A waistcoat is the piece that quietly does the most work in a menswear rotation. Wear it as a third-piece over a shirt and tie for a proper business day, layer it under a sport coat on cold mornings, or throw it over a fine gauge tee with denim on a Saturday for what the Italians call sprezzatura.
Knit from 100% virgin wool at the three-generation Italian mill in Sant'Egidio alla Vibrata, high in the Abruzzo hills. Single-breasted with five mother-of-pearl buttons, a shallow V-neck, two welt pockets set at the waist, and a smooth back panel with no ribbing so it sits flat under a jacket. Fully-fashioned construction: the panels are knit to shape and linked rather than cut from a bolt, which is why it holds its line season after season.
Chocolate is the earthy alternative. Warmer than navy, dressier than tan, and sits especially well under a grey donegal blazer or over an ecru oxford with camel trousers. The waistcoat for the man building his rotation past the basics.