How to Wear Suit Vests- for Women

Suit vests on women are super sexy and stylish. There, I said it! I recently started re-watching the 90s sitcom Just Shoot Me during our quarantine, and I was blown away by Nina’s style. Now, that’s the point-she’s the fashion editor of a magazine. But, more importantly, though it was the style of the 90’s, there were many looks she wore that are still relevant and stylish for today’s fashion world. One of the pieces that stood out was the fitted suit vest. She wore them frequently. Well, I was all about wearing these when I was in school, and I’ve recently taken mine out of the closet and began giving them a go again. Suit vests (also known as waistcoats) on women are great because they don’t have to be worn in a full-on suit look. They can easily be worn with jeans, dress pants, and skirts, and they can have a multitude of colors worn underneath of them. Somehow, wearing one naturally tells everyone, “I have style!”

So, we’re here to talk today about when you should wear fitted vests and how to style them.

When to Wear a Fitted Vest

All in all, I always think these look best in casual or semi-professional environments. Wearing a traditional waistcoat to a professional event seems less trendy because it’s more expected. The best part about wearing these fitted vests in casual situations is that they are unexpected.

Wear for Work

Fitted vests are perfect to wear to your work to give everyone the message that you understand fashion. They are a great way to compliment an office professional or business casual look. You can wear them with dress pants and/or a skirt, and they will look great with a long-sleeved button-up blouse underneath. In this environment, it will be best to wear a black or grey vest with a muted-colored shirt underneath. The bottoms can either be black with a grey vest or you can match your vest with black bottoms.

Wear it Casual

Keeping the look casual is my favorite way to wear fitted vests. Wear the vest with jeans and cute matching boots. Now, you can wear brighter blouses underneath the vest if you so desire. Style with some cute earrings, and you have the perfect look. I would avoid wearing shorts with this look, as it really just doesn’t work out the way you think it would. In casual settings, you can play with more colorful waistcoats, too.

Night Out

You can keep the look super professional and wear fitted vests for a night out with a matching business professional skirt. Or surprise everyone with a shorter black skirt to match your vest. Definitely avoid wearing a black skirt and black vest together with a white shirt in any situation, especially on your night out, as you will wind up looking like a waiter.

How to Style Your Fitted Vests

 As mentioned above, for casual looks, brighter, more funky colors under your vest are always a great idea. For professional looks, more subdued blouses would look best. Never wear black pants and a black vest over white or else you run the risk of looking like you are a waiter.

For shoes, boots are the preferred choice, as they compliment the look so nicely. Heels are also a great option for these. I would avoid wearing flats or sneakers unless your flats are dressy.

Because of where the vests hang on you, wearing a necklace with the best is not necessary. Instead, style with rings and earrings accordingly.

Feel free to play around with looser vests that aren’t so well-fitting. There are many cute looks you can create with a looser waistcoat, too.

All in all, fitted vests have been in and out of style for years. And they are surely back again already! Be sure to grab one for yourself, and look like you mean business throughout your days.

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