Casual waistcoat?

[elVel]

So I've recently really got into wearing waistcoats. I'm a dude in his 20's and I think it's a very nice piece of classsy elegance. Anyway, are there any rules for wearing it casually? By casual I mean not in a suit composition. Like, with a shirt underneath it (obviously, ppl wearing waistcoats over t shirts frighten me tbh) and either a pair of jeans or a pair of semi-casual pants, like chinos or whatever and without a jacket. I guess that in this case there should be no problem if the pants and the waistcoat dont have matching colors as long as the colors work well together.

 

[dieworkwear]

Not a fan of this look and think it looks kinda dorky. If you want something that look dressy, then I think you should wear a sport coat. Otherwise, I think it's better to just dress casually, not do this halfway thing. Doing so kinda makes you look like a bartender or those people who wear fedoras with caualwear.

 

[ValidusLA]

I agree with DWW. I honestly would never even wear a vest outside of a three piece suit, and I don't really like the #menswear off-vest thing. I guess a vest with sportcoat is....ok...but definitly not to my taste.

With jeans its....dorky is a nice way to put it.

 

[DougDevious]

So I've recently really got into wearing waistcoats. I'm a dude in his 20's and I think it's a very nice piece of classsy elegance. Anyway, are there any rules for wearing it casually? By casual I mean not in a suit composition. Like, with a shirt underneath it (obviously, ppl wearing waistcoats over t shirts frighten me tbh) and either a pair of jeans or a pair of semi-casual pants, like chinos or whatever and without a jacket. I guess that in this case there should be no problem if the pants and the waistcoat dont have matching colors as long as the colors work well together.

wouldn't worry about it too much. Style is a broad playground, and it's good to experiment and move forward with style instead of being too obsessed with the 'old rules'.
I think obviously it should be a more rugged-looking vest, like a tweed, cotton, corduroy vest would probably best, but in general, using a coarser fabric vest is a good rule of thumb.

Another thing to consider is the rise of the jeans in relation to the vest, and what you're using to hold your pants up. I think if the rise of your jeans matches the length of your vest, go for some suspenders.
Since it's a little weird to have suspender buttons on jeans, I think this is one of the situations where it's totally permissible to wear clip-on suspenders, especially since jeans are a sturdier fabric and can take a bit of metal biting into it. You can also use trigger-snap suspenders if you have those.

IMO the main thing working against most "jeans with a waistcoat" is the fact they wear their jeans with a belt, which I don't think I need to tell you doesn't work with vests.
Also, I think it should be obvious that high-waisted jeans + appropriately short waistcoat looks better than an overly long "modern" waistcoat with low-rise hip-hugging jeans.

Here's Matt Smith as Doctor Who pulling it off:

not a great quality pic, but you can tell he's wearing clip-on braces.

 

[johng70]

Nothing wrong with wearing a vest without a suit. I have a few vests I wear and get quite a lot of compliments on them. There are some downsides to modern men's fashion, but one of the good things is variety. 60-70 years ago everyone dressed the same. Now, there's some variety. Like a sport coat it should coordinate with your pants but shouldn't match them.

 

[maxalex]

I have a heavy, black felted and embroidered wool vest made in India by Tibetan artisans that I sometimes wear without a jacket, in winter--but it's clearly not part of a Western suit ensemble. In general I'm also not a fan of waistcoats without a jacket, especially if they are worsted with pinstripes, etc. One exception would be at a wedding, after the groom removes his jacket on the dance floor, you are free to remove yours, and dance the night away in a waistcoat.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

Yeah... Either they're bartender/waiter vibes, or internet-neckbeard-in-a-fedora vibes, or it looks like you're in an old timey costume (might as well wear a pocket watch and a bowler), but not an especially accurate one because you should probably also wear a jacket. It's relaly not a good look.

Not a fan of this look and think it looks kinda dorky. If you want something that look dressy, then I think you should wear a sport coat. Otherwise, I think it's better to just dress casually, not do this halfway thing. Doing so kinda makes you look like a bartender or those people who wear fedoras with caualwear.

