Vest era?

When might this vest be from? First third of 1900’s? Just curious. Came in mixed lot.

 

Women's. To my eye... 1950s/1960s from the plaid and buttons. Is it home made? An odd mix of fabrics.

Debora

 

And I was thinking a brightly dressed Gents!! From around the 60's!! Hmmmm!

 

I, too, was thinking MENS. I immediately thought of the big Christmas "Open House" parties our family had when I was growing up (1960's.)

Families would arrive with the females all in fancy dresses or matching plaid jumpers, and the males (Dads AND kids) in red plaid wool vests very much like this one. Usually there was a bow tie, too - often in the same plaid.

The "trend" apparently continued well beyond the 1960's, too. Some young men still sometimes wear this look "ironically": the "nerd vest" with bow tie.

During the 20 years we lived in the DC area, my husband and I continued my own family's annual Christmas "Open House" tradition well into the late 1990's. I recall one family with FOUR young boys who ALWAYS showed up in matching red plaid vests and bow ties.

The vest shown here looks nicely made, quite possibly sewn at home. The 3 different fabrics used for the front, the lining and the back don't seem odd to me at all. Men's suit vests often include three different fabrics, as this one does. To me, the buttons are more unusual than the fabrics.

 

Buttons are on the right side, therefore it is for a man.

 

Thank you for pointing that out. I thought I saw princess seams but, with a closer look, see just a dart.

Debora

 

@Debora, I know virtually nothing at all about sewing. My mother tried her best to teach me but I wasn't interested in learning. 'Darts' I know but bet I could trip over a 'princess seam' and be totally clueless as to what it is. I do love to knit and thus know which side to put buttons on sweaters/vests.

 

Debora

 

Man y’all are great. Such a wide range of knowledge. I had no idea you could tell the sex an article was meant for based on the side of the buttons. I bought a lot of men’s and a lot women’s clothing from an estate. I thought this was part of the men’s lot but wasn’t totally sure. There was one or two for sure early 20th c articles then a couple things a bit later. Wasn’t sure where this one fell. I’m actually not positive exactly how vests are supposed to fit as I’ve worn one exactly once, at my senior prom. Where exactly should the bottom of the vest sit on a mans body? I guess I should get an idea of the size based on how it fits me. I don’t see any manufacturers tags so it could be a home sewn item. It does seem nicely made to me. The back has some small imperfections but the front is very nice.
M
Sounds like some good times SBVC! My family was never into dressing fancy. I probably would have enjoyed it.

 

What's puzzling about your vest is it has darts. That's an unusual feature for an item of menswear. Fyi, found this 1960s vintage pattern for a vest very similar, but not identical to yours.

The cut of vests changes just like that of any fashion item. Some years they're above the waist and some years they're below Some years they nip the waist and some years they're more boxy. In the 1970s, they were even worn as a sleeveless coat.

Debora

 

Any woman who has borrowed a Van Heusen shirt knows instantly that it buttons backwards.

 

great ‘old school’ ad.

 

In my family, if you could dress up for something, you did dress up for it! Holidays, in particular, meant fancy new outfits - Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, especially.

There were 4 of us kids, all girls, like stairsteps: we were all 18 months to 2 years apart in age. Annual family portraits were done in late fall, from the time I was a baby until the late 1960's, with copies made into photo Christmas cards. Velvet dresses, sometimes identical except for color, were the rule for those sittings.

Easter outfits included pastel dresses, spring coats, hats, gloves, new shoes & purses every year - i.e. "the works."

In addition to holidays, we dressed up for church every Sunday, for weekly dinners out at restaurants, for going "into the city", and for more "special occasions" than most kids today could even imagine. We all had "school clothes", "play clothes", and "fancy clothes" and knew when to wear each type. It never occurred to any of us that this was at all unusual.

 

Sounds like my family.
When I was a teen I added a new dress up tradition. Whenever I was sick, but well enough to be out of bed, I would put on a nice dress, usually a long one. That made me feel a bit better.

 

Looking pretty,lifts one’s spirits.

 

Would normally agree with this.
However...

A quick Google search isn't turning up any men's vests/waistcoats with bust/chest side darts at the armscye.

Any chance we could see photos of it laying flat, please? The shaping will be more apparent.

EDIT: I have been reading that in Europe, a fair amount of clothing buttons left-over-right for both men and women.
I'm still thinking this may be a ladies garment...

 

Yes, please. There appears to be some fullness in the bust area that I wouldn't expect to see on a men's vest.

Debora

 

Darts but a very fitted waist.

Debora

 

If 1960s, I would expect to see a more boxy silhouette than that, of course, with the darts from the armscye to correct armhole gaping due to a female bust. (@Debora Your pattern appears to be 40s/50s?)

 

Might consider custom tailoring - dated a 6'8" body-builder banker in my twenties, needless to say, his suits were custom-made, can't say I noticed any darts on his vests, but his pecs were quite large and well-developed...

~Cheryl