Reviewing pieces that won’t make it into my wardrobe

Today’s post is a little different to some of my previous ones (which you can read here) in that it is a style I really like. Perhaps the Posse Emma vest is the original and best example of the style I mean: the kind of elongated waistcoat/longline vest. I’m not quite sure what else to call it, but lots of different brands seem to be releasing their own versions, and there are quite a few ‘dupes’ of the Posse style. Pretty much every clothing influencer on Instagram has been pictured wearing one – you really can’t escape them. I think they’ll be one of the ‘styles of the year’ when we look back at this moment.

Therein lies my reason for not wanting to invest in one myself. I can really see how I would wear this, how it would fit in my wardrobe, and actually that I could get quite a bit of wear out of one. However, I’m always a little cautious of pieces that are highly identifiable as coming from a particular time, or even a specific fashion season in this case. Sure, I’ll often go for pieces that feel like they’re from a particular era (e.g. Vintage inspired everyday outfits here and A Week of Vintage Inspired Outfits here), but I try to avoid pieces that are everywhere for a short time. Even if they are lovely in their own right, I think the risk of them looking dated in a year or even a couple of months is too high. Something like this I think needs a bit of time to settle in as a wardrobe staple. It can often be tempting to jump on the bandwagon of a current style, and while you may get a lot of wear out of it at that time, it can equally be the case that once their moment has passed, your interest does too. Then, unless you have plenty of space (and really, who among us has excess wardrobe space?), the temptation to throw it out, give it to charity, etc will be too high. And if you don’t want it, aren’t the chances high that no one else will either? Then where has it got left to go other than landfill?

So this really is an example of a true trend I need to resist. In previous posts I’ve had more specific, personal reasons for disliking a trend, but here it is just the strength of it as a trend that is putting me off. I’ll wait a couple of years and see if they become staples in the same way nice blazers, a crisp shirt, or similar have, and then I’ll feel confident that my affection for them is genuine, and not simply a case of having been ‘influenced’.

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Have you bought one of these vests? I kind of wish I could buy one, but I think resisting for now is the right thing for me. I’d love to hear how you’ve styled it if you have bought one, and what your general thoughts on this trend are, so please so share them in a comment.