Why The Waistcoat Still Does All The Talking

From a practical point of view, a waistcoat earns its keep in three ways. It covers the waistband, so no shirt shows between jacket and trouser. It gives the torso a plane of colour and texture the jacket cannot. And, with the shirt collar and the coat lapel, it completes the triangle that draws the eye to the face. On a more emotive level, a great waistcoat plays with memory - it is rarely forgotten. "What was that chap's name? You know, the one with the amazing waistcoat..."

In the last decade of so, the waistcoat has slowly backed out of business attire as the popularity of the three-piece suits has waned against the surge of a more relaxed office aesthetic. On paper this looks like another reason to park it in your wardrobe, but scarcity can also be read as exclusivity - in a sea of two piece suits, the waistcoat rises to the surface. 

For morning dress the workhorses are gabardine wools - beige, yellow, stone, forest green - six buttons, notch or shawl, mother-of-pearl or horn, an adjustable strap at the back. They are the correct layer under a morning coat at a winter wedding: enough colour to lift grey, black or charcoal wool without turning the outfit into costume. 

Evening is where our waistcoats are least restrained. Velvet bees in burgundy, navy and black; Winnington silks in olive, red and midnight gold; Chatsworth botanicals; lurex berries; the Wiltshire gilet in chocolate or navy cotton velvet when the brief is smarter than a jumper and less ceremonial than a dinner jacket. A single-breasted V-neck is the versatile cut, while a double-breasted shawl makes a stronger statement and looks particularly slick under an open lounge jacket, or without a jacket at all once the speeches are done.

As for fit, the waistcoat should sit close without pulling at the buttons or gaping at the chest, and it should be long enough to conceal the trouser waistband, while the rear adjuster is there to finish the job. Worn correctly, the waistcoat is not an accessory. It is the reason the rest of the outfit looks finished.

Shop men’s waistcoats at favourbrook.com, or in greater depth at our stores in the Piccadilly Arcade and 16-17 Pall Mall.