Try… the casual sleeveless vest – #3/4

Cover credit: Universal Works

We are going to talk about sleeveless vests, but without addressing the case of the suit vest. In fact, an advice article has already been dedicated to it, which you can read here .

This article will rather discuss the sleeveless vest in its more casual version.

The different types of casual vests

They can be classified into two main categories:

1. The padded vest

This garment mainly has a thermal purpose : it provides an additional layer of warmth to the torso without hindering movement in the arms. We mostly wear it in fall/winter.

It also has a stylistic dimension. Depending on its thickness, it can be layered almost anywhere:

• Under a thick blazer or cardigan
• On a blazer
• Between a sweater and a coat
• Etc

This additional, fairly mobile layer allows us to leave a little room for creativity and to densify the top of our outfit.

When you think of this piece, you probably see two kinds of it:

1. On the left, in a synthetic material, Uniqlo model. We can say that such vests are a little cheap
2. On the right, in a woolen material, Suitsupply model. In addition to the thermal gain of wool , they are a little more elegant.

You will nevertheless find synthetic vests prettier than the Uniqlo models, which have a little "Michelin man" feel with their fairly close horizontal seams.

Here are some examples :

A pretty Lavendham green cardigan with snap buttons, patch pockets and squared seams found on TheHipStore

The best of both worlds with this reversible Cadot vest : a blue side in wool flannel, a green side in water-repellent nylon. The zips are also reversible.

Best in terms of style: the Rocky Mountain Featherbed vests, very thick in nylon and leather inserts on the shoulders. More sober colors than this mustard yellow exist.

2. The unpadded vest

The absence of padding gives it lower thermal interest. It wears without problem in mid-season.

It is not a garment that you choose to be warmer but above all to have more style.

It is a garment that has a strong playful potential in its choice and the way it is worn.

It goes to:

• A shirt, a polo shirt, a Henley or even a t-shirt
• A sweater or fine knit

There are currently quite a few brands offering vests in this spirit.

Here is a small sample of what you can find:

A Universal Works chambray cardigan. Unusual and yet very versatile.

Carhartt 's vision of the sleeveless vest: in a slightly thick cotton canvas.

A vest with even more character from Tonton&Fils : green corduroy at the front, blue denim at the back, brass buttons.

What's the difference with a suit vest?

You can remember that the suit vest is rather:

• In a woolen material
• With a shiny back in a polyester or viscose type material
• Sometimes with setbacks

Where the casual, non-woolen cardigan is more:

• In a cotton material
• Without shiny back: the back material is often in the same material as the front
• Without setbacks

These criteria are not absolute. The difference is sometimes slight. Some casual suits, in cotton or linen in particular, have a waistcoat which, worn alone, can fall into the category that interests us here.

This ABCL cotton/linen vest is at a crossroads. It's part of a 3 piece set so it's a suit vest, but it's not formal.

3. The sleeveless cardigan

It's rarer but you will also sometimes find cardigans Sleeveless.

They fit well into formal outfits but I have a hard time seeing their interest outside of this particular style.

In my opinion, here is the right (and only) way to deal with this type of piece:

3 simple tips for wearing it well

• Test combinations . Put it over a hoodie, open over an overshirt itself open over a white t-shirt, under a denim jacket itself under a parka, etc. Get it wrong, send us photos if necessary to get our opinion . It is by trying that you will get the most out of the stylistic potential of this type of vest.
• In addition to the classic blue and gray, a vest in a shade of brown seems to me to be a great option . You can put it in monochrome with beige, camel, sand and in contrast with white, gray, green, blue.
• Choose it with buttons or a double zip and open the bottom . This energizes your silhouette by bringing the gaze closer to your natural waist line:

BonneGueule vest

Inspiration

1. No hassle

Aspesi vest

If this type of piece intimidates you, here's how to make it your own with this casual chic look, very simple in its composition.

The olive green vest, rather thin, is worn over a colorful striped sailor-style t-shirt, perfectly cut navy blue chinos and a pair of white Converse.

