There’s always going to be one fashion trend people are going to find questionable. A few years ago, it was platform crocs and now, for me anyway, it’s the return of the sweater vest.

I grew up watching sweater vests being adorned by grandpas and Cole Sprouse’s character Cody Martin on the iconic TV series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and now, they’re everywhere.

Grazia traces the origin of the trend back to the music video for Harry Style’s song ‘Treat People With Kindness’. The video dropped on New Year’s Day and featured the mesmerising singer dancing with Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge in matching diamond-print Gucci sweater vests.

Since then, the sweater vest has burst into the fashion lexicon and the wardrobes of Alexa Chung, Bella Hadid and various influencers from around the world.

I also remembered seeing regularly featured in the Spring collections presented during fashion month in 2020. Tory Burch, Coach, Sea and Louis Vuitton all showcased sweater vests in their Spring/Summer 2021 collections in varying textures and colours. Ganni also featured two versions of the piece in their Fall collection during this year’s Copenhagen Fashion Week and The Row styled a knitted turtleneck sweater vest over a button-up blouse in their Fall 2021 look book.

After looking at all of these images and how the sweater vest has been styled, it’s become clear that this unexpected trend is showcasing something I’ve noticed a lot of brands are embracing: androgynously relaxed chic. This is the kind of piece that’s effortlessly cool.

It can add something unexpectedly interesting to an outfit without making it look like your spend hours trying to perfect your look. It tells the world, “I just pulled this on” and is like the physical manifestation of a casual shrug.

That’s the beauty of a sweater vest - you can look cool in it, without looking overdressed.

With the weather cooling down in the southern hemisphere, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing sweater vests on the streets more regularly. Whether people take a more minimalistic approach, utilising neutral tones to enhance a monochromatic look, or fully dive into the entire colour spectrum, mark my words – the sweater vest is coming and it seems here to stay.

With the weather also being so unpredictable in seasons like Autumn and Winter, there may be a chance the sweater vest will become a staple for transitional weather.

Everyone’s experienced a day where it’s too warm for a coat, but too cold to go without an extra layer. If you’re not a fan of a nylon parka, could a sweater vest be the answer? It could even be as simple as wearing the vest as a top in its own right.

The more I think about its versatility, the more I want one in my wardrobe.

When I first spotted the sweater vest on Instagram, I was apprehensive. Now, I think there’s so much styling potential to this intriguing new trend that I think it could remain a must-have item for a very long time.

We Need To Talk About Sweater Vests