As colder weather has arrived recently, there have been a few questions from readers about gilets or vests. It’s not a category we’ve covered in much detail, so Alex and I took a bunch to the studio last week and had a play with a few outfits - in order to illustrate how I wear them and, as a result, what I like (and to an extent don’t like) about them. 

Gilets are one of those pieces that are burdened with associations. For some it’s a preppy thing, the sloaney ‘Fulham lifejacket’. For others it became synonymous with the ‘tech bro’ uniform, worn over a dress shirt and trousers. Then there’s the outdoorsy guy, in ripstop and multiple pockets. The streetwear look with the trainers and beanie. The quiet luxury version (Loro Piana/Cucinelli).

What all this says to me, though, is that gilets don’t have to have any particular association - that they’re actually quite versatile. What matters is the type of gilet, how you wear it and what you wear it with. 

Personally, I like gilets best as outerwear, and therefore quite chunky. Usually down-filled, I wear them with thick knits or sweatshirts, in lieu of a jacket or coat. 

The first one above is a good example. An old collaboration between The Armoury and Rocky Mountain Featherbed, it’s the Christy model but in roughout suede with a shearling collar. I’m wearing it with a quarter-zip sweatshirt from The Real McCoy’s and Rubato chinos. 

The vest is big, as you can see in the image below. Even though down-filled ones bed down over time, and so lose some of their volume, they’re always going to be chunky. As a result they’re best with other larger fits - not huge, but not skinny or slim. 

My Rubato chinos have enough volume to work (these haven’t been slimmed down) and so does the sweatshirt. A chunkier knit would be ever better - perhaps a thick roll neck - but a simple two-ply crewneck would get drowned. 

I also think the volume of a gilet is something to enjoy and lean into. I used to wear this one buttoned up the whole time, trying to keep it close to the body (mostly using poppers high on the chest). But over time I’ve become comfortable with having it open and voluminous. 

It’s not the kind of silhouette that fans of tailoring will necessarily find easy. But it’s no different to the volume you get in the skirt of a coat, or the leg of a trouser - it’s just a different shape in a different place. Getting used to it just requires some thought and experiment and play - a little exercise of the aesthetic muscle. 

The other clothes there are a PS T-shirt, a PS watch cap and scarf, a Frank Clegg tote and Rubato/Doek shoes. 

This second gilet is probably my favourite - a black deerskin from The Real McCoy’s. 

The down-filled volume is similar to the snuff-coloured vest above, but the outer is softer and compresses more easily. The feel of the deerskin is also beautiful - for me, top-end deerskin is the best combination of strength and luxury in any leather. 

Underneath this one is a rather bigger sweatshirt - a Camber hoodie from Beige Habilleur. Camber uses a particularly thick material in its sweats, a 90/10 cotton/poly mix with a fleecey inside but harsh outside. They’re not the most luxurious, but they are extremely warm and hard-wearing, which is what they were designed for. 

And the silhouette is great - this is a size small and it’s still big on me, but it has a shorter cut that stops it being too much and actually makes it quite flattering. 

An important aspect of both these vests is that the suede and pointed yokes give them a Western style that is not one of the more common associations. 

It’s not unknown - many will have some image of Ralph Lauren on his ranch wearing one - but it perhaps separates them from the other associations readers could worry about. That might be why Rocky Mountain in particular has become popular, though I don’t like the more common nylon outer materials as much.

The McCoy’s one here is worn with vintage Dutch cargo trousers, a PS watch cap and Color 8 cordovan boots. 

The last gilet is from a similar but different tradition, that of American outdoors wear. This is a rich seam for menswear, and one that has become particularly popular as outdoor clothing in general (sometimes known as ‘Gorpcore’) has become fashionable.

Gilets in this mould tend to be a little smaller and lighter, often used for layering in the same way as those ‘tech bro’ ones. But older models are made from better materials - usually around 50/50 cotton and polyester, which gives them a matte, natural finish. 

The colours are usually better too - either natural beiges and olives, or bright colours like this red. (Red or orange is often used for hunting, I'm told, because deer see all such colours as shades of brown, while hunters can see each other easily.) 

I don’t wear this style of gilet as much, but I do like this old Eddie Bauer model for its pop of colour. Shades of Marty McFly perhaps, but if I’m going to impersonate anyone, a white suburban kid isn’t much of a stretch. 

Here it’s worn with a henley-style thermal from Real McCoy’s (the Joe McCoy model) and vintage Levi's. A sweatshirt works just as well, but it needs to have a shorter body, given the short length of the vest. Same goes for the higher rise of the jeans. 

The boots are Galways from Edward Green. A model like the Cranleigh is good too, but given everything on top is quite close-fitting, chunkier Alden or Viberg work boots aren’t so in keeping. 

To some, a heavy gilet can seen an odd choice - why wear so much down on your body and then leave your arms uncovered? 

I’ve always found it surprisingly practical as long as the knit underneath is warm, and you can use the pockets when needed. Their popularity in recent years probably supports that. 

A reader also asked recently about fleeces, which in many ways fall into a similar category. 

I can see the appeal of a Patagonia-style fleece, but for me it’s a shame not to wear materials like suede and leather as outerwear, given it’s such a rich, enjoyable area for menswear. A fleece feels akin to knitwear, whereas a gilet like this is more similar to a suede blouson or leather flight jacket. At least with the first two in this article, the materials arec ertainly more in line. 

Down-filled vests or gilets won’t be for everyone, but they’re certainly practical and enjoyable, and I don't think anyone should worry too much about associations.