Camel Loro Piana Wool-Cashmere Engine Vest

A vest is the easy way to add a layer without adding bulk, and camel is an easy colour to like. It's warm, and it sits well next to navy, grey flannel and dark brown. It goes over a white shirt and navy tie at the office just as comfortably as over a dark roll neck and grey trousers on a Saturday.

The cloth is what sets it apart. It comes from Loro Piana, the Italian mill, and it's 93% wool with 7% cashmere. The cloth is the story here.

The body is quilted in horizontal channels, with a stand collar and a button front, so it sits closer to a waistcoat than to a puffer. Wear it on its own over a shirt or a fine knit.

Sizes follow your chest in inches, so a 42R is for a 42 inch chest. If you're between sizes, or you plan to layer it over a knit, take the larger.

We bought it for the guy who already owns the sport coats and the sweaters and wants one piece that fits in between them.