Vesting

That the Edwardian era has always been a favorite of mine should come as no real surprise.  A time of great dining and fancy clothing.  The time of the vest and watch chain.  The top hat.  The walking stick.  Gentlemen.  Ladies.  All of which had, of course, existed before but reached their glory from 1900 to 1914.  In Paris, they called it "La Belle Epoque".  The Beautiful Era.

Other than the grand dining, perhaps my favorite part of the Beautiful Age was the men's vest.  It allowed for another sartorial element a gentleman could deploy to set himself off from the crowd when adorned with lapels or a bold chain, as above.

After years of being relegated to the dust bin of investmentbankwear, my recent travels delighted me with the realization that men of all ages are wearing vests again and stores are selling all sorts of dressy and casual vests from which to choose.  For example, a large selection can be found here.

Now, I admit, the current trend is aimed at the fit, slender sorts.  The return reader will know that I am more of the....Edwardian...build.  Not to worry.  Just make sure that the vest fits you.  Nothing looks worse than an ill fitting garment, vests in particular.  Most off the rack vests adjust to a degree, you just have to take advantage of the adjustment.  I recommend tailoring.  For the young and fit, your tailor should have an easy task of taking in the vest a bit.  For the rest of us, well, the tailor does what must be done. 

Times have certainly changed and vests can now be worn in very casual outfits as well as with your best.  Maybe next we will see a return of the walking stick.  We can only hope.  There is an Edwardian hidden somewhere in every Epic.