect piece to complete a smart outfit for a wedding or evening event. A waistcoat can be the main piece of your outfit, or it can be used just to give it a touch of originality.

I am wearing one of these classic pieces with a beautiful plaid print in blue tones combining it with a white shirt and a diagonally striped tie matching the rest of the colours. I am styling all this with dark grey, pleated trousers and the tan loafers with multiple apertures making the footwear and the whole look more interesting and summery with a twist but sleek. And why not mix this footwear with cute carrot print socks? The denim jacket is one of my favourite ones in my wardrobe with its colourblock design going harmoniously with pretty much everything. Finally, the vintage briefcase and the wristwatch compliment the leather loafers and sunglasses perfectly.



















Wrangler jacket, Zara waistcoat, Zara trousers, Massimo Dutty shirt, Zara tie, Hereu loafers, Topman socks, Il Cuoio vintage briefcase, Rayban sunglasses
Photos by: Evan Baul 
Instagram: evanbaul 

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