How to Wear Utility Vest (And Not Look Like a Tourist)

Richard Burbridger

Every day of every month at GQ, we start your morning on Instagram with visual advice on What to Wear Today. But we want to go deeper. Give you the nuts and bolts of how to get the look into your wardrobe. Today we're showing you how to wear a vest with young-guy swagger.

A fall vest is a joy to wear for practical reasons—like allowing you to hide the 5 pounds you put on as soon as the weather cools down, and having somewhere to put your receipts—but it can also turn you into the worst kind of prep, hillbilly, or dad-on-vacation if not styled with care. That's where Abel Tesfaye (a.k.a The Weeknd) comes in. Wearing head-to-toe Yeezy Season 1 in our September 2015 issue, Tesfaye defies all those terrible guy-in-vest stereotypes and just looks chill and comfortable instead.

How'd he do it? For one, the vest itself is modern in its cut and fabrication. Look for something similar, with a little bit of shine and a streamlined sensibility (a.k.a. no more than two pockets), from a young, in-the-know brand. Once that's done, style it with minimalist, urbane pieces like a black sweatshirt, black straight-leg jeans, and a pair of lace-up boots. If the look borders on any archetype it's army recruit, but that's far cooler than being in Clark Giswold territory. Just top the look off with a gold chain or nice watch instead of a canvas backpack and you'll be in on the right side of the military line.

Obey Quilted Vest, $75, available at yoox.com; Uniqlo U Black Sweatshirt, $30, available on October 14th at uniqlo.com; A.P.C. New Standard Jeans, $175, available at endclothing.com; Yeezy Season 2 Military Boots, $645, available at ssense.com

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ONE

http://ift.tt/2cEVJOI

Best Product Soap
Defense Soap Bar 4 Oz (5 Pack) All Natural Antibacterial Antifungal Therapeutic

Kirk's Original Coco Castile Bar Soap, 4 Oz, 3 Count

Raw African BLACK SOAP Organic From GHANA Pure Premium Quality CHOOSE

Dial White Antibacterial Deodorant Soap, 4 Oz, 10 Count