The correct way to wear a suit waistcoat comes down to 4 essential rules: a cut shaped to the body, no belt, the waistcoat always buttoned, and a creative lining instead of shiny polyester. Although it has almost vanished from today’s male wardrobe, the waistcoat remains one of the pieces with the greatest potential to individualise an outfit, especially when made to measure.
1. What is a waistcoat, and how did it become a symbol of elegance?
The waistcoat is a sleeveless and (often) collarless garment, somewhat similar to the pieptar, the sleeveless jerkin of Romanian peasants. Although it appeared around the 17th century, the waistcoat grew in popularity with British dandyism, when young men began to wear it as a corset. At the dawn of the 20th century, the shirt was still regarded as underwear. That is why men chose the three-piece suit, which covered as much of it as possible. After the Second World War, the waistcoat came to be worn more and more without a jacket, in ever more relaxed combinations. From the 1970s, it entered the women’s wardrobe too.
2. Primo: why should a waistcoat be shaped to the body?
Originally, the waistcoat was a corset, meant to slim the wearer’s silhouette. Although its role today is purely aesthetic, a properly worn waistcoat should still follow the line of the body. It can always be adjusted with the strap at the back. When there is too much excess fabric, however, a tightened strap creates unsightly folds. The remedy is a visit to the tailor, who can take the waistcoat in for a perfect fit.
3. Secundo: why does a belt spoil an outfit with a waistcoat?
We know that Romanian men see the belt as both a functional and an aesthetic accessory. Ideally, however, the trousers should stay in place at the waist with no need for a belt. A belt “cuts” the outfit in two and breaks its harmony. In the past, the belt at the waist was meant only for the soldier’s weapons and the workman’s tools. With a waistcoat, all the more so, a belt is out of place. Why? Because the buckle shows beneath the waistcoat, the fabric bulges and creases appear. The whole look is compromised.
4. Tertio: why is a suit waistcoat always worn buttoned?
This follows directly from rule one. A corset is never left undone. A properly buttoned waistcoat prevents an untidy look, all the more so over a loose shirt.
5. Quarto: which linings transform an ordinary waistcoat?
Everyone knows those shop-bought waistcoats with a back of shiny, plain polyester lining that smells of plastic. There are alternatives. Creative linings, not too loud but unique in their own way, are well worth a try. Patterns such as paisley, jacquard or other arabesques can flatter the wearer. If the waistcoat has a breast pocket, a pocket square matched to the lining draws every eye. Below the waist, however, a more “well-behaved” choice keeps the outfit from tipping into vulgarity. A patterned back is enough to provide all the elegance required.
When no ready-to-wear suit waistcoat does a man justice, our Simplified Bespoke by ZAVATE service shows how we make waistcoats to order. There are always alternatives.
