Film Noir Buff Style Forum / The Down Vest

woofboxer · 2012-01-04 03:19:33

Bodywarmer, Gilet, call it what you will it's been raised and praised on OCBD's excellent blog.

But you won't get me wearing one. Very practical no doubt but there are more stylish ways of keeping warm. For me the garment has too many negative connotations of 'adventure dads' the sort of guys who walk around in cargo trousers with keys hanging off their belts.

Anyway who wants to look like a hot water tank?

Taylor McIntyre · 2012-01-04 03:25:14

In a very thin, quilted, Barbour way they were once 'Sloane' too...

I see your point about their current status in England. Can they be reclaimed?

Kingstonian · 2012-01-04 03:31:57

I had a ski jacket with arms that zipped off.

Worked as a gilet. People stopped wearing ski jackets as casual clothing though. Nevica used to make really loud, multi -coloured stuff in the 1980s.

Anything to do with Barbour is a complete no no for me. Wax jackets are the worst, but those quilted jackets are pretty bad too.. Fabric should really only be available in pink for grannies' dressing gowns.

Chris_H · 2012-01-04 03:51:01

Natural Sole Brother · 2012-01-04 03:54:25

They're supposed to go on top of other layers. Putting one underneath a barn coat strikes me as 'experimental'.

Chris_H · 2012-01-04 04:12:52

I think it would work in a similar manner to zip-out liner, obviously the the heavier padded "Michelin Man" stye would be too bulky.

The Woolster · 2012-01-04 04:17:22

I have a puffy down vest, a thrifted Finnish make from the 70s. I wear it for fishing sometimes, and mucking about in the country. Wouldn't wear one to town.

The Woolster · 2012-01-04 04:35:32

Last edited by The Woolster (2012-01-04 04:38:39)

Natural Sole Brother · 2012-01-04 04:38:38

The Woolster · 2012-01-04 04:44:15

Natural Sole Brother · 2012-01-04 04:48:19

To expand, I think there's often too much of a bias on here about so-called Boom Years Ivy. Seductive as that Modern Jazz / Hollywood thing is I personally get more pleasure from looking at Bean catalogues from the mid 1980s.

The excellent heavytweed blog is currently reproducing snatches of the Winter '85 Bean book as its current entry and it speaks to me far more resonantly as a reflection of Traditional American Clothing than 100 photos of Bill Evans or Anthony Perkins. Warts and all.

The Woolster · 2012-01-04 05:13:15

Yes, we could have some more 70s-80s Ivy here.

Last edited by The Woolster (2012-01-04 05:13:39)

steve mcqueen fan · 2012-01-04 05:31:08

woofboxer · 2012-01-04 05:39:52

1966 · 2012-01-04 05:56:25

Oo Bop Sh'bam · 2012-01-04 06:10:56

Kind of fits in with the outdoors look in american werewolf in london we were talking the other week. I personally wouldn't wear one because they don't suit me, but they can look good on the right type of person.

Tomiskinky · 2012-01-04 06:12:37

Taylor McIntyre · 2012-01-04 06:32:47

Sports Fan · 2012-01-04 06:34:23

I like a lot of the late 70's to mid-80s outdoorsy stuff but that style is not really me. Perhaps because this style was just going out of fashion when I became more clothes conscious. It has no nostalgic value to me and I've started to appreciate it later than the boom years style. But as practical outdoor gear it's great.

That olive green down vest in OCBD's blog looks really good. I'm almost tempted, but I probably wouldn't wear it enough. The down vest IMO should be a go-to item that you throw on every time when you leave the house, not one that you wear once or twice a year when leaving the city.

Taylor McIntyre · 2012-01-04 06:35:17

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -

Best one at the best price out there?

I reckon it's a functional layering item (Could be wrong). Not a thing to throw proper money at.

J.

wahoo! · 2012-01-04 07:50:34

Down material doesn't "breathe" well and looses it's function when it gets wet, so I prefer layering with wool. I quite like the idea of those lightweight ones though, the ones you can fit in your pocket, could be practical when taking a break while skiing out on the mountain.

Liam Mac · 2012-01-04 07:56:46

Last edited by Liam Mac (2012-01-04 08:56:58)

Big Tony · 2012-01-04 08:11:23

Chris_H · 2012-01-04 08:16:10

Liam Mac · 2012-01-04 08:25:17

Agree too. I'll not be paying any real money for one. Whether or not it's vintage Americana or however much it seems like 'the real deal' it should be a piece of practical clothing that can be kept in the car or slung on as and when you need it.

The trick now is finding one that is cheap, decent enough quality and that doesn't have a stupid logo on it. This could be an long running search.

#1 2012-01-04 03:19:33

The Down Vest

#2 2012-01-04 03:25:14

Re: The Down Vest

#3 2012-01-04 03:31:57

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#4 2012-01-04 03:51:01

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#5 2012-01-04 03:54:25

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