I mean, there are ways to do smart casual without wearing a waistcoat and a fedora. An OCBD and dress pants and... well the cliches are A1 or safari jackets, but pretty much any layer will do, right? I've even seen sleeveless cardigans I didn't hate.

If you wanna go hardcore casual, though, I guess vests start to make sense again. None of the nerd/waiter vibes if you're wearing an EG vest as part of an SWD fit.

Just no waistcoats.

 

[elVel]

Okay, I'll add a photo that approximates the look I'm talking about,as you guys start rattling about neckbeards n ****.

 

[bicycleradical]

Neckbeard look confirmed.

This isn't good. If you want a vest to wear as part of an outfit, a waistcoat is not the right choice.

 

[rjc149]

You're a dude in his 20's, so if you're going for this look, go for it. This falls within the same category of wearing suit jackets over bedazzled t-shirts and Axe body spray, but you have a wide margin for error at your age, especially if this is "evening attire."

If you want "classy elegance" then I would get a sport jacket, or, just a nice fitted button-down shirt. I think the 'waistcoat on its own' look is reserved for young men frequenting, or employed by, night venues like the one depicted above.

 

[DougDevious]

Not a fan of this look and think it looks kinda dorky. If you want something that look dressy, then I think you should wear a sport coat. Otherwise, I think it's better to just dress casually, not do this halfway thing. Doing so kinda makes you look like a bartender or those people who wear fedoras with caualwear.

I agree with DWW. I honestly would never even wear a vest outside of a three piece suit, and I don't really like the #menswear off-vest thing. I guess a vest with sportcoat is....ok...but definitly not to my taste.

With jeans its....dorky is a nice way to put it.

I have a heavy, black felted and embroidered wool vest made in India by Tibetan artisans that I sometimes wear without a jacket, in winter--but it's clearly not part of a Western suit ensemble. In general I'm also not a fan of waistcoats without a jacket, especially if they are worsted with pinstripes, etc. One exception would be at a wedding, after the groom removes his jacket on the dance floor, you are free to remove yours, and dance the night away in a waistcoat.

Yeah... Either they're bartender/waiter vibes, or internet-neckbeard-in-a-fedora vibes, or it looks like you're in an old timey costume (might as well wear a pocket watch and a bowler), but not an especially accurate one because you should probably also wear a jacket. It's relaly not a good look.



I mean, there are ways to do smart casual without wearing a waistcoat and a fedora. An OCBD and dress pants and... well the cliches are A1 or safari jackets, but pretty much any layer will do, right? I've even seen sleeveless cardigans I didn't hate.

If you wanna go hardcore casual, though, I guess vests start to make sense again. None of the nerd/waiter vibes if you're wearing an EG vest as part of an SWD fit.

Just no waistcoats.

Neckbeard look confirmed.

This isn't good. If you want a vest to wear as part of an outfit, a waistcoat is not the right choice.

View attachment 1770478

You're a dude in his 20's, so if you're going for this look, go for it. This falls within the same category of wearing suit jackets over bedazzled t-shirts and Axe body spray, but you have a wide margin for error at your age, especially if this is "evening attire."

If you want "classy elegance" then I would get a sport jacket, or, just a nice fitted button-down shirt. I think the 'waistcoat on its own' look is reserved for young men frequenting, or employed by, night venues like the one depicted above.

you guys are all pricks sometimes, to be honest
even if a neckbeard wears a nice worsted wool suit with a 150 dollar tie, he'll still be a neckbeard because of the fact that he's already fat, unattractive, and badly-groomed. His clothes are just an extension of that.

as long as rjc149 isn't himself a neckbeard by nature, looks good and takes care of himself, he can do whatever he wants, and a vest with jeans isn't a bad look as far as I'm concerned, as long as you don't wear a belt.
I mean yeah, have an odd jacket on hand, otherwise, the outfit is gonna feel incomplete, but that jacket could be anything. Frock coat? Parka? Shacket? Shawl Cardigan? Harrington? It's a world of possibility m8, you do you. Confidence is key, don't let these snobs get to ya.

