Perhaps a superfluous garment for anyone who is not on an elite police or military task force, the many-pocketed utilitarian cargo vest has also become one of the most fashionable things to wear at the moment, and has established itself as one of the enduring items that straddle the worlds of streetwear and workwear – begging the following question, recently posed by a reader…

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I’m having trouble styling a cargo vest. How to do it well?

@jademanalac via Instagram

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Often, what is fashionable and what is necessary are purposefully different. The trend for such workwear is fascinating because it pertains to a kind of “fauxstalgia”, where you get Dickies-clad hipsters in Williamsburg dressing like rugged fishermen from the 1950s, when in reality they are freelance art directors whose idea of the great outdoors means the rooftop pool at Soho House. Using a wonderfully well-made and durable Filson backpack in the city is unnecessary, and this is exactly what makes it cool.

Still, despite the cargo vest’s relative ubiquity on runways and in up-to-the-minute designer collections (see Heron Preston, 1017 ALYX 9SM, Neighborhood, Ader Error, Prada and many, many more for recent examples), it’s not the most obvious thing for the average man to introduce into his wardrobe. 

A sleeveless garment in a durable fabric, a utility or cargo vest is distinct from a gilet because it generally has lots of pockets in which to store your appurtenances and is essentially an army-issue waistcoat.

First things first, the vest should always sit higher than your shirt; anything lower will drag your profile down, but as most are cut rather high, this shouldn’t pose much of a problem. Plus, though all those pockets might be tempting, avoid overstuffing them – nobody wants to look lumpy.

In terms of the vest itself, Japanese brands such as visvim and Neighborhood are good calls here, and both Carhartt WIP and Stone Island are brilliantly durable and easy to wear. Prada makes slightly more polished iterations in their signature nylon fabric, and for something more adventurous, try Fear of God.

There are a number of ways you can wear a vest well, but possibly the simplest thing to pair it with is a long-sleeved T-shirt. Choose something with a print down the side of the arm to show off a bit of colour and add a streetwise slant, or go for something plain or even Breton-striped to soften things up a little. Pair all of that with some drill trousers in a utilitarian colour (black, khaki or beige work well – see Margaret Howell and sustainable French brand De Bonne Facture for solid options), add some sneakers or hiking boots (Red Wing Shoes will do the job) and you’re ready to go.