London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

A Decade Later, I’ve Returned to My High School Obsession-Vests

A Decade Later, I’ve Returned to My High School Obsession-Vests

In high school, I went through a serious vest phase. Not in a cute, minimal, Kendall Jenner–inspired way—in a Y2K, so-bad-it’s-good way. At the time, all the It girls (say, Nicole Richie or Lindsay Lohan) were wearing suit vests with graphic tees, and I wanted to replicate the à la mode look.

I remember going to our local mall and heading straight to Le Château, a now-defunct Canadian retailer that essentially specialized in outfitting teens for their proms. I bought two suit vests: a black button-up waistcoat, and a cream button-up waistcoat with a white satin back. I later showed up at school in my new vests—paired with my favorite band tees, emo hair, and skinny jeans, of course—and I felt like a true celebrity.

Looking back, the vest-styling approach was all wrong. I simply looked like an angsty teen who stole part of his dad’s suit and threw it over the top of his Evanescence tees. I’m scarred by any photographic evidence of me during this time period—so much so that I’ve avoided vests like the plague ever since. However, a decade later, I’ve begun seeing vests come back on to the street-style scene. This season, stylish stars like Kendall Jenner and Bella and Gigi Hadid have been wearing suit vests as tops, and pairing them with baggy trousers and designer bags. Suddenly, the vest feels cool again. The question is: Do I dare to revisit them myself?

Never being one to discount a trend, I decided to challenge myself to make a return to vests this fall season. Call it a redemptive styling moment, but with 10 years of fashion experience since high school, I was convinced I could create vest outfits that were grown-up, sophisticated, and not trying too hard (meaning, not just with a graphic tee). Lucky for me too, there are tons of great men’s vests on the market right now, and the new crop of vests come in a range of silhouettes and materials, including cozy knits, sleek leathers, or cool, techy fabrics.

Below, I put three vests to the test, and share my tips on how to wear them.

The Minimal Vest



To start off, I decided to test out a clean, minimalist vest like all the top models are wearing. I was instantly drawn to the muted color and elongated silhouette of this Peter Do vest. I leaned into a neutral color palette, and paired it with a white tank and jeans, a black Bottega Veneta Cassette bag, and black Christian Louboutin boots. As someone who rarely does minimalism, this new outfit felt fresh and exciting to me—like it’s a more elegant version of myself. I’d definitely wear this to the office. Is baring one’s arms in a professional setting weird? Whatever, I work in fashion!

The Cozy Sweater Vest



For my second vest, I wanted to experiment with a more seasonally-appropriate vest. It’s cold out, after all! I love the red color of this knit Bode cardigan vest, and how it subtly ties in the front—not to mention it’s super cozy too. Once again, I found myself drawn to pairing it with a white tank top (might as well really go for showing off my muscle-less arms!), and then I finished it off with classic blue jeans, Gucci loafers, and my favorite Éliou charm necklace. For a more covered look, this could also be layered with a black turtleneck, or underneath a coat on the weekends.

The Going-Out Vest


Last but not least, I wanted to push myself to see if I could put together a vest look for the evening. When you’re grabbing drinks with friends, you may not think about reaching for a suit vest—but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it can be both cool and dressy. I love the subtle logo flex on this black Prada vest. I paired it with my favorite groovy Raf Simons turtleneck, Wrangler dress pants, a black By Far patent bag, and my trusty Louboutin heeled boots. I have to say, this was my favorite look of the bunch. My high school self would be proud of how far we’ve come. I’ve officially redeemed myself!

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×