Hooks the Look

Invested In Style: Magnificent 8 Collaboration

To be invested means that you have put in time, effort, or money into something for a favorable result. If you are at all like me, you likely spend a sizable chunk of time and effort in the evolution of your personal style.

As indicated by the title of this post, the selected theme for this edition of the Magnificent 8 Collaboration is vests. If you googled “how to wear a woman’s vest”, you would get about 41,500,000 results (at least I did) that include a ton of images, as well as articles with a wide variety of options and styles that would suit nearly everyone. It seems that they are trending at the moment and I couldn’t be happier.

At the root, to vest is to bestow an absolute right to some present or future interest in something of value. When referring to an article of clothing, it’s typically understood that a vest is a sleeveless garment worn over another garment like a shirt. In some cases, a vest could be protective like the bright orange ones worn by a public works crew or an emergency floatation device. Vests are also a popular choice for adding an additional layer in colder weather.

The origins of the modern-day vest are said to date back to the longer waistcoats worn by men in the 1600s ad 1700s. As styles evolved over time, waistcoats became sleeveless garments that were worn under an overcoat and shorter as looser-fitting long trousers became the norm. For women, the wearing of vests has often been seen as a “borrowed from the boys” fashion statement and theatrically used in costumes to convey power and/or determination.

There are two key reasons for my fondness of vests. First, they are a fabulous completer-piece alternative for when wearing a jacket or sweater is not quite right. And second, they’re a great layering piece for bringing added interest to an outfit. I also appreciate their power to cover and conceal in a stylish way.

I’ll admit that I’ve probably stretched the definition of vest a bit with what I wearing in these photos. But I call it like I see it. I picked up this poncho/vest/hoodie hybrid at a thrift store about a month ago and knew that it would be a great layering piece for me. Wearing with jeans would be a no-brainer but how would it look with a dress, I wondered? For my footwear, I’d considered a pair of OTK boots but the consistent popularity of my Age-Appropriate: Can Your Mother Wear Combat Boots? post had me reaching for these tall ones instead. I published that post 6 years ago and it still gets an average of 2-3 views daily.

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Let’s move on to the Magnificent 8 Collaboration. It began in the Summer of 2017 as a quarterly venture and this is its 14th installment. The previous ones were; Life’s A Beach, Distressed, Workout Wear, Spring Pattern Mixing, White Dress, Animal Print, Family Heirloom, Garden Party, Hello, Yellow, Pearls, Outside The Box, Statement Pants, and most recently, Inspired By.  Have you visited any of the other Magnificent 8 gals yet and seen their spins on the theme of Invested? In case you haven’t, let me get you on your way.

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration among 8 stylish women, each in a different age bracket, ranging from early 20’s to early 80’s. The intent of the collaboration is to show that there are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out the other 7 amazing gals! We are sharing these posts on a quarterly basis … be on the lookout in January for the next post in this series.

Grace of Graceful Rags
Mica of Away From The Blue
Roxanne of Glass of Glam
Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
Rena of It’s All Fine. Whatever Tickles The Fancy
Eugenia of The Age Of Grace
Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style
And Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Remember, you can’t put a number on style!

Modern-day vests need not have buttons nor do they need to originate from a 3-piece suit. Long or short, figure-hugging or in a looser silhouette, there’s a vest to suit any aesthetic or occasion. Any one at any age can get “invested” in this look. What in”vest”ments have you made lately in your style?

Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Note: This is an unsponsored post. However, some or all of the links to clothing items (if present) are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.

Photos: MMPerez

12 Comments

  1. shelbeeontheedge1

    Rena, I love this outfit! The denim dress with the layered vest/poncho/hoodie hybrid and combat boots is so modern and edgy and totally cool! The broad definition of a vest is just a sleeveless garment generally layered over something else, so this definitely fits the theme! I really like all of the different vest stylings we have delivered with this style prompt! This was fun!

    Shelbee

    • Gail Hanlon

      The blue of the denim dress is definitely your color! And the vest looks cosy and stylish. Thanks for linking.

  2. Jodie

    I just love the idea of a vest layered over a dress like this Rena. In fact, I “borrowed” one of my hubby’s vests and did that last Thanksgiving!! I may have to do it again, this Thanksgiving!!!
    XOOX
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

  5. Mica - Away From Blue

    that vest look so cosy on you and it layers so well over the chambray dress! 🙂 This was a fun theme!

    Hope that you are having a great week 🙂

  7. laurabambrick

    I think you rocked this vest! It’s a gorgeous knit with the different shades of color and looks really cute layered this way!

  9. Jess

    I love the look of a vest with a shirt dress! I have been looking for vests, but many are sold out in my size.. my search will continue, This is such a fun outfit too with the tall combat boots, I love them!
    thanks for linking!!
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com