Waistcoats Are Back In Fashion : Here's The Proof

We have been saying for the last ten years that waistcoat are increasing coming back into fashion. But what objective evidence is there to back up that assertion?

Yes, we can prove that our sales are up, but that could be just increasing market share in a declining market. A skeptical person could suggest that we are bound to say that waistcoats are coming back into style because we are biased and have (as the Americans call it) a ‘vest-ed’ interest due to make our living designing and making waistcoats. Now due to Google’s voracious scanning of books we can prove it.

Google have scanned in and processed over 15 million of books and we can now search on terms across the whole database. From the graph below you can see how often waistcoats have been mentioned in literature, magazines, books and all kinds of publications from 1800 through to 2008. That certainly covers the big picture.

We can see that waistcoats were popular throughout the 19th Century when most men worn waistcoats. Waistcoat popularity peaked around 1900 and Edwardian times. If you look at photographs of gentlemen from that period then invariably they will be sporting a waistcoat. The First World War obviously saw a decline due to the appalling loss of life and dominance of horrific battles. During the prosperity of the 1920s waistcoats were on the up. Then, like everything else, there was a decline during the 1930s depression and the Second World War. This decline continued Post-war due to fabric shortages and the public’s demand for more casual clothing.

21st Century: Waistcoats Back Into Fashion

Then at the year 2000 this downward trend was reverses. From 2000 to 2008 we see waistcoats are increasing in popularity. This has been good business for us because we have been selling waistcoats online since 2000. (Shrewd investors always want to join at the bottom of any market!)

For more details about the history of waistcoats see our article
Waistcoat History : How The Waistcoat Has Changed Throughout The Ages

Conclusion

When you decide to don a waistcoat you associate with a long and splendid tradition. Take that kudos. But you’re no old fogey in a declining and obscure clique. No, your are part of an upcoming trend of people with the foresight to invest in the versatile and timeless nature of the waistcoat.

Waistcoats Direct
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