Men's Vintage Vests guide and information resource about Men's Vintage Vests

Men's Vintage Vests: Directory and Information Regarding Men's Vintage Vests presented by Apparel Search

If you are planning on wearing one, we suggest you also find a nice pocket watch.

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Welcome to the worlds greatest guide to Men's Vintage Vests. Are you actually looking for information about vintage vests? Well, we hope you are because the reality is that you have found the page we have created to help educate people regarding men's vintage vest styles. In this area of the Apparel Search directory, you will find all sorts of interesting information regarding vintage vest for men.

First of all, let's assume you already know what "vintage" means. Just in case you don't in summary it is essentially clothing from a previous era.

In the United States these items are generally referenced as "vests". However, in the past and in other countries they are often referred to as waistcoats. In short this type of clothing category is essentially a sleeveless upper-body garment (and NO, it is not the same as a tank top). Waistcoats worn with a suits (usually a single-breasted suit) generally have four to six buttons. When dressing more formal than a traditional suit the vest worn is a bit different. The waistcoats worn with white- and black- tie are different from standard daytime single-breasted waistcoats, being much lower in cut (with three buttons or four buttons, where all are fastened). The much larger expanse of shirt compared to a daytime waistcoat allows more variety of form, with "U" or "V" shapes possible, and there is large choice of outlines for the tips, ranging from pointed to flat or rounded. The color normally matches the tie, so only black barathea wool, grosgrain or satin and white marcella, grosgrain or satin are worn, although white waistcoats used to be worn with black tie in early forms of the dress.

Waistcoats (called vests in American English) were almost always worn with suits prior to the 1940s. Due to rationing during World War II, their prevalence declined, but their popularity has gone in and out of fashion from the 1970s onwards. A pocket watch on a chain, one end of which is inserted through a middle buttonhole, is often worn with a waistcoat; otherwise, since World War I when they came to prominence of military necessity, men have worn wristwatches, which may be worn with any suit except the full evening dress (white tie). Although many examples of waistcoats worn with a double-breasted jacket can be found from the 1920s to the 1940s, that would be unusual today (one point of a double-breasted jacket being, it may be supposed, to eliminate the waistcoat). Traditionally, the bottom button of a waistcoat is left undone; like the vents in the rear of a jacket, this helps the body bend when sitting. Some waistcoats can have lapels, others do not.

Wearing a belt with a waistcoat, and indeed any suit, is not traditional. To give a more comfortable hang to the trousers, the waistcoat instead covers a pair of braces (suspenders in the U.S.) underneath it.

A waistcoat has a full vertical opening in the front, which fastens with buttons or snaps. Both single-breasted and double-breasted waistcoats exist, regardless of the formality of dress, but single-breasted ones are more common. In a three piece suit, the cloth used matches the jacket and trousers. Waistcoats can also have lapels or revers depending on the style. Before wristwatches became popular, gentlemen kept their pocket watches in the front waistcoat pocket, with the watch on a watch chain threaded through a buttonhole. Sometimes an extra hole was made in line with the buttonholes for this use. A bar on the end of the chain held it in place to catch the chain if it were dropped or pulled. Waistcoats are now worn less, so the pocket watch may more likely be stored in a trouser pocket.

Vintage vests are similar to modern day vests in regard to fabric and style. Obviously their are slight variations based on trends and more newly invented fabrics.

It is always a fabulous day to learn more about men's fashion.

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