I love this look on other people but just have never taken to it myself.My sister looks fabulous in it, while I feel like I am wearing a costume. The best I can get to is a soft knit/sweater/cashmere vest over a long sleeve(which is quite different and not at all edgy).
But I guess that’s me, and that’s okay too
I’ll enjoy this look vicariously through other fab women…

Great post Angie! I have admired this look on other people, and have been trying to figure out a way to wear it.

I have a question–is there any guidance you can give on the bottom layering piece or the waistcoat as far as strap proportions? For instance, I don’t look good wearing sleeveless tops with “skinnier” straps. But if my waistcoat has skinnier straps (or is racerback style, so it cuts in close to the neck), is it okay to wear a knit top underneath with much thicker straps to make up for it? Or should the waistcoat and the top underneath be about the same thickness, so that the top doesn’t show under the waistcoat at the shoulders? (Does that make sense?).

It took be a long time to warm to the waistcoat look, because I’m so NOT androgyny girl. But I like this, and think that the sleeveless style makes it very modern and urban.

I’ve been thinking lately about getting a waistcoat, but I’m probably out of luck as it’s next to impossible to find a simple, neutral, tailored one in London. My theory is that since they’ve have been popular for much longer over here (they were in shops when I studied here 5 years ago, and absolutely everywhere when I moved here 3 years ago), all the retailers have moved on from basic. Now all you find are the “out there” styles- drapey, bright colours, embellished, etc.

I really like this look but I’ve been having a terrible time finding a waistcoat that I like. I’ve had trouble with cut, fit, color, price, etc…maybe I’m being too picky. I’m not giving up, but I don’t have it in my closet to try now.

Thanks for this post, Angie. I´ve been thinking of trying this look for a long time. I´m hesitating because i always felt that a waistcoat is very preppy and needs a nice button down shirt underneath it to look good. I´m afraid that it might look too girlie when you wear it with a T-shirt (I see lots of teenagers wearing this style).
What do you think of a white waistcoat for summer?

I love waistcoats, and I have a black one that I love to wear. This look is very interesting, and I might try it for evenings or indoors, because I can’t have my arms exposed to the sun. The challenge is finding a sleeveless top in my closet.

I love the look! I think this might also be cute with a pencil skirt, what do you think? I’ll have to try it out…
Still sad about the demise of my white waistcoat, which shrunk in the wash. But I figure that my more fall-ish waistcoat might work for summer if paired with a sleeveless summer top.

Waistcoat or vest? I’ve always called it a vest. I like vests but don’t have any for summer wear. I like the look!

BTW, there is a hilarious photo series of capri pants gone bad on the Chicago Tribune’s website, I thought everyone here may enjoy:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....otogallery

Something about my short waist and larger bust makes it really difficult to find a waistcoat that doesn’t bunch up in odd places. I actually did find one this weekend, however, while shopping with my mom — it was leather and about $200 — but we were both so excited to finally find one that fit. I think it worked because it was a “cropped” version; the shorter length ends up looking normal on me. Mom purchased it for me and is going to wrap it up for Christmas/my birthday in December, lol!

Fjt — just looked at the photo series — too perfect!

I LOVE this look, but I am really stuck on the idea that you must have beautiful arms to show off, and I don’t.

LOVE

I’m with San on this. I’d wear this in a heartbeat if it didn’t showcase the arms. I wore a variation of this look (sleeveless button-down buttoned at waist over a tank) last summer and loved that it was layered yet cool on a hot day. Then the arms got droopy.

Wonderful! I just tried this last weekend with a knit cowl neck sleeveless top and really liked the look. I hadn’t thought about a vest with a sleeveless blouse or dress, though.

I have exactly one sleeveless top and it is a v neck so it didn’t really look right when I tried it. I have to wear all my shirts, including this one, with a camisole, so it just didn’t feel right. I don’t want to wear 3 layers in the heat. I like the look a lot but unfortunately my chest often holds me hostage to lots of things I would like to try.

