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Style & beauty

How to wear a Gilet

(82 Posts)
petallus Sat 05-Jan-13 19:20:18

I sent for a fleecey gilet, heavily reduced in a certain mail order firm's sale.

I am so tempted to keep it because it was such a bargain, even though it makes me look like a fat sausage when it is zipped up.

My question is, this garment would only be worn in really cold weather because it has fleece and a feather filling.

So, how do you stop your arms getting cold?

I can see you could wear a heavy jumper but then the body would be too warm.

Is there anyone out there who wears a gilet?

glammanana Sun 06-Jan-13 11:42:48

I tend to feel the cold across the top of my back and shoulders so wearing a gilet/bodywarmer suits me fine I have two,one is fleece and nice and cosy the other is quilted forest green with loads of pockets I think maybe better on some outdoor type rather than me but it is stylish when worn with jeans and long sleeved wool jumpers.

Ana Sun 06-Jan-13 11:43:48

DH sometimes wears one of those when he goes out, Riverwalk, because he refuses to wear a scarf and doesn't want to be committed to a polo-necked jumper all day.

Riverwalk Sun 06-Jan-13 11:58:24

Ana this is what I was referring to

sleeveless polo-neck

petallus Sun 06-Jan-13 12:36:44

I used to have a couple of those sleeveless polo-neck jumpers. One was in a horrid Beecham's pills green.

I'm wearing the gilet now sitting in this rather cold house reading (well on Gransnet obviously just at this very moment).

I do think I could find a use for it but maybe not going out in very cold weather for a long walk because of frostbite of the arms.

Probably quite good for washing up when the house is cold. I sometimes put on a thick long sleeved hoody but then there's trouble with the sleeves getting wet.

annodomini Sun 06-Jan-13 12:38:30

gracesmum, that gilet - silet rhyme is in the Ogden Nash style! Keep on writing and we could soon have a rival to ON.

Ana Sun 06-Jan-13 12:46:16

Ah! Crossed wires, Riverwalk! grin I meant those polo necks you can get which just pull on over your head and only go as far as the collar bone...
DH would look a b***er in one of those in your link! hmm

Riverwalk Sun 06-Jan-13 13:19:04

Oh, Ana I'm laughing so much!

I was going to add a grin when I sent the link knowing that you'd be amused that you'd misunderstood me, but I didn't as was a bit worried in case it was what your hubby wore, and that you'd be offended at my grin grin

BTW, I still can't figure out his garment - is it a balaclava-type thing?

glammanana Sun 06-Jan-13 13:21:42

Riverwalk I would imagine it would good underneath a close fitting suit jacket,it would also hide a mulitude of sins around the neckline.

petallus Sun 06-Jan-13 13:22:24

Ana now you mention it I'm sitting here laughing at the thought of a man wearing one of those sleeveless polo neck jumpers.

As for the other thingie, I have one of those in purple. I know the name for it but it refuses to come out of my memory.

Ana Sun 06-Jan-13 13:35:20

This is the sort of thing I meant!

polo neck insert

gracesmum Sun 06-Jan-13 13:43:07

If you were wearing it under a jacket you wold have to be careful to remember not to take the jacket off like my spinster Aunt Agnes did in a Princes Street tearoom about 60 years ago - She was wearing a blouse effect "dicky front" tied round the back with tapes under what was called a costume in those days, forgot she was not wearing a full blouse and took the jacket off to the amusement consternation of the Edinburgh ladies around her!!

yogagran Sun 06-Jan-13 13:43:49

Another odd item of clothing that I like is my snood, it slips on over my head before I put my coat on and it keeps my neck nice and cosy when I'm out with the dog

Riverwalk Sun 06-Jan-13 13:59:43

Ana I must have lead a sheltered life - in all my years, have never seen such a garment!

grace grin poor Aunt Agnes!

yoga snoods are a good idea, not odd at all. I used to have one and never wore it - maybe I can dig it out!

