Are Vests Appropriate For Work In 2024?

Here’s something I’ve wanted to talk about for some time: Are women’s vests suitable for work in 2024? When you wear them, do you wear them the way they are styled on either side (i.e. on their own) or do you put shirts underneath? Which of the countless types of vests is the most preferred – knitted, vest, longer/split hem, double-breasted, belted or something else?

Just to set the stage for you, these are some of the vests I’m seeing out there right now…

I think they are an interesting trend because they are more structured/tailored than most of the clothes we see out there, especially for WFH or casual offices… but I also have the impression that for many conservative offices, going sleeveless can be difficult, as can a little belly (know your office!) They are also a fast-changing trend (as you will see below) and add another layer of “knowing your desktop”.”

So I’m curious — do you wear vests, readers? Do you see all the vests in their offices or are they the new “Shorts”, because they seem suitable for work, but they probably aren’t (do you know your office, of course)…

CURRENT TRENDS IN WOMEN’S VESTS

It’s funny because I feel like vests have been in fashion for a while now, but they keep changing the exact style — we’ve gone from draped knit vests to cropped vests to the fitted vest look (still in, I guess!), to the latest Looks, with longer vests that can be double-breasted, belted or with a split hem and intended only to be buttoned at the very top.

(Oddly enough, we haven’t gone back to the draped blouses over the Maze- and heather-style men’s vests (hideous photos here and here), so of course that will come next…)

I think that’s a lot of knowledge, your office situation. I love the vest-vest-with-Blazer-and-suit look, but in my experience, these vests can be cut quite low, and the buttons can also be uneven… so they have hardly ever worked for me. Argent has a range of vests with matching suits, as do Reiss, Mango, White House Black Market and Banana Republic. I also like the monochrome look (vest + pants) in general, but I think it is better if there is a matching Blazer that you have with you at the office.

Of course, you also often see them styled individually, and I also really like this Look — but I usually see it styled with matching jeans or shorts, and I tend to think that these are Looks that are best left to the weekend… but it could be me. You can see examples from J. Crew Factory, Loft, Open Edit, Target and of course J. Crew.

I think longer belted vests are my next favorite for work — they can look smooth and polished and are usually intended for wearing something underneath. But I know that many women feel that a belted and wrapped look is not particularly flattering, as well as the fact that they are usually sleeveless, so I think we will only see it in practice.a few people. Ann Taylor has a lot of them, as do Aqua And MM Lafleur; Spanx has a similar asymmetrical Option that is a bit between a double-breasted look and this longer vest look.