How to wear a faux fur gilet in the in-between weeks
A misted windscreen at eight, sun across Wetherby Market Place by noon: late September is faux fur gilet weather. A proper coat feels right as you leave the house and is folded over your arm by eleven.
What we reach for instead has no sleeves. It keeps the warmth where the cold actually gets you, across the back and chest, and it comes off in a moment when you stop somewhere for lunch.
At a glance:
- The warmest sleeveless layer is a faux fur gilet or waistcoat. Ours this autumn is the Rino & Pelle Dava, brushed camel with gold-tone snaps.
- For something sharper, Red Button's Sarah is a grey and black herringbone waistcoat with its own belt.
- Easiest of the lot: a sleeveless knit over a white poplin shirt, with just the collar and cuffs showing.
- Keep everything underneath fine and let the sleeveless piece do the warming.
- A faux fur gilet in brushed camel
- The belted herringbone waistcoat
- Sleeveless knits over a shirt
- Layering without the bulk
A faux fur gilet in brushed camel
The Dava comes from Rino & Pelle, the Dutch outerwear label, and it is the one we would suggest to anyone trying faux fur for the first time. Its pile is brushed soft and fairly short, so it reads as warm camel texture rather than anything showy. A notch collar gives it the outline of a proper jacket. Gold-tone snaps close the front.
Done up over a white shirt and dark trousers, it looks like a short jacket that simply has no sleeves. Camel goes with black, cream and denim, so it rarely needs an outfit built around it.
Length is the detail we would point to. The Dava stops at the hip, which is where a jacket would finish, and that keeps it from swamping a smaller frame.
The belted herringbone waistcoat
Some days have a lunch or a meeting in them, and for those the Red Button Sarah is the sharper choice. It is cut from herringbone punta, a weighty jersey with a woven look, in grey and black. Most sleeveless layers hang straight down from the shoulder, so the self-belt that pulls this one in at the waist is what makes it worth a second look.
The round neck buttons right up, and the hem curves down to just below the hip. We like it over a fine black roll neck with the belt tied loosely, which carries it comfortably into October. A white shirt works too.
Sleeveless knits over a shirt
Take a crisp white shirt and put a knitted vest over it. Our pairing is the Durango from TWNS The Label with Yaya's pure white poplin blouse. Because the Yaya is cut short and boxy, nothing hangs out below the Durango's deep ribbed hem. You see a point collar at the neck and a buttoned cuff at each wrist, and that is all.
The knit itself is fine and gently brushed, with a relaxed fit that leaves room for the shirt. Off-white keeps the whole thing light, which feels right while the afternoons are still warm.
Marc Cain Collections has a dressier answer in seal brown. This vest is slim, finely knitted and crossed by a diagonal ruffle, and it tucks neatly into tailored trousers. Under a blazer it adds warmth without crowding the jacket's sleeves.
Three combinations we keep coming back to:
- The Durango over a blue striped shirt, collar out, with navy trousers.
- Marc Cain's seal brown vest under a navy blazer, tucked into tailored trousers.
- The Dava snapped shut over a fine cream roll neck and dark jeans.
Layering without the bulk
A thick jumper under a coat means two sets of sleeves arguing all day, bunched up at the elbows. Most of that disappears once the warm layer has no sleeves at all.
- Underneath, keep it fine: a poplin shirt, a thin roll neck or a long-sleeved jersey top.
- Texture reads best on the outside, so faux fur and brushed yarn go on top.
- A shirt shorter than the knit over it, like the boxy Yaya, avoids a ridge where two hems meet.
- If the waist disappears under all of it, add a narrow belt.
For the cooler end of these weeks, Red Button's cream fuzzy cardigan is the one we would pick. The brushed yarn has real depth to it, yet the sleeves stop at the shoulder, so a long-sleeved top underneath never bunches at the elbow. Fasten all five buttons and it wears like a boxy knitted top.
You will find the Dava in our Rino & Pelle collection, the Sarah and the fuzzy cardigan with Red Button, the sleeveless knits in knitwear and the Yaya blouse among our blouses. Ring us on 01937 585429 and we can put something aside for you to try over the shirt you would actually wear with it.
Frequently asked questions
How do you wear a faux fur gilet?
Over something thin, and with the faux fur as the only texture in the outfit. We wear ours over a crisp white shirt or a fine roll neck with dark trousers or jeans, snapped shut on a cold morning. Keep the colours underneath quiet, so black, cream, navy or denim. A hip-length style like the Rino & Pelle Dava is the easiest shape to start with, because it finishes where a jacket would and sits well over trousers and skirts.
What is the difference between a gilet and a waistcoat?
Mostly it comes down to how close the fit is. Gilets are cut as an outer layer, roomy enough to go over a jumper, and are often padded, quilted or faux fur. A waistcoat comes from tailoring and is meant to sit close to the body as part of the outfit. The two words overlap, and faux fur styles get called both. Our Rino & Pelle Dava is sold as a waistcoat and wears like a faux fur gilet. The Red Button Sarah, belted and buttoned to the neck, is a waistcoat in the traditional sense.
What should you wear under a sleeveless jumper?
A shirt with a collar is the classic answer, and crisp white poplin is the easiest of all. Pick one that is short or tucked in, so no shirt tail hangs out below the knit. Once it turns colder, a thin roll neck or a fine long-sleeved jersey top gives a softer look and a little more warmth. On a mild afternoon a relaxed knitted vest such as the TWNS The Label Durango looks just as good on its own, with the shirt left at home.
Is a faux fur gilet warm enough for autumn?
For most of September and October, yes, provided there are long sleeves underneath. The pile keeps your back and chest warm, which is where a sharp morning tends to bite, and a shirt or fine knit covers your arms. That combination is plenty for a walk into town on a bright autumn day. When November brings proper cold and rain, it moves under an open wool coat.
What colour faux fur gilet is easiest to wear?
Camel and soft browns are the most forgiving, because they sit well with black, navy, cream and denim. Black suits a wardrobe that is already mostly dark and looks sharp over grey. Cream is lovely with navy, though it shows marks sooner. Ours this autumn is the Rino & Pelle Dava in sahara desert brown, a warm camel. If you are unsure, bring the top you wear most into the shop in Wetherby and try it on over that, or ring us on 01937 585429.
Written by Jackie
Jackie is the owner of Olivia Grace in Wetherby, where she hand-picks every piece from European collections. She has spent years helping customers find clothes that actually get worn.
