Beaver Quilted Shooting Vest

Quilted garments are starting to creep their way back into the mix as winter quickly approaches. I've seen a handful of good versions in stores here and there but most of them have been nylon. Beaver of Bolton makes an excellent vest option in tweed however. The patterned weave just has so much more character than the synthetic fabric and I've always loved the look of it with a brown suede patch or two, which in this case comes on the shoulders. The brown ribbed collar looks great with it too. Snap button front is ideal and the middle shell pocket is a nice bit of detail even though I doubt I'll be hunting anytime soon. Most will be glad to hear that the vest is Made in England but you probably wouldn't guess any other way after taking a gander at the traditional British hunting & country outfitter's website.

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Crescent Down Works Italian Vest

Even though they're known mostly for their work with 60/40 cloth around here, Crescent Down Works does hold up to their name with their other pieces. When it comes to their down works, vests are what they're known for and the Italian is my definitely favourite. Of all the versions I've seen of it, this custom one for South Willard might be the best. It's made from a nice medium weight olive tweed wool produced just south of CDW at Pendleton. The flecked wool is a perfect autumnal tone that's well completed with the green ripstop lining. It'd be perfect with a chambray, some chinos, and wool hat. Portland weaves the wool, Seattle makes the vest, blogged in Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest gets paid off of all of that... (well not actually, I just watched this twice in a row) 

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Polo Fair Island Vest

Seeing Simon's socks yesterday jogged my memory a bit and I remembered this vest I saw at Polo the other day. It's my favourite piece of Fair Island pattern that I've seen this season. Despite being much maligned for their inherently preppy look, the sweater vest is still an underrated and useful garment in the fall for any style. A nice earthy Fair Isle pattern is a bit more off-key on it's own (not a bad thing by any means) or it plays as a nice layer to break up similar or matching tones. I always preferred vests for this as they don't get too hot or uncomfortable. Being a super soft cashmere cotton blend doesn't hurt either (the skin or the wallet). I don't want to get my grandpa look on too badly though so I'd leave the green cords behind for some navy chinos or denim. I'm definitely not ruling out a tie though.

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