While most of today’s suits are two-piece suits, suits in the 20s were mainly three-piece with a matching vest or waistcoat. They were mainly common among the middle-class and the upper class. The lower classes wore suits without the vests or wore whatever else they could find that matched the color of their vests. Sometimes, they would wear a matching jacket and vest but mismatched trousers depending on what they could afford at the time.
Variations of the 1920s Vests
Vests had high V-necks, notch collar lapels or no collars, and featured about 5-6 buttons. However, the collared vests were more common and sometimes were worn without the suit jacket. Later, double-breasted vests in contrasting colors became popular among young men. While vests were normally made of the same material as the suits, another variation resulted in the pullover sweater vest becoming more popular especially for casual wear. Men wore single color or two-color knit vests or went for bright patterns especially for sporty occasions. For example, cricket and tennis players wore ivory or white sweater vests that featured a colorful trim at the V-neck, paired with white pants.
How to Accurately Wear 1920s Men’s Vests
While the stuffiness of the previous century’s dressing style had been discarded, there was still some faux pas involved when dressing up in the roaring 20s fashion. When it comes to vests, it was a fashion faux pas to have the vest so short that it left the shirt exposed and peaking in between the pants and the vest. Therefore, to emulate the suit vest style of the 1920s men’s fashion accurately, either ensure your vest is long enough or that your pants are high enough to fit properly beneath the vest. You can use suspenders to hold up the pants especially if they are mid-rise.
How to Incorporate the Vests into Your Vintage Outfit?
1920s men’s fashion is back in style and the vests are one of the things that can give your outfit a roaring 20s look. To pull off your vintage outfit you can invest in a couple of 20s style vests to jazz up your wardrobe. Pair a matching vest and suit for formal wear. You can also choose whether to go for a notch lapel vest or one without a label. While most of the vests in the 1920s were single-breasted, there were also double-breasted ones so consider both of these options. Besides, you can choose to wear a vest without the suit jacket or even go for the close match look where the vest is not part of your suit ensemble but it is worn with a similar shade of trouser color. Finally, you can opt for a casual sporty look and go for a pullover knit vests and wear it over your shirt.
How to Style 1920s Style Vests?
To jazz up your suit vests in the roaring 20s style, choose a pocket watch going from a high or mid-level button to one of the pockets. If your vest has an upper side pocket, consider using a colorful pocket square or even match your pocket square to your tie.
