Fishing vests, or utility vests, are really useful pieces of clothing when the weather gets hot, and they’re not necessarily as weird as you might think.
I’ve learned this myself over the years by wearing the one pictured – a fairly simple vintage vest from LL Bean. At first I was a little unsure, as I had mostly seen people wearing them like this jamie ferguson Or James Harvey-KellyBoth are photographers and both often wear them while shooting.
But how unusual it looks depends largely on the style of the vest, I think, and what else you wear with it.
Vest styles run a wide spectrum between fussy and very straight-forward. Fishing models in particular often have dozens of pockets, some of them impractically small, and things like a soft piece of fleece on the chest to hold bait or flies.
Hunting vests are often a little simpler, with fewer and larger pockets on the front, but still have unusual features like a very large pocket on the back, for that chicken you just killed. The simplest models are often referred to as the more common ‘utility’ vest.
The second important way in which vests differ is the collar.
Many traditional vests were worn with collared shirts and could be expected to sit under larger jackets. That’s why he had no collar like a waistcoat.
The problem with this is that it doesn’t look that good on a lot of people who just wear a t-shirt underneath – eg. Wearing a low-collar crewneck over a tee. It’s definitely the same with me.
So I like a collar, either a full collar like my vest pictured above, or a small crescent collar on the back, as shown below. It’s a small addition but makes a big difference in the way the t-shirt looks.
Now how to wear them. A fishing/utility vest is a little unusual – maybe too traditional, maybe a little street these days – but a lot of the impact comes from whether they’re worn with a flannel shirt and cords, or with a skate tee and cargo trousers.
Or just a regular t-shirt and jeans, as here.
Still, black jeans and cordovan loafers look different than blue jeans and boat shoes, as do my two outfits. I wear both, but black jeans always look a little more modern, a little more urban (below).
Men have a tendency to view a piece of clothing in isolation rather than within the context of an outfit. This relates to the desire to copy an entire outfit from a lookbook, rather than just taking one or two elements.
I know people do this because it’s simpler and more predictable, but I would encourage them to have a little fun and be experimental. Much of personal style comes through this type of experimentation.
Hopefully the thing that needs the least explanation about a utility vest is just how practical it can be.
Even a simple style like mine has 15 pockets, including two zipped pockets. You can carry a phone, wallet, headphones, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, pen, and keys, and still have seven pockets left over.
It is cooler than a full jacket, and is often made with vents, mesh, or some similar ventilation mechanism. They are very useful; That’s why old people love them.
OK, so let’s assume I’ve convinced you of the style and practicality of one of these – or at least bought one cheap second-hand and tried it out. Which one will you get?
First I would suggest some things to consider:
- Think about how much detail and which collar you want, following the examples above.
- Pay attention to chest and length measurements: the practicality of vests means they can be wide enough and short enough. If they are wide, something that compresses the body is helpful.
- In my view, cotton is better than anything synthetic, because vests look especially good as they get older, and you don’t need a particularly lightweight or quick-drying fabric.
- If in doubt, go for the simple approach, and this features beige as the simplest color. Dark colors like navy or black may seem easy, but in summer it should be the default.
There are plenty of modern versions out there, ranging from classic-menswear brands to more streetwear-oriented brands. to gather For example, a high-quality one performs as you’d expect. drake’s The unusual color as does his ‘safari vest’. surplusAt the cheap end, a very cool utility vest and does barber There is always something.
More on the fashion side, ALD There have been some interesting works in recent years and there is currently a fun Madras version of it. kenzo Quite a good ‘workwear gilet’ and Universal Works Good for easy, simple designs.
However, the best ones are usually vintage ones on eBay from LL Bean, Eddie Bauer and their ilk. They are cheap, long lasting and often already have good character.
When searching on eBay, try to use broad terms, search patiently and look internationally – for example there are far more in the US than elsewhere.
Sellers don’t always know what they have, so it’s useful to try as many keywords as possible – use commas inside brackets to act as ‘or’, for example “(fishing, hunting, utility) vests” will bring up a list of vests that also have one of those keywords.
For brands, look for brands like LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, Columbia or Orvis. Despite being quite fashionable, vintage vests remain a bit niche, so unlike vintage denim or military jackets, there is a lot of availability and prices are affordable. More fashion brands like Ralph Lauren or even Tommy Hilfiger also have good ones, but less reliable.
Some we found today:
