I recently just bought a suit, as I needed something for my grandfather's funeral..

I've never been much of one to wear "dressier" stuff, and I'm a fan of jeans and raglan tees and v necks most everyday, when I'm not wearing my work uniform.

But I actually enjoyed the tailored suit, and wouldn't mind wearing it more, out on dates and such.

I've always been a sucker for those nice suit vest that can be worn formally or informally, but I have no idea where to find a good deal on one, and which might be good for wearing out everyday AND with my grey pinstripe suit (65% poly, 25% visco, 10% wool)

Texture/style ideas?

Like this?

Originally Posted by n8rockerasu Like this? [IMG]pic[/IMG]

Moar plz

Originally Posted by jcp42877 I recently just bought a suit, as I needed something for my grandfather's funeral.. I've never been much of one to wear "dressier" stuff, and I'm a fan of jeans and raglan tees and v necks most everyday, when I'm not wearing my work uniform. But I actually enjoyed the tailored suit, and wouldn't mind wearing it more, out on dates and such. I've always been a sucker for those nice suit vest that can be worn formally or informally, but I have no idea where to find a good deal on one, and which might be good for wearing out everyday AND with my grey pinstripe suit (65% poly, 25% visco, 10% wool) Texture/style ideas?

If you're going to wear a vest with a suit it really should be a vest that has been designed to go with that suit, otherwise it's not going to look correct or be fashionable unless you have a really great eye for pairing things up. I'd say the vast majority of vests you see being worn with suits were designed and tailored to go with that suit and usually have identical design and materials used as the rest of the suit.

You can easily wear your suit pieces in less formal situations - the vest or the jacket with jeans and almost any kind of shirt, or just the suit pants and something other than a t-shirt up top.

Or if you think you can pull it off, you might be able to get slacks, a vest, and a sports coat separately - but none will have been designed to match by default so you really have to have a keen eye for style.

You can buy vests separately that are just meant to be worn alone and if you're into wearing them I'd suggest doing that - just don't pair them with a full suit they didn't come with unless you're 1000% sure its going to pair up perfectly.

Originally Posted by kodave If you're going to wear a vest with a suit it really should be a vest that has been designed to go with that suit, otherwise it's not going to look correct or be fashionable unless you have a really great eye for pairing things up. I'd say the vast majority of vests you see being worn with suits were designed and tailored to go with that suit and usually have identical design and materials used as the rest of the suit. You can easily wear your suit pieces in less formal situations - the vest or the jacket with jeans and almost any kind of shirt, or just the suit pants and something other than a t-shirt up top. Or if you think you can pull it off, you might be able to get slacks, a vest, and a sports coat separately - but none will have been designed to match by default so you really have to have a keen eye for style. You can buy vests separately that are just meant to be worn alone and if you're into wearing them I'd suggest doing that - just don't pair them with a full suit they didn't come with unless you're 1000% sure its going to pair up perfectly.

Thanks for the tips!

Yea...I could easily go back to Men's Warehouse and have them match up a vest, but it'll most likely be very expensive (for my taste at least). I was hoping to spend maybe $35-50 at most on one.

And I think I could probably pair up a vest I find to my jacket fairly easy. It's a darker gray, with pinstripes that are ever so slightly lighter than the jacket, so you really can't tell far away. I know just not to get a super light gray vest, or a navy one for example.

I've read that as long as the texture matches up (for this I'm assuming a dark gray vest of mostly polyester; stripes or no stripes..), most colors will usually be fine.

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Originally Posted by jcp42877 Thanks for the tips! Yea...I could easily go back to Men's Warehouse and have them match up a vest, but it'll most likely be very expensive (for my taste at least). I was hoping to spend maybe $35-50 at most on one. And I think I could probably pair up a vest I find to my jacket fairly easy. It's a darker gray, with pinstripes that are ever so slightly lighter than the jacket, so you really can't tell far away. I know just not to get a super light gray vest, or a navy one for example. I've read that as long as the texture matches up (for this I'm assuming a dark gray vest of mostly polyester; stripes or no stripes..), most colors will usually be fine.

I was under the impression you had bought a three piece suit. If you didn't buy it as a three piece suit you're really not going to find a good vest for it.

I'm sure you'll find some business that will sell you a vest, but I don't think even the people working on the floor at Men's Warehouse will recommend that you buy a random vest for a two piece suit.

You think that you can match something up and no one will know, but trust me, you can tell something is amiss.

You think those light pinstripes are going to help you, but they're not. If your suit was a pure solid color, you might be able to get away with pairing an odd vest that has a contrasting color to the suit. But the pin stripes really hamper that ability.

If you're going for a vest that is as similar to the suit as possible, once you get close enough, people will think you look sloppy once its clear the vest doesn't have the same pattern, fabrics, lines, buttons, or stylistic design as the rest of the suit. The fabric quality, density, combinations, color, etc. will all be different no matter how close you try to match them. Additionally, a proper suit vest will be tailored to your body and how your suit fits on your body. Chances are a random vest isn't going to pair well with your two piece suit. The cuts and lines might not work at all.

There is a reason they sell suits in three pieces. You should have gone with one of those from the start.

And if you think Mens Warehouse is expensive, you're in for a bad time. Off the rack from a department store isn't going to be any cheaper.

My advice to you would be to save up and buy a proper three piece suit, even if it is just something off the rack from a department store or Mens Warehouse. If you're going to wear the two piece suit you have right now, keep it two pieces.

If you really want to wear a vest casually or semi-formally without your suit, I'm sure you can find cheap ones at a place like Kohl's or JCP.

As someone that's made many a fashion faux pas in my younger days, I can proudly say that I've never worn a vest with a tshirt. I second everything that kodave says and unless you're planning on having a hipster-like look, stay away from vests unless you're wearing a button down collared shirt that has a European slim cut with a vest fitted to match. This is assuming you have the body shape to pull it off.

Pro-tip: Skip Men's Warehouse and find a K&G. Better brands at Men's Warehouse prices...sometimes even better prices. Don't mistake brand names for quality though; it's usually just an indicator of the type of cut a suit has as they tend to have more of a modern cut.

Vests are hard to pull off, may I suggest saving the suit for formal stuff and investing in a blazer?