Freebily Women's Halter Neck Backless Vest Dressy Waistcoat for Conferences Interviews Classic Dressy Suit Shirts

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It serves a similar function to a casual sportcoat, adding a touch of color and style to a dress shirt and trousers without attempting to imitate the formality of a matched suit. As a stand-alone item of clothing, a waistcoat similar to those worn with a three-piece suit is an appropriate piece of business-casual wear. The versatility and unusual style of waistcoats and vests is too good for a well-dressed man to pass on entirely.

Cumming, Valerie, C. W. Cunnington, and P. E. Cunnington. “Vest.” In The Dictionary of Fashion History, 218. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2010. Accessed January 17, 2018. https://www.bloomsburyfashioncentral.com/products/berg-fashion-library/dictionary/the-dictionary-of-fashion-history/vest. Vests and waistcoats are elegant garments that add more to an outfit than most accesories. They can add formality to suits, style to unmatched outfits, comfort to casual wear, or warmth to business dress in cool weather.In a vested or three-piece suit, the waistcoat is made from the same fabric and lining as the rest of the suit, creating a uniform stretch of cloth from the ankles to the chest. The look then becomes more dressed-down, almost playful — suitable for a relaxed evening on the town rather than a serious business event.

The Dictionary of Fashion History (2010) gives a chronology for the use of the word vest in menswear:

The term “waistcoat” is generally a more specific one than “vest”— it refers, literally enough, to a sleeveless garment that covers a man’s waist, hiding the top of the trousers and the bottom of the shirt. Wilcox, R. Turner. The Dictionary of Costume. 1st Macmillan Hudson River ed. New York: Macmillan, 1987. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/456762613.

A sweater-vest can be worn to basically the same functions that a sweater can, but appears as a more conscious choice on the wearer’s part simply by being the less common option. The modern men’s vest, like many fashionable accents, began life as a functional piece of outerwear. Formal waistcoats often feature lapels, which is uncommon on most other vests. They tend to be cut much lower in the front than the waistcoats that accompany three-piece suits, leaving more of the formal dress shirt visible.For women, the vest arrives later and takes several forms before resembling the menswear garment familiar today: After a first waistcoat, the decision of how often to wear vested garments is really every man’s choice. Any style worn without variation gets boring, so don’t be “the vest guy”— but have at least a few standing by for days when a little extra flair is called for. Craig’s dinner suit was personally made for him by a master tailor and his stomach is as flat as a washboard. If you can’t duplicate these factors then don’t expect to duplicate his formal waistline.