Hey, remember vests? I haven’t considered them stylish since about 2007, when I wore a black, satin backed (shudder) cropped vest festooned with gold buttons that probably came from a store that started with “Urban” but did not end with “Outfitters.” But then I saw a take courtesy of Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s debut at Chloé. The designer sent out a grey vest, worn with nothing underneath and paired with matching trousers. There was something, well, fresh about this concept, even a bit insouciant. I realized that like the slouchy boot and belt bag before it, the vest was overdue for a comeback. Enough time has passed since we last donned these sleeveless jackets (in my case, paired with satin cargo pants) that we can look at them with nostalgia rather than disdain.
 

It takes more than one show to kick off a trend, and Chloé wasn’t the only runway to feature the topper. At Stella McCartney, they were done in denim acid wash, and at Acne, striped and prim. Even Céline offered a take—oversized and a little eccentric. But it wasn’t until the Louis Vuitton show that I was convinced the vest would be to SS18 what the cardigan was to FW17. The show featured dozens of embellished, regal-looking vests worn with shiny trousers and boxer shorts with exposed midriffs. Convinced yet?