SDW22 Lookbook: Reversible Waistcoat
The waistcoat, or vest (as it is known in the United States), is a close-fitting sleeveless garment originally designed for men that buttons (or occasionally zips) down the front to the waist.
Surprisingly, the waistcoat is one of the rare pieces of clothing whose origin historians can date precisely. King Charles II of England introduced the waistcoat as a part of “correct dress” during the Restoration of the monarchy.
Samuel Pepys, the diarist, wrote in Oct. 7, 1666, “The King hath yesterday in council declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes which he will never alter. It will be a vest, I know not well how.”
This royal proclamation is the first mention of a waistcoat. Pepys records “vest” as the original term. The reason for the term “waistcoat” was to denote the termination at the waist, whereas, at the time, men’s formal coats went well below the waist as frock or morning coats.
In the 20th century, the prevalence of the waistcoat and its significance as a status symbol began to wane. It became a much more functional item to round off a formal three-piece suit, its use as a place to store a pocket watch also falling by the wayside as the wristwatch came into its own.
Aside from designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana reviving waistcoats for men during the 1980s and early 1990s, they are now more likely to be worn as novelty items than to be part of a classic tailored look.
Waistcoats have also taken on a life of their own in certain youth sub-cultures, being worn by indie kids or in steampunk circles, sometimes just with T-shirts or in the antithesis of their formal roots, sometimes even on their own.
A career woman “must-have” during the ’70s, our reversible waistcoat combines two concepts in one: the authenticity of denim and the delicacy of the printed twill.
The baby-blue shade denim fabric side, is decorated with a diamond-shaped stitched grid. The complimentary abrasion effect is created using Jeanologia’s “Atmospheric” process, which combines G2 ozone and eFlow technology.
The print is produced on a 100 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell twill base. Printed by House of U, a digital print house based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, the design connects us to the world of “Simple Pleasures”—the feel good story around which the collection is framed.
The iconic U.S. fabric mill Cone Denim, is the supplier of fabric quality “Lehigh,” which is part of their “Flash Finish” fabric collection. With a fabric composition of TENCEL™, organic cotton and hemp, the fabric range is specially produced using Jeanologia’s G2 Dynamic ozone technology. This sustainable finishing technology uses ozone as an eco-efficient alternative for some of the most water-intensive and pollutant processes of fabric finishing.
Fabric: Lehigh P23315 | Mill: Cone Denim
Composition: 49% organic cotton, 25% TENCEL™ Lyocell, 14% cotton, 12% hemp
Flash finish (G2 Dynamic technology)
3×1 RHT | 11 Oz
LSF score: 53
Fabric: 2125 printed twill | Mill: House of U
Composition: 100% TENCEL™ Lyocell
100 gr/m2
Previous post: Iconic Garments
Next post: Trucker Jacket