How to wear a waist coat

Ann Ruthenburg HELLO readers, how are you doing this winter – cold right? I tell you I am having a hard time staying warm this winter. It is either age is catching up with me (less fat on the body) or it is really cold kikiki. This week, I am shifting a gear up and moving to the male side of fashion. My faithful male readers have been asking me if I had forgotten that they exist too? No guys, sorry, I get carried away with the ladies’ fashion because there is so much to write about. But today is about you. We are discussing waistcoats, a common fashion item men ask me about. I wish every man knew the secret to always looking sleek – a waistcoat! I have seen the most strange looking male turn his look around by just adding a waistcoat to his look. Even a guy wearing sneakers can look like he has a touch of class with a waistcoat. In my view, every man’s wardrobe is incomplete if he does not have a waistcoat. It brings a smile to my face when I see youths wearing waistcoats as part of their weekend wear. They couple it with tight pants, long or short sleeve shirts and smart casual shoes – perfect for late summer and early winter. The young men seem to have gotten it right, so I am going to help the mature men out here – pay attention. If all else fails men, watch mature auditors or accountants, many of them go old school when they go on a job or to work- the waistcoat is the signature dress item. How it fits is most important. Make sure it has high armholes, fits well around your shoulders and torso. Make sure it does not pull around the buttons or the fabric at the back. Excess material just makes you look bigger than you are and so does too little material. The whole point of a waistcoat is to help you look more streamlined and tidy. An unbuttoned waistcoat is shabby. There is no such thing as a casual look with a waistcoat no matter what material it is. The closest you can get to that is smart casual, so please button them up. If, however, your body shape gets in the way, then leave the last button undone (like a suit jacket) so it doesn’t pull when you lift your arms up. Always wear the correct material for that season. Tweed/corduroy/ knit, work for winter and linen, cotton/whipcord for summer. Shiny polyester or silk for special occasions. The best way to wear a waistcoat or sleeveless cardigan is to wear a shirt underneath. Long sleeves are the best, but in summer short sleeves work just as well. Smart or smart casual trousers are the best. For a more casual look, Chinos or tight pants or coloured denims work well. For smart looks, suits, work pants, tailored trousers and corduroys work great. Colours are not an issue with waistcoats because designers do not go crazy with their colours unless for weddings etc. They tend to stick to earth colours (grey, brown, black etc), also business colours and pale colour mixes. There are however bright colours made for special occasions usually in silk. The problem might be you may go wrong with your shirt/waistcoat combo. If you are unsure what colour shirt to wear, stick to a white shirt underneath or pale blue, light Pink, Grey and so forth to be safe. Thinking of wearing a waistcoat with a t-shirt? Well Elaine DeGeneres wears hers like that, paired with denims or chinos. It works for her! (She is the male side of a Lesbian in case you wonder why I’m mentioning a lady in your column). I would not say no to the look, but you need to be able to carry it off and well, otherwise you will look like a drugged our confused male. Staying in Mutare means that we have schizophrenic weather patterns, early morning is freezing, lunchtime is hot and then late afternoon we are freezing again. So in my view a waistcoat works wonders because you can leave home with a cardigan, jacket, blazer or jersey over your waistcoat, then when the sun comes out, you can remove the outer covering to remain with a shirt and waistcoat – perfect! Can one wear a tie with a waistcoat or not? Both ways work well depending on how smart or how dressed down you want to look. Obviously a tie looks better, but for some offices this might be too much. I used to think that waistcoats only suited some men like accountants, but watching how perfect the youth and young adults look in them, I am convinced waist coats look perfect on every male if worn orderly. A point for you to note is that if you’re going to be wearing a waistcoat, it should cover the top of your trousers. It just looks sloppy if you don’t. Waistcoats are cut to accentuate your silhouette. To wear them in a manner other than smart or smart casual seems pointless. It is not one of those fashion items that you wear because you have nothing else in the wardrobe. You have to be deliberate! That’s it from me folks. Until next week, God bless! ◆ Anastasia is an ex-photographic model, a blogger (annruthenburg.blogspot.com) , a writer, and a fashionista and can be messaged on 0772 933 845 or emailed at [email protected]