 

[rjc149]

you guys are all pricks sometimes, to be honest
even if a neckbeard wears a nice worsted wool suit with a 150 dollar tie, he'll still be a neckbeard because of the fact that he's already fat, unattractive, and badly-groomed. His clothes are just an extension of that.

as long as rjc149 isn't himself a neckbeard by nature, looks good and takes care of himself, he can do whatever he wants, and a vest with jeans isn't a bad look as far as I'm concerned, as long as you don't wear a belt.
I mean yeah, have an odd jacket on hand, otherwise, the outfit is gonna feel incomplete, but that jacket could be anything. Frock coat? Parka? Shacket? Shawl Cardigan? Harrington? It's a world of possibility m8, you do you. Confidence is key, don't let these snobs get to ya.

Roit on m8!

 

[dieworkwear]

you guys are all pricks sometimes, to be honest
even if a neckbeard wears a nice worsted wool suit with a 150 dollar tie, he'll still be a neckbeard because of the fact that he's already fat, unattractive, and badly-groomed. His clothes are just an extension of that.

as long as rjc149 isn't himself a neckbeard by nature, looks good and takes care of himself, he can do whatever he wants, and a vest with jeans isn't a bad look as far as I'm concerned, as long as you don't wear a belt.
I mean yeah, have an odd jacket on hand, otherwise, the outfit is gonna feel incomplete, but that jacket could be anything. Frock coat? Parka? Shacket? Shawl Cardigan? Harrington? It's a world of possibility m8, you do you. Confidence is key, don't let these snobs get to ya.

How is my answer being a prick? The person asked for feedback and I felt I gave him an answer that was fairly respectful.

Yes, I think wearing a vest without a suit will make you look like a bartender or a neckbeard. Or like Justin Timberlake.

Of course, this person can wear whatever he wants. But since he asked for feedback, he received feedback.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

you guys are all pricks sometimes, to be honest
even if a neckbeard wears a nice worsted wool suit with a 150 dollar tie, he'll still be a neckbeard because of the fact that he's already fat, unattractive, and badly-groomed. His clothes are just an extension of that.

We're giving feedback on the style. When we say "neckbeard," we're not talking about weight, we're not even talking about grooming. We're talking about the style associated with that term. The cliche internet nerd's piss poor style. A waistcoat or suspenders as a top layer, a cheap fedora, **** like that. Yes, the cliche "neckbeard" can dress well, and yes, cool dudes can dress poorly, and yes, it's possible to wear a fedora well.

But the simplest way to explain whats' wrong with waistcoats to somebody not into fashion is by ascribing an archetype to them, helping OP place the style within the cultural landscape. That's where it is -- it's in the neckbeard zone.

Is that nice? No. But OP asked. OP wanted feedback. We gave it. If you had found a nicer way to help OP, maybe that would have been nice. Calling us all out for trying our best to help him is silly.

 

[DougDevious]

We're giving feedback on the style. When we say "neckbeard," we're not talking about weight, we're not even talking about grooming. We're talking about the style associated with that term. The cliche internet nerd's piss poor style. A waistcoat or suspenders as a top layer, a cheap fedora, **** like that. Yes, the cliche "neckbeard" can dress well, and yes, cool dudes can dress poorly, and yes, it's possible to wear a fedora well.

But the simplest way to explain whats' wrong with waistcoats to somebody not into fashion is by ascribing an archetype to them, helping OP place the style within the cultural landscape. That's where it is -- it's in the neckbeard zone.

Is that nice? No. But OP asked. OP wanted feedback. We gave it. If you had found a nicer way to help OP, maybe that would have been nice. Calling us all out for trying our best to help him is silly.

Well, maybe it was that I was misreading your criticism as being towards the combination of jeans + waistcoat, not the idea of wearing a vest as a top layer. I did say that the outfit would look a bit incomplete without a jacket, but seeing as it's a more casual ensemble there's a lot of options that don't fit squarely in the realm of "suit jacket/blazer/sport coat"