Why Men Stopped Wearing Vests

So, you throw on a jacket, you're stepping out to grab a newspaper. Headlines read, The Armistice Titanic just launched in Belfast, Ireland. Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole. There are revolutions going on both in Mexico and China. And both the US Navy and the US Postal Service are trying out this new invention called the airplane. The year is 1911. And as you're walking down the street in downtown San Francisco, New York, London, or Chicago, every respectable man you see is wearing a vest. Now, of course, they're wearing their vests underneath the jacket and technically they're called waistcoats. But in any case, every single adult man owns at least a few of them. In 1911, we had reached peak vest. Based off some estimates, we would see over 20 million vests sold that year. With the total US population being well under 100 million, that figure as a percentage is even more impressive. But fast forward just 45 years to the mid-1950s and all of a sudden, we see that less than 10% of men are sporting vests. By the 1970s, that percentage had dropped to under 3%. And what makes that number even less impressive is that the majority of men that still own waistcoats are only wearing them with formal wear, aka black tie tuxedos. So, what happened to the waistcoat? Why did men stop wearing them? Well, the answer, gents, is right here in this photo. So, do you see it? The clue is there and I promise you by the end of this video, it will be obvious to you. But before we get into why the vest disappeared, we need to first establish why men started wearing them at all. And the reason goes back to Charles II who didn't want to be France's little b****. Let me explain. So, one of the most interesting things about the waistcoat is we know the exact date of its birth, 1666. And we know this because the documents are still out there. It was decreed that the king, Charles II, wanted to establish a unique English style. You see, the French had been the enemy for years. Yet, when you looked at the way the English dressed in their court, it was 100% influenced, inspired, and in Charles II's mind, controlled by the French. And Charles II, he didn't like this one bit. In fact, he equated it with France making English its mistress. And the king was apparently egged on by the writer John Evelyn who wrote in the pamphlet Tyrannus in 1661, would the great persons of England, but own their nation and assert themselves as they ought to by making choice of some viral and comely fashion. And in 1666, when the waistcoat made its debut, he described it as the So, at this point, the English are all full of themselves, lady, because they have now set the trend, which by the way is actually not the case because Charles II had come up with the idea after seeing the styles of adventurer Sir Robert Shirley who had actually borrowed it from the Persian court of Shah Abbas the Great. Now, the original waistcoat was actually really long. It would go down past the knees and they were adorned, colored, and these things were pretty darn elaborate. And of course, they showed status because they were only worn by men of means that could afford to have them made. Now, by the 1700s, the garment was shortened and we also saw a wide variety of materials. Initially, they used English wools, but a lot of men started to choose silk because it was just more elegant, it was beautiful, and it layered well. And from a practical perspective, the shortened version was actually very functional. Because it was sleeveless and cut close to the body, it provided the insulation layer of the most important part of the human body, the torso, and therefore was incredibly functional three quarters of the year in England. Freedom from sleeves also made it really good workwear because you had full movement of the arms. And if you started to perspire, you actually had a little bit of venting in the armpits. And throughout the 1800s, the vest became commonplace. Overall, the styles became much more muted and a man with money would have a range of waistcoats made. Silks for the summer for suits and formal wear. Heavier wools and tweeds for whenever it got cold. And because these vests were also made from the same material as suits, all of a sudden you have the emergence of the three-piece suit. Now, functionally, if you're wearing a suit in the 1800s, the vest solved a lot of problems. First up, it kept your tie in place. Next up, it hid your suspenders, which believe it or not was a big deal because suspenders, your shirt underneath, all of these accessories, these were considered almost like underwear. And in a sense, they need to be layered and covered. In fact, that's one of the reasons the vest has survived so long because in formal wear, black tie aka the tuxedo, a vest is worn to hide and create a more elegant look of where the shirt meets the trousers. In fact, if you ever look to grab a vest, make sure it is long enough. A vest even with your arms raised should still cover the meeting point of the shirt and the trousers, which on a side note was a lot higher in the 18th century because most men were wearing high-waisted trousers. But, why we stopped wearing high-waisted trousers, that is a whole other video. So, at the turn of the