Hero Piece is a Who What Wear column where our senior editor Kristen Nichols test-drives key seasonal buys IRL and shares all the ways she’s wearing them.
I love the idea of “hero pieces” because they’re those must-have items I end up wearing again and again. I tend to line my closet with great basics and investment items like shoes and bags, so I think a lot about hero pieces as yet another core wardrobe staple I’ll be wearing for months, and seasons, ahead. One specific piece I can’t stop thinking about at the moment? Vest tops.
A major trend that we’ve seen pop up everywhere from the F/W 21 runways to the street style scene, vest tops have carved themselves out as a tailored suiting essential. While I’ve never owned one, I knew I had to try it out for myself. I may be biased, but Who What Wear Collection just dropped the most stunning version that I had to try. Part of a matching three-piece suit, it’s perfectly tailored and in the tan shade I want to live in right now. Ahead, see three ways I’m styling the vest set trend.
Hero Piece: The Vest Set. Already a huge trend among celebs and fashion insiders, the vest set is something I couldn’t wait to add into my closet. Celebrity stylist Dani Michelle named it one of the most important buys for fall 2021, and I couldn’t agree with her more. I put this version from Who What Wear Collection to the test and it’s just so good.
Part of a three-piece suiting set, I naturally had to try out the look together. I’m a huge fan of a matching set, but this takes it to a whole new level. While I own several suits, none of them include a vest top and I can’t get enough of the menswear-inspired fashion that it adds to the look.
Always a fan of a tonal look, this tan suit is something I simply want to live in. It feels so pulled together and is something I can imagine wearing everywhere from the office to fashion week.
Forever a denim fan, I instantly knew that I wanted to wear this vest top with some wide-leg jeans—my favorite silhouette at the moment that feels like a close cousin to tailored trousers, with a slightly more casual vbe.
In the photo above, I wore the look with the vest top and jeans alone but also love the element of layering that comes with adding the blazer on top.
The third way I’m styling the look? With just the waistcoat and trousers, plus a pair of strappy sandals. A look inspired by Kendall Jenner, it’s a little less formal than the three-piece suit but still reds as polished.
I actually sized up in these pieces to a size M because I wanted them to be a bit loose. I can’t get enough of the oversize fashion trend that celebs liek Hailey Bieber have popularized.