I think this is a very cool look for a date night with dh! I may have to pick one up …

I love this look. I have found that it is very slimming on me and so almost always wear my vest (waistcoat) with a sleeveless top.
And, for those of you afraid of “showcasing arms” I really do think you add more weight to your arms by cutting them in half with short sleeves.

While the proportions of this look sometimes are off to me, I do like it in combos such as the far left and second from the right photos. Quite slimming as well.

I’d be hunting down a waistcoat and trying this look now if it weren’t for being pregnant! Waistcoats and pregnancy do not mix well.

Also – I love Antje’s idea of pairing this with a pencil skirt. I think that would add the element of sleek femininity that I would want to see with this look. I will have to try it next summer when, hopefully, I am back to a normal weight post-baby!

I love this look! I might try it with my new waistcoat.

I adore this look as well! My favorite is pairing with a cream cowl-neck sleeveless tee. The white gives it a fresh summer look, and the cowl neck layers so nicely with the vest. But I have done it with a bright yellow ATL top that has cute ruffles, and with voluminous sleeveless tops too.

You do NOT need fabulous arms for this look. My arms are like short little sausages and I have broad shoulders as well. Sleeveless does look a lot better than short-sleeve (although I will wear that too). The sleeveless interrupts the line of my broad shoulders, and really, nobody notices your arms. They notice them a lot more with short-sleeve, because the line of the sleeve cuts right into the chunky part.

Hmmm, I might have to give this one a try! I’ve got better arms now…

Thanks for the nudge to explore!

I love this look and would never have even thougth of the combination. It looks really cute!

Angie………..PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE a photo of yesterday’s outfit???
PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE!

Susan D

I love this look! I wore a longer sleeveless sweater vest the other day with a pretty lacy cami, jeans and pointy toe shoes and a great pair of earrings. I felt sophisticated and tall/lean!

I remember doing this look in my early 20’s, in college, 10+ years ago. Now 35, feeling too old to pull this off, but after reading this post I m going to give it a try! Thanks Angie!

Fjt, in English- English, this is a waistcoat. A vest is an item of underwear! And one word for my reaction to the link about capri pants – *apoplexy*. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed watching it

Good point, Phoebe. It’s all in HOW an item is worn that gives it its vibe. I think of waistcoats as equestrian and androgynous as opposed to preppy. Interesting.

Ele, I bought my “first” waistcoat in the US 5 years ago. I say “first” because we wore them to death in the 80’s and early 90’s too. The style has been around here for just as long. I agree that the sleeveless element gives the look a more feminine touch.

Ana, actually I prefer the look of a built-up sleeveless top sleeve underneath a waistcoat. That way you get a nice layering effect at the shoulder with part of sleeve of the top peeping through. Click on the link of the J. Crew top I was wearing in the post for a better idea. And I like leaving my waistcoat open too.

Sandy and Joy, your arms are plenty pretty to wear sleeveless. I totally agree with Shiny.

Antje, I’ve worn this look with a pencil skirt and love the look too. It was dressier so I added a dressier top. Worked well.

Bustier lasses, I included a knitted waistcoat just for you (far right).

I love this look and I think I may have the perfect combination as well for it!

I love the vest look! I have a vintage vest that I’ve been wearing off and on for years, and when the vests got popular in stores again, I snapped up a bunch last spring.

I started wearing a cami under my vest a few years ago b/c I wanted to wear the vest as a top by itself, but it gaped just the tiniest bit when I moved around, so I started wearing a cami for modesty’s sake. I liked the look, so I stuck with it.

I like the slim buttoned-vest-and-sleeveless-top look with wider leg or fuller pants. I also love an open vest with a screen-print t-shirt for casual wear. It’s just as comfortable as the tee alone, and adds a bit more style.

Great look. I’d be tempted to give it a try, but can an apple wear a waistcoat or would it draw attention to the midsection?

I actually rocked this look today.

It is great for hot weather! I love this look too and plan on continuing to wear it when fall clothing starts coming out but the weather is still too warm. Since the armholes of waistcoats are often cut in more, my under layer always pops through. And I have to wear it open these days.

Angie what are your thoughts on halter waistcoats? Will they work with this look?