century, we have reached peak waistcoat. Every respectable man that wears a jacket owns one and most men own half a dozen or more in various materials. So, what happened? Now, gents, if you're enjoying today's video, you really should check out the free community I've created for you over on Skool. Seriously, there's no catch, it's absolutely free. But, you want to join soon because every day you're not a member, you're missing out. Seriously, all the fragrances, all the clothes, all the product samples I've had sent to me over the years, I give away for free over in our group. And to be straight, gents, the guys in our community are actually getting the most out of these videos because a lot of you guys watch the video maybe got a question or you want to elaborate on a point or ask where you can buy something. Well, guess what? In our community, we have thousands of men just like you that are helping each other become their best self. So, if you want to dress better, go over to the Real Men Real Style community. I'm linking to it in the description. Oh, I do need to be clear. We ask three vetting questions. We want to protect you guys from spammers, so make sure to answer them in detail, that way you get into the community. And if you're interested, we also got a fragrance community, the Brotherhood of Scent, and a watch community. So, if you're into fragrances or you're into watches, go check out those communities. I'll link to them as well down in the description. So, what happened? Why did the waistcoat disappear? Let me start by asking, did you see that movie All Quiet on the Western Front? I loved it. I think it's one of the best anti-war movies I've ever seen. And it had me hooked right at the intro where we see clothing taken off the dead soldiers, washed of its blood, dried, then sewn back up and handed to the new clueless recruits. So, what does that have to do with the waistcoat? Because in 1914, the world for the first time saw total war. Basically, you had countries dealing with shortages and having to make cuts in areas that previously they had no problem spending resource on. One of those big areas was the manufacture of clothing. So, by the start of World War I, fabric rationing throughout Europe and even the United States was commonplace. And what you saw, a lot of civilian garments, they stopped making them. And the designers that were formerly doing runways, well, guess what? Now, they're designing uniforms with conservation and functionality in mind. They wanted something that was durable that used the least amount of fabric. Now, vest and waistcoats still served a purpose. They were really good for providing insulating layer, but they were made in less numbers. And most importantly for their life, they weren't made to be a part of uniforms. Now, after the Great War, things kind of returned back to normal. 1920s, 1930s, we again saw the production of the vest shoot up. Because, again, it was functional and it was something men were used to wearing. But, the numbers at least percentage-wise weren't like they were before World War I. By the early 1940s, the entire world is rationing their fabric and materials. And at the same time, we're seeing advancements in the way the fabrics are being made. They're more weather-resistant, more durable. They do a better job insulating. Well, with all these advancements in fabric technology and, again, uniforms did not leverage the vest. So, you got all these GIs returning from the war used to wearing more comfortable clothing than their fathers did. Well, guess what? By the 1950s, the demand and production of the vest has dropped significantly. So, yeah, when you're looking at this image, it now makes a lot of sense, right? Now, the next reason the vest disappeared, let's talk about office heating. When we were at peak vest in 1911, we had a huge demographic shift happening. Tons of men throughout the world were leaving the rural areas and migrating to the cities for jobs that paid better. And in the year 1911, even if you worked indoors, it was luxury if your office had indoor heating. And as that more than half American men still worked outside and not to mention when they moved around transportation-wise, yeah, there was no heating in those train cars. That new invention called the automobile didn't even have a closed compartment. A lot of guys were riding horses or in carriages going to and from. Obviously, by 1920 to the 1930s, things had changed. Indoor heating in the city has now become commonplace. Offices are still cool, but they're relatively comfortable. Inside a train for public transportation, it's now sealed better and some of the fancier cars have heating. And speaking of fancy, those automobiles all of a sudden are starting to have sealed enclosures and some of them even have heaters. And, well, you can see where this is going. By the 1950s, indoor heating across the spectrum with where men are spending their time is commonplace. So, the need for an extra layer to keep you warm, it's pretty much disappearing. Now, the next reason may seem a little bit less important, but it's incredibly powerful because human beings want to be like other human beings. Yeah, by the late 1950s and into the 1960s and 1970s, all of a sudden we have tons of young men