With the weather quickly cooling down, extra warmth can be found by adding a layer underneath your suit jacket. There are essentially two options: a suit vest (matching or contrasting) or a simple v-neck jumper.
We are big fans of the layering look here at InStitchu and have created a few simple tips for you.
The Vest
The vest is a great option to boost the formality of your suit. When done well, this will certainly catch a few eyes. You have two options; choose a matching fabric or a contrasting one. As is to be expected, matching the vest fabric to the suit is the easiest and can transform your look immediately.
We recommend cutting your vest with three or four buttons, matching pockets and the strap/fabric option at the back. The three button configuration will create a comfortable, casual look between your shirt, vest and tie compared to the stuffy five button look.
The contrasting vest can be trickier to execute, yet can look superb when done well. You can keep it simple and mix and match textures and colours, or step it up and play with different patterns. Adding a slightly lighter grey/charcoal vest to a darker charcoal suit will create a memorable monotone look. Alternatively, a light grey or cream textured vest paired under a simple navy suit with navy tie will create a less formal and playful look.
The V-Neck Jumper
There are two simple tricks for ensuring this look is executed well:
1. Quality Over Quantity
This is arguably the most important rule for men’s fashion and building a wardrobe. Versatile, quality pieces will outlast and add more value than a plethora of sub-quality garments. We recommend 100% wool or cashmere if your budget allows. The three necessary jumpers include grey, charcoal and navy. After these three you can add colour – red will usually come first then perhaps a baby blue tone.
2. Learn to Contrast Colour Tones
Some blue and red combinations simply don’t look as nice as others. This is because of the contrast between the colour tones; strong reds and strong blues can be an eyesore. As a general rule, keep the contrast between colour tones on the conservative side for the eye. Like with matching ties, experiment over time and you will naturally build a knack for placing colour tones together
Images via Institchu
Have a go designing your own vest with our online suit builder, or if you would like, make a booking with a stylist at one of our showrooms to design your own.
Ms Chinoiserie Says: Love the layers – a vest looks so smart when teamed back with an on trend contrasting tie and tailored jacket.
About Institchu: We believe that every man should be able to afford high quality tailored suits and shirts. Our customers order by designing their own tailored suit or shirt from scratch or can use an existing design from our collections page. With a guaranteed fit policy, we have strict quality control procedures to ensure our tailored suits and shirts meet the highest quality standards expected by our customers.
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