You can remember here that:

• The sleeveless vest goes well with a long-sleeved top
• Blue, green and white go very well together

2. Blue and brown make good thieves

Giovanni, the manager of our Parisian boutique on rue Commines, wears his Carhartt vest in a fairly sober way here: with blue (sweatshirt, jeans and hat) and brown ( Paraboot Michael derby).

3. White bread sandwich

Here, the sleeveless fleece vest is worn between a shirt and a workwear jacket.

We easily note the construction in blue (shirt + pants) and camel (vest + sneakers) with the ecru jacket that stands out.

You can easily replace the jacket with a thick cardigan with a shawl collar, for another combination that stands out a little from the crowd.

4. Camo and palm trees

MAN 1924 vest, Hartford shirt, Benevento chinos, Sebago boat shoes, BonneGueule cap.

Here is my proposition.

I'm wearing a fairly eye-catching printed vest (palm trees and contrasting patch pockets) over a printed shirt.

I find that the harmony of colors (blue/green/beige/brown) helps calm the association of two patterns.

The cap is quite discreet and does not stand out.

5. With a t-shirt!

I was surprised when I saw this look because I wouldn't particularly recommend the sleeveless vest with a simple white t-shirt. The association is not very natural in my opinion.

However, here it works very well. For what ?

Because this gentleman compensates for the simplicity of the t-shirt/vest combination by densifying the rest of the outfit: beautiful sartorial-inspired pants, pompom moccasins, brown leather bag, bracelet, sunglasses.

Without accessories, with "just" chinos and sneakers, the outfit would probably have lacked a little salt.

With this in mind, he could also have chosen to wear a bandana around his neck.

6. Ready for winter

I showed you a Rocky Mountain Featherbed vest above. Here is one in a more workwear style with a denim jacket, beige pants and boots that have a bit of vintage.

The cuts are perfect , the colors and styles of the pieces complement each other perfectly.

Brand selection

1. Entry level

Tonsor&Cie : the Toulouse eshop offers two vests with a bit of a workwear feel under its brand for around fifty euros.

Arket : at the time of publication of this article, there is not too much choice in sleeveless vests on their shop, but the brand regularly offers quite nice and sober ones in a budget around 60/80 €.

2. Mid-range

Univeral Works : beautiful vests from the English brand. Models in plain cotton, printed, fleece... a good address.

Carhartt : a fairly wide range of sleeveless vests (fleece, with patch pockets, cotton canvas, etc.).

Suitsupply : the brand offers in its "vests" category rather dressy models (suit vests) and in its "coats" category, padded vests rather for fall/winter, in nylon and wool.

The Lost Explorer : you will find end of stock on Marrkt on several quite nice vests from the American brand for around sixty euros.

MAN 1924: the Spanish brand no longer offers vests in its current collection to my knowledge. You will nevertheless find a palm model in the spirit of mine very well stored hidden at the bottom of their outlet .

Cadot : in addition to the reversible model shown above, the brand offers other padded wool flannel vests for fall/winter.

3. High-end

Tonton&Fils : very beautiful vests in a very typical workwear spirit from this French brand, in creative colors and fabrics: waxed cotton, wool tweed, corduroy and even suede leather or shearling.

(L'Egoïste) Paris : in a style a little less marked but just as creative as Tonton&Fils, you will find vests from the French brand L'Egoïste. Jordan presented one to you in his first nuggets .

RRL : you will regularly find quite creative vests in this premium range from Ralph Lauren.

Fortela : Alessandro Squarzi likes vests. This is seen in its Fortela brand which permanently offers a range of vests.

Rocky Mountain Featherbed : American brand offering a large range of beautiful sleeveless vests . They are characterized by their thickness and by the presence of a leather insert on the shoulders of each model.

Informal : the young Australian brand offers a pretty cotton vest with several patch pockets in a very casual chic style

Aspesi : the nylon vests from the Italian brand have a slightly more casual or even sporty feel.