rejecting the old school styles of their fathers and grandfathers. And the waistcoat was a part of that style. In addition with the disappearance of suspenders and the rise of the belt, all of a sudden wearing a garment to hide the suspenders didn't really make much sense. And this style became much more casual. We saw the rise of the jumper, the sweater. It had been around forever, knitwear that is, but it was often reserved for much more casual situations. However, by the 1960s, by the 1970s, knitwear and sweaters are becoming much more common daily wear for men. And by the 1970s and 1980s, you're seeing it even mixed in with formal wear. And because of its properties and ability to stretch for many guys, they felt it was more comfortable, less expensive, and more functional than getting a custom-made vest. Because, yeah, by the 1970s, they're becoming harder to find. Therefore, if you want to get one, you got to either go to a men's specialty shop or have it custom-made for you. And as a former clothier, I will tell you a well-cut vest that fits the body is one of the hardest garments to make. Seriously, ask any tailor for a vest to look good on a hard to fit body type, that thing has to be cut just right. That being said, if you're in decent shape, just make sure it fits you in the chest. Get it with that adjuster in the back and you will be just fine. So, by the 1970s, men's style is much more casual. The two-piece suit reigns. And even that garment is starting to see a decline. So, with all these bad news with the waistcoat, why didn't it disappear? Why did it stick around? Well, I mentioned earlier the majority of vests are still sold today as a part of a formal wear outfit. In case you didn't know, when it comes to dressing black tie, there are actually set rules, which some people find off-putting. My answer to this is it makes it really simple. You just simply dress per the rules and the guidelines. And, yes, if you want to change it up, you want to have fun, I would say you can break one rule whenever you're putting your black tie outfit together. But, the rule in formal wear is that you need to cover the area where the shirt meets the trousers. Now, you can do this with a cummerbund, which comes out of India. And it's a really cool piece of menswear. But, the more traditional and more formal way to do this is to wear a proper black tie waistcoat. But, having said that, why do we still see waistcoat outside of black tie? Well, first up, unlike a lot of other items that have disappeared in menswear, the waistcoat for some is still functional. A small percentage of men out there still wear suspenders and so they use a waistcoat to cover it. And I do find if you have a white collar job where you spend a lot of time in the office, you're a lawyer, you're a banker, you're a consultant, you want to maintain a dressed up appearance that allows the eyes to go up and down. When you take your jacket off, which some guys like to do, you know, for that reason, the waistcoat just can't be beat. A lot of guys as well enjoy bringing in a bit of color. In case you haven't noticed, the waistcoat I'm wearing, the back of it has some really fun patterns and colors to it. And some guys out there who wear a suit on a daily basis love the color they can bring to their outfit when they wear an odd waistcoat, one that is made from different material and sometimes even a striking color that brings a bit of pop to their outfit. There's also something to be said how it raises the V. On a two-button jacket, you're going to find that the gorge where the left and right flaps overlap is actually relatively low. By wearing a waistcoat, you actually raise that V up and you can give your outfit a more formal look. So, yeah, the three-piece suit has become less popular, but it still survives because some guys just love it. In addition, it should be noted I've been using the word vest and waistcoat interchangeably. Technically, a vest is a waistcoat that is made to be worn as outerwear. And that's another place where this garment has survived especially in the western wear scene. A well-fitted vest helps keep a tucked-in shirt from billowing out and going all over the place. In fact, one of my best friends, godfather to my daughter, Katya, Ryan Mash, as you can see him, he loves the waistcoat. He wears it all the time when he goes out swing dancing and he loves how it brings a bit of color and a bit of style and flash to his overall outfit without getting in the way. In fact, if you're a photographer, I always recommend that they grab a good-looking waistcoat because if you're at a fancy wedding, everyone else is wearing a jacket, but you're moving around working, it's a great way to have a more buttoned-up look without retaining as much heat that would build up, yeah, with a jacket. And, of course, I got to give a shout-out to some of the subcultures out there like steampunk and the vintage fashion movement that have loved, maintained, and used and ensure the waistcoat lives on. Now, gents, if you enjoyed this video, you are going to love this one right here. Why did men stop wearing suspenders? Why did they stop wearing hats? Guys, I got you covered. Boom! Check it out, both of these videos, solid, yeah. Click right there, check it out. Oh, yeah.