Invest in vests: Vests dominate the high street fashion this season

Vests or ‘wife beaters’ as they are more commonly known as, had never been well received in the world of men’s fashion. But surprisingly, they dominate the high street this season and have pulled a rank in the world of fashion. Unlike the old fashion days, vests are no longer worn just as an undershirt—some guys nowadays actually play around pairing them up with trousers or shorts and undeniably look very hot. There is no doubt that these wife beaters are a great way to stay cool but the problem is—guys often hesitate to wear them and even if they do, they don’t wear it appropriately. “Well the only time you will see me wearing a vest is when I working out in the gym. Besides that, I don’t wear vests much because honestly I don’t know the right way of carrying it flawlessly. However I’d love to wear them if I knew the right way of sporting it without looking like a real wife beater”, said Prasanna Thapa, a BBA student at Ace institute of Management. Like Thapa, if you too are considering trying this outfit but hesitating to actually wear it, then read further, we might just be able to help you.

Why to wear them?

Fit and Shape:
For a properly proportioned male, a wife-beater fits like a comfortable shoe. With the right fit, it covers important areas without crowding and tightening up underarm area like a T-shirt. Its shape means that it doesn’t do much to absorb perspiration, but it also doesn’t create sweat because of its sleeveless design. The wife-beater can’t incorporate yellow stains from either sweat or deodorant, a constant problem with the T. Shape of the wife-beater is perfectly proportional and accentuates the right body lines.

Comfort:
The summer vests versus T-shirt debate compares to another one in the world of underwear between briefs and boxers. Wearing one over another is a matter of personal style and comfort. Wife-beaters give more as you move about. T-shirts are a lot like ties: they may look good, but they are constraining. Wife-beaters have always been the uniform of the gym because they adjust well to a standing, seated or contorted body position. The shoulder straps and lack of sleeves give lots of freedom to the upper arms and neck.

Versatility:
The wife-beater excels at versatility. The classic tank top can embellish almost any outfit. Even with a V-neck sweater, the tank top complements a casual look without drawing attention away from the sweater, like a T-shirt does, but provides just enough contrast in color and layering. With a golf shirt or jersey open at the collar, the tank eliminates belt-and-suspenders look of two competing shirts. With a heavy stock fashion T-shirt, tank top provides extra warmth and a layer of comfort that can avoid the scratchiness of wool or other fibres built into a designer T-shirt—but please no white tank top under a white T-shirt.

Overall Appearance:
Wife-beaters look cool when paired with shorts at the gym, sweats/PJ bottoms at home, or walking shorts when lying in a hammock.  You will also be comfortable sleeping in a wife-beater. I like to think that a wife-beater makes guys look a little daring, individualistic, hip in a good way, and unconventional.

Price:
There is no doubt that you’ll get summer vests at very cheap rates and the good thing is you can get it almost everywhere. This is appropriate because, in a sense, it is next to nothing, though it is also all-purpose: as mentioned, it works for going to departmental stores or even at your friend’s place. So nice vests can serve as a shirts, but not vice-versa.

How to sport them flawlessly?
Now that you know why you must wear a vest, here are some tips to help you wear it perfectly.

A wife beater always looks best without pants or socks. Ideally it is even worn without a belt. In the context of shirts, where everything is collared and sleeved, a belt does not look out of place, but the wife beater makes anything but belt a little more than weird.
Although men wear flip-flops with wife beaters there is an essential contradiction between the ill-gotten authority and ignorance implied by the shirt and the floppy, relaxed nature of the shoes. A wife beater looks best either with Doc Martens, cowboy boots or just rotted sneakers.

The main thing to remember is that although you don’t necessarily have to have the body of a God to pull it off, I think people of a larger frame should probably steer clear from wearing a vest that is unless you keep it as a simple under garment. Pairing it with an open shirt can still look just as smart.

And one more thing! As these vests now come in so many different styles, colors and fits, try experimenting a bit more with this outfit. But however you wear it, the vest is definitely something that should be in-vest-ed in, this summer!