vest: assured.
A vest. A seemingly simple article of clothing that can be a style savior. Come fall, vests should be in your wardrobe rotation regularly. Given their popularity, they now come in a host of cuts and fabrics and all of them help us address fall weather-related style quandaries. They can be, however, deceivingly hard to wear. Our friend over at The Shoe Hive, Elizabeth Todd, has found styling a vest to be particularly tricky despite the fact that she owns a number of them. She buys them, convinces herself that she will wear them, and then just never pulls them out of the closet when getting dressed in the morning. We sat together to talk about how to solve this particular fall fashion dilemma.
Molly: What is the biggest challenge you face when styling a vest?
Elizabeth: I have two vest challenges. The first is with fur or any type of vest that has more bulk: I feel like they make me look like I am ready to play the line in a college football game. Petite has never been a word that has been used to describe my frame so I am cautious of that when picking out clothes. My second problem is what to wear under them! I am always dressing to hide my mid section and I feel like vests can accentuate my problem area.
Styling is as much a balancing act as any. When you feel a little bigger on the top, balance your look by eliminating bulk anywhere else. With a looser-fitting top and vest, pair with dark skinny pants. Whether it’s dark blue Paige denim or sleek skinny black pants, create a slim silhouette by not over-loading on fabric. If boyfriend jeans look great on you, absolutely wear them! Just opt for a top that is either more form-fitting or lighter in fabric.
Molly: How many vests do you own?
Elizabeth: I would say about 3 for summer and 4 for winter. How can I style them each season?
Molly: Vests, we’ve found, are a year-round item, allowing us to interchange our vests with all sorts of outfits. The answer? Listen to your body and read the weather report. If you are comfortable and your outfit is in line with the temperature, it works. If you feel like your outfit is off, it probably is.
Molly: What do you like the most about vests? (Like when you’re in the store and you decide to buy it, what attracts you to them?)
Elizabeth: I love layering. Vests are a great way to do that, I think. I feel like they are a fun casual piece that can also look great at night.
After breaking down why Elizabeth buys but never wears vests, we took to a little shopping at Kiskadee and came up with three vest-centered looks (pictured here). It turns out not only does Elizabeth look amazing in vests, she actually likes them!
Mission: Accomplished.