Ooh, I will give this a try for sure! My waistcoats have been languishing unloved …

Patience, I think halter waistcoats will work just as well with sleeveless tops. Funky.

Angie,
What is a waistcoat? Is it what some might commonly call a vest? Thanks.

I love, love this look, altogether I am yet to give it a try. Noe that the weather here finally got warmer, I certainly will, since I have a couple of waistcoats I picked up at the beginning of the year.

Angie, your outfit combo sounds FABULOUS!

I’ve been thinking about the proportions of this and realized I like the first and third photos better because the waistcoat is closer in length to the tee under it. I find that a more polished, tidy look. Also, I have a bit of a jelly roll around my middle and shorter waistcoats tend to leave some bulge peeking out beneath.

Marianna, I’m a rectangle, but definitely deal with a tummy, since that’s where I gain my weight. A major benefit of a waistcoat is that it pulls in the tummy and creates a streamlined look where there normally isn’t one. Give it a shot! I found a perfect one that I loved last winter, but didn’t buy it because of budget. I’ve regretted it since and wished that I’d gone without something else to pick it up – it would have done a lot for my wardrobe this year.

My mistake then, Angie! I’m a bit surprised but wouldn’t dare to disagree with you (you are the shopping guru, after all). Maybe waistcoats were just adopted by the mainstream more quickly here? Or maybe it’s just in what I notice, personally. I probably do pay closer attention to what people here are wearing than I do at home!

Meredith2, a waistcoat is precisely what you see in the pictures. In America, I believe they are called vests. You’re right.

Ele, feel free to debate with me at any time. My perception is the same as yours. I believe that waistcoats were adopted by the mainstream more quickly in your neck of the woods too (this time round that is). I’ve only seen people wearing waistcoats regularly in Seattle for the past couple of years.

Marianna, the right waistcoat over a forgiving under layer is PERFECT for an apple shaped body type.

Shiny, I love your idea of the feminizing aspect of the sleeveless cowl.

Very cute idea that I will incorporate after I get a waistcoat. I love the word waistcoat way more than vest.

I have a waistcoat the I will definitely try this look with. I also have a sweater vest that would look good with a sleeveless top. I’m just wondering though if it’s appropriate to wear a fall/winter sweater vest in the dead of summer? With no sleeves can I pull it off?

I have finally taken the tags off the waistcoat I bought a couple of months ago, and am keen to try this out on not so hot summer days

Hi Angie, I just clicked on the link to the “voluminous ruffled knit top” at J Crew. Is that considered a voluminous top? I wouldn’t have guessed so.

Shannon, perhaps you could show us a link of your sweater vest?

San, fair question! J. Crew’s items run big on me, so the smallest size in this style looks voluminous on my body type. But you’re right. This is not supposed to be a voluminous top. It’s just roomy on my frame, which I quite like.

I love this look but I am shaped similarly to Rae (short waisted, big bust) so it has been a struggle to find a vest that fits. I may give up being able to actually button it over the bust.

This is my go-to going out look! Here’s me wearing this combo: http://www.thebudgetbabe.com/a.....nista.html

I love the look and am going to try it out today. Hopefully i can get a picture up sometime this weekend:)

I have the opposite problem as Rae. This combo makes me look like a 14 year old emo rock kid with longish hair, with my longer torso, ruler body, really long and thin arms, and flat chest. It looks great on the models (and the students at my school).

I love the look. Unfortunately, waistcoats do not fit me. Anything with darts fits all wrong on my body. The darts are always way too low, which makes my small chest look even smaller, like I can’t fill out the vest, shirt, or whatever. I even gave up and bought a waistcoat with too low darts, intending to have the straps shortened, but have never got it fixed, so I’ve never worn it.

Ladies who are having fit problems on waistcoats please persevere because it can be done. I have not had fit challenges on this item with clients at all. It’s important to remember that you can wear the waistcoat OPEN. In fact that is a look I’m preferring at the moment.

Budgetbabe, you look fabulous in your go-to outfit! Thanks for posting it.

[...] on its own, or as a layering piece under a waistcoat, jacket or cardigan. Unfortunately the style doesn’t come in petites and at $35 a pop it’s by [...]