How to wear a vest and not give waitress vibes

Did you buy a vest, but just can’t figure out how to style it without looking like a waitress? Yeah, me too. I bought a black waistcoat from Zara last summer and only wore it once, with a pleated mini skirt and chunky sneakers; but every time I tried to style it with trousers, it never felt quite right.

Yoyo Cao wears a pink shirt, pink vest, brown leather blazer with matching skirt and black boots.

Fast forward to now: spring has arrived, and with warmer days on the horizon we must figure out how to style those vests! For both our sakes–we’re in this together, dear reader–I have been researching, moodboarding, and observing… and I think I finally figured it out. Here are six tips on how not to give waitress vibes when wearing your tailored vests.

But first, a general word of advice…

I think this general rule applies to all the six tips I’m about to share: in order for your vest to work, you need to take it as far away from business casual as possible. NO business, ALL casual. Got it? Great. Let’s dive in.

1. Choose a casual fabric

A girl wears a light wash denim vest and matching jeans.

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If you haven’t bought your fated vest yet, this is for you: rather than the classic navy or black cotton, go for a more casual and unusual material: denim, leather, linen, etc.

-30%

Citizens Of Humanity

V-neck denim gilet - Blue

Delivery: £10.00

£394.00 ~~£564.00~~

FARFETCH

Cinq à Sept

denim Reene vest - Blue

Delivery: £10.00

£397.00

FARFETCH

-20%

3x1

sleeveless denim jacket - Blue

Delivery: £10.00

£345.00 ~~£432.00~~

FARFETCH

Max Mara notched-lapels waistcoat - Black

-12%

BESTSELLER

Max Mara

notched-lapels waistcoat - Black

Delivery: £10.00

£316.00 ~~£360.00~~

FARFETCH

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2. Wear nothing underneath

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For the ultimate effortless look, wear your vest with nothing underneath–except maybe a bra or a bandeau top–. If sleeveless isn’t your vibe, a baggy white t-shirt works too!

3. Matching sets: choose a fun colour!

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If you’re in the market for a two-piece suit, I would suggest going for a fun, casual colour: any shade of pink, bottle green, even cream or off-white. Avoiding classic “office” colours like black, navy, or grey will help you feel less stuffy.

-20%

Frankie Shop

Gelso high-rise wide-leg pants Beige

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£140.00 ~~£175.00~~

Mytheresa

BESTSELLER

Frankie Shop

Gelso Oversized blazer - Black

Delivery: £10.00

£315.00

FARFETCH

Frankie Shop

Gelso high-rise wide-leg pants Grey

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£165.00

Mytheresa

Frankie Shop

Gelso Oversized Blazer - Womens - Rayon/TENCEL/Wool - XXS Black

Delivery: £5.00

£310.00

Browns

Frankie Shop

Gelso high-rise wide-leg pants Black

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£175.00

Mytheresa

BESTSELLER

Frankie Shop

Gelso pleated trousers - Black

Delivery: £10.00

£251.00

FARFETCH

-20%

Frankie Shop

Gelso vest Grey

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£156.00 ~~£195.00~~

Mytheresa

Frankie Shop

Gelso tailored waistcoat - Grey

Delivery: £10.00

£181.00

FARFETCH

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4. Trousers: dos and don'ts

A guest wears black sunglasses, a black buttoned sleeveless gilet, a black shiny leather blazer jacket, a black shiny leather belt, blue denim faded ripped wide legs pants, a pale blue shiny faux leather handbag from Stella McCartney.

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Since “chill and effortless” is our goal here, it might be a good idea to pair your vest with the chillest trousers of all: jeans. Any colour vest will work great with medium wash, dark wash, and even black denims. This, of course, doesn’t mean you necessarily have to stay away from slacks! I have found that slacks work best when in contrast with your vest: so, say, a dark vest with light slacks, or vice versa.

-30%

Self Portrait

Embellished high-rise wide-leg jeans Blue

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£262.00 ~~£375.00~~

Mytheresa

-60%

AllSaints

Womens Cotton Blake Studded Wide Leg Denim Jeans, Size: 29 Blue

Delivery: free

£79.20 ~~£199.00~~

AllSaints

-10%

Polo Ralph Lauren

wide-leg distressed jeans - Blue

Delivery: £10.00

£222.00 ~~£247.00~~

FARFETCH

-40%

Khaite

Corben high-rise tapered jeans Blue

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£288.00 ~~£480.00~~

Mytheresa

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5. Be mindful of proportions

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Taking the time to reflect on proportions will most definitely help you feel cool in your vest. Pair cropped, fitted, or skin-tight vests with baggy trousers, and oversized vests with shorts or mini skirts. Amy Smilovic, founder and creative director of Tibi, always stresses the importance of balancing “big/slim/skin” in an outfit. Words to live by!

-30%

Closed

X-Lent tapered jeans - Black

Delivery: £10.00

£150.00 ~~£215.00~~

FARFETCH

-18%

adidas Originals

ADIDAS Originals Mens Leather Upper Trainer With Suede And Gold Foil Details Lace Fastening Synthetic Li - White Leather (archived) - Size UK 9.5

Delivery: £2.99

£74.00 ~~£90.00~~

Secret Sales

Maison Close

Pure Tentation long-sleeve backless catsuit - Black

Delivery: £10.00

£178.00

FARFETCH

-30%

Clarks

Howard Cap Standard Fit Black

Delivery: £4.95

£49.00 ~~£70.00~~

Clarks

Closed

racer tank top - Black

Delivery: £10.00

£106.00

FARFETCH

-28%

Lacoste

Mens Hooded Puffer Jacket - Black - Size Large

Delivery: £2.99

£164.63 ~~£230.00~~

Secret Sales

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Closed

fair-isle sweater - Black

Delivery: £10.00

£310.00

FARFETCH

Clarks

Westlynn Bella Standard Fit Black

Delivery: £4.95

£65.00

Clarks

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-21%

Levi's

corduroy patch-pocket trousers - GREEN

Delivery: £10.00

£79.00 ~~£100.00~~

FARFETCH

-30%

Toteme

Low-rise wool-blend flannel straight pants Grey

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£259.00 ~~£370.00~~

Mytheresa

-18%

The North Face

four-pocket convertible pants - Brown

Delivery: £10.00

£92.00 ~~£112.00~~

FARFETCH

-30%

Max Mara

Aversa logo high-rise wide-leg pants Brown

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£318.00 ~~£455.00~~

Mytheresa

-30%

TOMBOY

corduroy trousers - Green

Delivery: £10.00

£94.00 ~~£134.00~~

FARFETCH

Roman

Straight Smart Trousers Black

Delivery: free

£26.00

Roman

-75%

Ql2 Quelledue

Corduroy Flared Pants with Patch Pockets size 44

Delivery: £10.92

£84.61 ~~£338.46~~

GLAMOOD

Dockers

Weekend Chino, Slim Fit Blue

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£70.00

Dockers

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6. Shoes and accessories: dos and don'ts

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I have found that, when styling a vest, your choice of shoes and accessories has the power to make or break your outfit. As we were saying before, our goal is to stay away from business casual as much as possible, and our accessories should reflect that.

As for the shoes, a pair of flat sandals or dad sneakers will do the trick. When picking your handbag for the day, go for a slouchy pouch, a tote bag, or a chill shoulder bag.

Remember, NO business, ALL casual!