“The waistcoat thing is surely over now” remarked a friend as he followed the entrance of a young man in jeans, rolled up shirt sleeves and black waistcoat into the bar we were imbibing in. What, I asked him, did he mean exactly by ‘over’? For ‘over’ implies a flirtatious trend; an affair, a dalliance that had an uncertain start and a very certain end. It makes the waistcoat (pronounce it ‘waisskot’) sound like an inappropriate sartorial interloper like flared suit trousers or ruffle evening shirts, a fashion curiosity that we will wish to forget, but always remember. But the waistcoat is much more than a catwalk revival piece, more than a quirky accessory for Shoreditch dandies – it is an attractive, practical and flattering accompaniment to the modern suit. (more…)