It’s garments like these that deserve quilting treatment. A quality quilted gilet deserves its place based on weight and cut as much as pattern. Diamond stitching should be tight with purpose, holding its shape rather than wanting to sink into slouchy folds; the fill should have enough substance to keep you warm without wanting to make the whole thing puff into some kind of duvet with sleeves. Start with the collar. A lapel that actually laps, enough substance there to button up close to your neck on a proper winter’s morning is what separates the keepers from the cute-buffer-uppers. Hem is important too – cropped styles play better over higher waisted trousers and dresses, whilst a longer length that covers your hips acts harder as a proper layer over the elements as opposed to a bit of style flair. Fit should give you room to layer a jumper underneath without pulling across the shoulders, but shouldn’t overwhelm the shape you’re wearing. After all…
That’s the beauty of the gilet. It provides volume where you need it, and none where you don’t. Easily why it works over knitwear when a cropped jacket never quite does.
How you wear it will obviously depend on what you’re layering underneath, but also what you choose to wear on your feet. A fine/good midweight jumper is a must, preferably with a collar or roll neck to show at the top so your gilet doesn’t look incomplete. From there, go slim to straight cut jeans or trousers – something like cords. You want something fairly narrow at the leg to offset all that width at the top. Shoes with a bit of tread will do more for the overall silhouette than a pair of trainers; once again everything about this look is constructed on being outdoors and active, not lingering. Throw a loose shirt underneath, collar popped, if you want to take the sporty edge down just a touch. A gilet isn’t for everyone all the time, it’s something for getting wetdogs home on, hanging about the market on a Sunday morning, biking to work if that’s your thing. It’s pub gardens in the colder months and not quite-dressy-enough days. Ask it to replace your coat and it falls down. Accept that it can’t keep you quite as warm and utilise it for what it excels at; bridging the gap between Autumnal edge and Spring softness.
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