Vest and Gilet Manufacturing Process

Vests are usually specified as a jacket without sleeves, and that is the source of many of the problems with them. Removing the sleeves changes the pattern, the fit logic and the finishing, and it concentrates attention on two details that a jacket hides: the armhole edge and the shoulder line.

Four different garments called a vest

The word covers products with very little in common, so the first thing a specification must do is say which one it means.

The armhole is the defining detail

On a jacket the armhole is hidden inside a sleeve. On a vest it is an exposed edge that the eye goes to immediately, and how it is finished tells you how carefully the garment was made.

• Bound armhole. A binding strip encloses the raw edge. Clean, low bulk, and common on softshell and technical vests. The binding colour can be a contrast detail.
• Faced armhole. A facing turned to the inside gives an unbroken outer edge and a more tailored look, at the cost of an extra pattern piece.
• Ribbed armhole. A knitted rib closes the opening and grips, used on bomber-style and casual gilets.
• Elasticated armhole. Elastic inserted into the edge so the opening closes over a layer beneath, common on padded workwear gilets.
• Bagged-out armhole. Where shell and lining are joined and turned at the armhole, producing a clean edge on a lined garment.

Armhole depth and width also need stating as measurements. A vest worn over a fleece needs a deeper, wider armhole than one worn over a shirt, and this is a common fit complaint on layering garments.

Fitting a garment that goes over other garments

A vest is rarely worn next to the skin, so it is patterned with more ease than a shirt or a jacket body of the same nominal size. State what it is intended to go over, because it changes the chest measurement, the armhole and the length.

• Say whether it is worn over a shirt, a fleece or a jacket, and sample it that way.
• Check shoulder width with the under-layer in place; a vest that pulls at the shoulder is unwearable regardless of chest measurement.
• Body length should cover the under-layer's hem, or deliberately sit above it, rather than falling awkwardly at the same line.
• For insulated gilets, remember that the fill itself takes up space; a quilted vest fits differently from a flat one at the same measurement.

Insulation and quilting

For padded gilets, the shell, wadding and lining are normally quilted together as flat yardage before cutting, and the panels are then cut from that quilted material. The two specification points that matter are the fill weight in grams per square metre and the quilt pattern, stated as channel widths or box dimensions.

One vest-specific consideration: loft at the armhole. A thick quilted panel finished with a narrow binding can look compressed and untidy at the opening. Either the fill is reduced near the edge or the finishing is chosen to accommodate the loft, and it is worth checking on the sample. Wider construction detail for insulated garments is covered in the jacket and coat process.

Zips, pockets and hem

• Main zip. Open-ended, full length, graded per size, set into a facing. On padded gilets a wind flap behind the zip is common.
• Chin guard. Particularly worth specifying on a vest, because the collar sits close to the face with no sleeve to distract from it.
• Pockets. Zipped hand pockets are standard. Workwear vests may carry chest, internal and utility pockets, and each needs its bag anchored so it does not sag when loaded.
• Internal pocket. Easy to add on a lined vest and frequently requested for corporate programmes.
• Hem. Plain bound, elasticated, ribbed, or with a drawcord and toggles. On a garment with no sleeves, the hem and the armhole are the two edges that define the silhouette.
• Collar. A stand collar is usual. A hood is possible and turns the garment into a different product, with its own pattern at the neck.

Decoration

Vests are a common corporate layer, so branding is usually part of the specification.

• Embroidery on the chest, worked on the panel before assembly so stitching does not pass through lining or fill.
• Applied patches, which suit quilted surfaces where direct embroidery would compress the loft.
• Heat transfer on the shell, with the temperature tested first on the actual fabric, particularly on laminates and coated shells.
• Back placements are effective on a vest, since the back is a single uninterrupted panel on most constructions.
• Contrast binding, zips and pullers, which brand the garment through its components.

Assembly sequence

1. 1Materials are prepared: quilted yardage produced where the vest is insulated.
2. 2Shell and lining panels are cut together, with quilt lines aligned across seams where applicable.
3. 3Panel decoration is applied.
4. 4Pockets are constructed and set into the fronts.
5. 5Shoulder seams are joined, then the side seams.
6. 6The lining is assembled and joined to the shell where the vest is lined.
7. 7The armholes are finished by the specified method.
8. 8The main zip is set into its facing, with the chin guard and any wind flap.
9. 9The hem is finished, drawcords and toggles are fitted where used.
10. 10Labels are attached, the garment is inspected and packed.

Quality control: vest-specific checks

What to put in a vest tech pack

• Vest type: softshell, padded, fleece or workwear, with the layer structure stated.
• Shell fabric composition and weight; lining fabric where used.
• Insulation weight in grams per square metre and quilt pattern, if insulated.
• Armhole finish: bound, faced, ribbed, elasticated or bagged out, with binding width.
• Armhole depth and width, and what the vest is intended to be worn over.
• Collar height, and hood if fitted.
• Main zip: type, length per size, facing, chin guard, wind flap.
• Pockets: number, type, position and bag fabric, including internal pockets.
• Hem treatment and any drawcord.
• Decoration method, artwork and placement, with a fabric test where required.
• Measurements with tolerances, taken over the intended under-layer where relevant.
• Labels and packing.

Sampling

Sample the vest worn over the garment it is meant to go over. A vest fitted over a shirt and then issued to staff who wear it over a fleece will be too tight at the armhole and the shoulder, and no flat measurement will have predicted it. Move the arms in it: reaching forward is where a shallow armhole is exposed.