Utility vests, tactical vests, fishing vests. Whatever you want to call them, they have lately gained some popularity within high fashion and streetwear and, to an extent, technical wear or more utilitarian style as well. Because of the vest's square shape, relatively broad shoulders and plenty of pockets, which helps with the versatility, it shouldn't be a surprise. Still, the trend's sudden rage is largely due to a few high-profile celebrities who recently wore them, trickling down the look to the mainstream. Nevertheless, many people are unaware or unsure of what to do with these exactly or whether they should bother picking one up. We'll try to highlight the subject and give some advice on how to style this unusual fashion item.
We've been lucky enough to see quite a few cool outfits featuring tactical vests, which prove that they're a bit more versatile than someone may think. Evidently, there are many different ways that you can incorporate them into outfits. We've found the best sources of affordable tactical vests are military surplus stores or sites which stock a whole bunch of different vests that will perform not only on the battlefield but on the high street too. And another great thing about the utility vest is that you can pick up most pretty cheap, although a few high fashion brands are now putting out some slightly exclusive or unusual-looking ones too. Since then, in most cases, it's not a huge investment, it's easy to pick up a tactical vest and experiment with it. Let's look at a few different ways of doing it.
First up, you can go super plain and minimal because, in our opinion, the tactical vest will always bring an unusual twist to any outfit that ordinarily wouldn't really stand out. The vest is not showy and relatively restrained, but it's an element that works incredibly well in delivering an effortless look. Match it with a simple T-shirt, a pair of jeans and plain trainers. Certainly, the good thing about wearing an ensemble like this is that you can do it for pretty much any budget. It's also easy to make a little bit more summer ready if you opt for a different color than the standard black, for example, olive or khaki.
Another cool thing you can do with a tactical vest is to use it to break up a piece of clothing that's very bright. Wearing a vest, you can easily dress down everything and make the simple color the focus of the outfit. Take an intense red or orange long-sleeve top, which by itself it's just a block of eye-catching color. A black vest over it will break things out because of the strong contrast between the two. At the same time, the vivid colour underneath brings out the best of both. Equally, the vest gives the whole outfit more functionality and storage capacity.
If you are more adventurous, you could fully embrace the tactical look and search for inspiration in the military. Choose pieces in army colors like khaki or olive, a pair of military boots and a backpack that strongly evokes the military style. You can play it up or down depending on how you feel, pushing the limits further with a dog tag necklace, camo pants or T-shirt or uber-fashionable cargo pants. This military style could also work with the use of single items in a rich color palette as opposed to the desert one. Here again, the vest would act as a background and amplifier to the color below.
The alternative would be a more urban outfit matching a tactical vest with a bit of technical wear instead, like a fleece jacket or hoodie. Perfect for the city environment, it will give you the look of preparedness and ruggedness of the military style but without the apparent associations. Here the color palette is more traditional, with black and greys. And again, you can play with shades and shapes. For example, opting for a black T-shirt underneath a detailed and lightly colored vest. Choosing a vest slightly smaller in size, so it's almost worn like a waistcoat or slightly chunkier and heavy-duty for a little bit of bulk.
As you can see, there is more to the utility vest than you may have initially thought. Obviously, the vests inject functionality into any outfit, with pockets, loops and other smart features increasing storage space and usefulness. Apart from that, the tactical vest has become a full-on fashion item. With precisely those pockets and detailing improving the overall look just as they do the performance.
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