the waistcoat

One very typical item in a gentleman's wardrobe must be the waistcoat, in American English called a vest. Much loved by dancers it gives your outfit just a little bit more style and class, yet it is comfortable, and not as warm as a jacket.

A waistcoat is typically worn as part of a three piece suit. It can be single or double breasted, although single breasted is more common. it closes with buttons or snaps. Waistcoats can have lapels or revers, depending on the use and style. A watch can be kept in the front pocket, attached to chain trough a button hole. Wearing a belt with the trousers under a waistcoat is not traditional. Instead braces are worn that are covered by the waistcoat.  Sometimes the bottom button is undone, or placed so it can't be closed at all. It is said King Edward VII, by then Prince of Wales started this fashion, due to his expanding waistline.

Waistcoat or vest made by myself with the bottom button undone

The waistcoat is said to derive from the Persians in the 17th century as seen by English visitors to the court of Shah Abbas.  King Charles the II got the credits for introducing it in the European style of clothing. After the Great Plague, and the Great Fire of London, he felt the need for a more sober style of clothing.  It was designed to discourage the use of lavish materials, and cover the body much plainer and cheaper than before. John Evelyn wrote about it on October 18, 1666: "To Court, it being the first time his Majesty put himself solemnly into the Eastern fashion of vest changing doublet, stiff collar, bands and cloak, into a comely dress after the Persian mode, with girdles or straps, and shoestrings and garters into buckles...resolving never to alter it, and to leave the French mode".

King Charles II of England 1661-62in his parliamentary robes.

Antique Persian waistcoats

18th century dressing gown with attached waistcoat of chintz embroidered with flowers

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a Dandy: Robert de Montesquiou 1855-1925, portrait by Giovanni Boldini, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Another milestone in European history that altered fashion and the waistcoat was the French revolution in 1789. The fit of the waistcoat became shorter and tighter. The waistcoat became skin tight, often stiffened with whale bone, reinforced buttons at the front and laced at the back just as a corset.  The overcoat cut to emphasis the waist and broad shoulders. The Edwardian look (King Edward being a big fellow) made a larger physique more popular. With the Dandy-ism in the 19th century the waistcoat evolved to a foundation garment.

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Read and see more:
I Am Dandy: The Return of the Elegant Gentleman by Nathaniel Adams
History of men's fashion, Nicholas Storey

Waistcoats in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Waistcoats in the Victoria & Albert Museum