glam agree on the neckline!

gracesmum Sun 06-Jan-13 14:43:53

When sitting watching telly
Or having a wee nap
I don't need to wear a gilet
With a dog upon my lap.
And when outside it's freezing
I have often heard it said
To keep yourself from sneezing
Throw another dog upon the bed!
So who needs central heating
which costs both pounds and pence
When all you need is the comfort
Of our faithful canine friends.
grin courtesy of Grace

jeni Sun 06-Jan-13 15:06:57

I like to be warm all over my top half, so, when I saw a sale in Barcelona I went mad!
I've treated myself to a leather (rather than suede) sheepskin 3/4 coat with a hood and fur at the cuffs. It's very soft merino wool fur and so snugly.
It was 1/2 price in the sale, and should last me for years.
(But I still feel guilty at the price!)blush

Ella46 Sun 06-Jan-13 16:06:05

NEVER feel guilty jeni, you work hard and deserve whatever you want to get! smile

merlotgran Sun 06-Jan-13 16:18:04

Love it, gracesmum grin
You've got me at it now.

Before we had the gilet,
We didn’t care for trends,
We wore a body warmer
And so did all our friends.
When shooting in the country
Or riding out on hacks,
We’d wear a quilted ‘husky’
To warm our chilly backs.
Complete with Barbour jacket
And wellies, green, not black,
This garment had the kudos
That fleeces seemed to lack.
It beats a vest or waistcoat
And a bodice any day
But it’s just a sleeveless jacket
Whatever some may say. wink

Ana Sun 06-Jan-13 16:21:03

Wonderful, Merlot! grin
What a lot of gifted poets we have on Gransnet!

JessM Sun 06-Jan-13 16:47:58

Nice verse folks!
I have a rather fancy black gilet, with a fluffy edge. I was going to wear it over my LBD last night but DH persuaded me otherwise. So my bra straps were on show all evening. I was aiming for slightly quirky. This was achieved in any case as heel of very cheap but comfortable sandal fractured leading to a barefoot evening. Good job we were staying on premises and did not have to set off across carpark. And feet possible best feature now?
Still looking of the right occasion and clothes combination to get some wear out of this object.
I have another one - only it is lost. DS1 bought it in a shooting shop in NZ for a friend. Then discovered it was not a size 12 women's but a 12 year old child's. I could just zip up so I got it. But where is it now? I think I might wear it on a windy day to keep body warm while out walking. If I could find it... sad

merlotgran Sun 06-Jan-13 16:57:23

The sleeveless thingy (whatever you like to call it) seems to re-invent itself with each decade. In the seventies we wore those tiny waistcoats over cheesecloth shirts (as seen in RESTLESS), in the eighties it was the quilted husky which was definitely called a body warmer. The nineties had zip up rib knit things and in the noughties you could wear anything sleeveless so long as you didn't call it a body warmer. confused

annodomini Sun 06-Jan-13 16:57:42

We might need a G'net anthology soon. Nice work, merlot.

Deedaa Sun 06-Jan-13 22:04:10

I've got a nice white fake sheepskin one I bought on ebay. I wear it when the weather is getting a bit too cold to go out in just a jumper, but not so windy that I need sleeves (i.e. about 3 days in the autumn and another 3 in the spring) Looks nice though smile

Yamyam Sun 27-Jan-13 19:29:22

I have several gilets and love them all! They are all hip-length, colour- coordinated to my wardrobe, tie a casual outfit together and hide a multitude of sins!!

FlicketyB Mon 28-Jan-13 09:54:18

I am another non-body warmer wearer because it is my arms that feel the cold long before my body does. However DH swears by his and almost lives in it during the winter. So much so that DGS refers to all bodywarmers as 'granpas'

petallus Mon 28-Jan-13 10:00:56

I did the OP. In the end I sent the gilet back, after trying it for a day or two!!!

However GS wears his over a short sleeved tee shirt and says it's fine.