Why I like waistcoats

Albeit I‘m a big fan of wearing a full suit, a lot of time I mix and match a pair of trousers and a waistcoat. It’s just so much more practical.

No sleeves mean more arm movement (compared to off-the-rack jackets, bespoke jackets is a different story), freedom to put elbows on the table (something I try to avoid with jackets since it’s damaging for the wool and shine or holes are likely to develop over time) and finally no need to keep adjusting the shirt sleeves that rolled up (for instance when they are competing for space with watch).

And it’s easy to wear any jacket or coat on top if it’s too cold. Putting a coat on top of a suit jacket is just silly.

Waistcoats are harder to find, but they are considerably cheaper than blazers.

Waistcoats are always unstructured, there’s no canvas in the chest area, so they are generally safe to be hand-washed.

Still, unlike cardigans, waistcoats usually do have pockets which is handy. I keep my pen in the top pocket and sometimes I dress it up by adding a pocket square. Some heavier waistcoats can have inner pockets which is particularly useful.

There’s no need to unbutton waistcoats, so all the stuff that’s tucked in (like a tie or scarf) stays in place, something I found a bit annoying about single-breasted jackets.

And finally one doesn’t have to roll up and down the shirt sleeves depending on whether the jacket is on or not — with a waistcoat I just keep my sleeves rolled most of the time.