Carrie in Ralph Lauren in the Sex And The City Movie


Bill Cunningham’s On The Street column in the New York Times last Sunday got us thinking about vests again. 

We first spotted the revival of the look early last fall in New York, mostly on NYU students and Village twenty-somethings who wore them over inexpensive, loose white t-shirts (as in the Hanes men’s 5-pack for $11 ) with skinny jeans and flats. 

 It was, we had to admit, a very hip, casual, Sunday-in-Soho look, but we weren’t sure if the trend, with its faint 80’s retro vibe, would survive outside the rarified petri-dish of NYC.   [In fact, it was hard to imagine ever be re-embraced by anyone over 30; there are few women who lived through the 80’s and early 90’s who don’t have at least one truly hideous vest lurking somewhere in their sartorial past, probably immortalized in some family holiday photo or school picture.  Which, of course, is why God invented matches… ]

A staple of the menswear-influenced looks of the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s and a cornerstone of the Annie Hall look,

(which continues to influence American designers to this day), the vest pretty had pretty much faded into fashion oblivion by the early 90’s.

Sadly, having been done to death-- and often badly--in every length, cut, and fabric imaginable, it was just plain exhausted, and who could blame it? 

So it curled up and took a nice long rest, until last fall, when kids (who were probably just too young to remember the bad-vest overkill of their parent’s generation) immediately recognized its potential to add a modern twist to the classic jeans-and-tee ensemble.

It seems that designers have picked up on this as well, which is no surprise, since one of the best things about a vest, (as some of you will remember), is its versatility as a layering piece. 

Unbuttoned, it can float over blouses,

Collette Dinningham, Fall 2008 and

Koi Suwan, Fall 2008

tees,

Yigal Azrouel, Spring 2008

tanks,

Neil Barrett, Spring 2008

or even a dress,

Diane Von Furstenberg, Fall 2008
...adding structure and color to a silhouette. 


Buttoned, it’s a base piece that can be worn on its own

Ferragamo, Spring 2008

or layered under anything from a belt

Proenza Schouler Spring 2008

to an overcoat.

Bill Blass fall 2008

Or, like Prouenza Shouler, you can even top one vest with another vest,

(although we’re not sure we’d try this at home.)

In fact, fitted vests were such a big part of the “they’re-so-hot-right-now!" Prouenza Schouler Spring 2008 runway collection that it’s almost inevitable that others will be following.

(Astute Sex And The City viewers will have recognized the PS vest on Carrie in the scene where she visits the NYC library;

the skirt she’s wearing with it, though, is “vintage”—which probably just means they didn’t get it for free so they’re not about to promote the label.) 

To try the look for cheap, take your inspiration from D & G’s Spring 2008 Collection

and pair this Forever 21 denim vest

with your favorite wide-legged jeans and a basic belt,

or channel your inner Annie Hall with this menswearish cotton linen one from Target .

And if you want to inVEST (haha) in something that will make more of a statement, we love Philip Lim’s double-breasted version ($375)

or this beautifully tailored one from Pency

($265; both available on Shopbop ).

Or you can just wait--we expect we’ll see a lot more in the stores for fall!