As an ideal transitional piece, long and lean silhouettes, the longer version of the vest, is positioned to reign the Fall of 2015. Not as the discreet underpinning of the past, the vest took centre-stage for Pre-Fall ’15 runways to match the long outerwear trend being carried forward since the last few seasons. Waist length sleeveless jackets were always the un-recognized heroes of traditional dressing, but with extended overlapping between summer and winter, the styles are also getting incepted from trendy amalgamations of fall and summer styles. With continual occurrence of long vest on the runways, a superfluity of opportunities has opened up for exporters and manufacturers in India, to cater to the growing demand…
Made exclusively to be worn throughout the year, the long vest is the best pick one can pull out from the Pre-Fall ’15 runways. When it’s warm outside, wear it with a sleeveless top; and when it gets cooler, wear it with a sweater underneath. Basically, it’ll carry the wearer from summer to winter seamlessly, making itself the most versatile piece adorning the runways. Clued into the trend, Vijay Sanon, Proprietor, A.P. Handicrafts says, “We have done a lot of capes and jackets in our past collections, in wool and cotton, with different variations, but these long vests are something which are new to the market. Earlier we were making sleeveless jackets, which were only till the waist but now the demand for a longer length has arrived.”
Working with variety of shapes and forms and being derived from styles like the gilet and waistcoat, the long vest finds its inspiration from the fall menswear outerwear collections. The gilet originated in the 19th Century as a dress bodice, echoing a men’s waistcoat. With androgynous fashion at its peak and menswear and womenswear overlap giving birth to unisexual looks, the long vest has emerged as a style which seems like a one-for-all trend “Long, classic coats are back in fashion and that is what we are manufacturing for outerwear. We are making some styles in sleeveless versions as well, hinting towards long vests being in trend,” says Jai Singh Sethia, Director, Nash Fashion India, discussing about the growing demand for longer outerwear.
From fur and fabric to felt, these long vests have emerged as the finishing touch to elegance and sophistication. With trends of cropped blouses at a high, the wearer looks at an upper-wear which can balance out the entire look without killing the modish appearance of the ensemble. “With fashion shifting to longer silhouettes, capes and other styles have also got longer in length and therefore there has been experimentation in styles, which has given birth to a sleeveless long jacket,” shares Vivek Khandelwal, Owner, Patterns India. Gaining popularity, long vest has grown irrespective of the fabric being used to construct it. Ranging from sheer and delicate to stiff and structured, these long vests are being made available by manufacturers and designers to the wearers in multiple distinct variants. From georgette, chiffon and cotton to suiting’s, wool and felt, the runways are also witnessing varied variety of fabrics being experimented with.
A velvet and patent leather version was seen at Dior, where Edun created a thigh length vest in velveteen with pile height of 1.5” to 2”. Ellery proposed a long double breasted rubberized-cotton vest-trench and working on the similar lines, Oscar de la Renta presented a wool felt impersonating knitted version of the long vest. Alexander Wang and Carven went for a vest in tan and camel with long lapels and broad pockets, whereas Altuzarra mimicked the properties of a fur stole and created a white fur vest secured with a belt. In anticipation of the upcoming fall season, and as the temperature drops, this long vest not only makes you look apt in a confused season like mid-fall and spring, but one also never ends up looking out of place.
The long vests are not only being proposed in printed versions but are also being tried and tested with other techniques as well. Marni fashioned a long vest in a quilted avatar with huge side pockets and Milly made use of layering technique by using delicate mesh fabric with a heavy weight knit. There are some varieties of long vests put forward in leather versions as well, like in the case of Oscar de la Renta, who used faux leather in gloss finish to create one. Where some exporters are treating long vests as an opportunity, there are some others that are completely unaware of its potential. “Short coats in cottons or blazers in suiting fabrics are the preferred outerwear and buyers are mostly asking for these only. Till now we have not received any enquiry from a buyer who is asking for these long vests,” says Sunil Kokare, Senior Merchandiser, Opera Clothing.
Buttoned up and worn alone as a pseudo-dress like in Ellery, belted tightly at the waist with long flowing pants as showed by Marni, or paired with shorts for a fun going-out look, majorly observed on the streets, long vests are a perfect work staple, and can easily transit into cocktail wear especially due to the tuxedo-inspired styles. Noticing a fair amount of visibility on runways and with manufacturers considering long vests as a product option for their collections, long vests seem like a far-off but a strong trend which might be at the stage of inception but will soon become a wardrobe staple!
