Men’s Burgundy Leather Gilet — Quilted, Stand Collar

Description

A quilted leather gilet in deep burgundy — a dark wine red with brown in it, closer to plum than to a bright red. Stand collar, straight centre zip, welt hand pockets, and fine horizontal channels running through the body and back.

The colour

Dark enough to behave like a neutral and unusual enough to be worth owning. In daylight it reads clearly red; in a room it goes almost brown. That is what makes a burgundy gilet wearable where a bright one would not be — it is quiet when you need it to be.

The quilting

Narrow channels, closely spaced. The effect on a dark colour is subtle, more texture than relief, which is the opposite of what the same quilting does in a pale leather. It also keeps the fill evenly spread across each panel.

The leather

Full-grain hide, light enough to loft properly. On a quilted garment a supple hide matters more than a thick one — a heavy leather flattens the insulation and adds weight without adding warmth.

How it is cut

Close to the body, hem at the hip. Over a shirt, your usual size; over a thick knit, one up. The armhole and shoulder decide the fit on any sleeveless garment.

What to wear it with

Grey, cream, white or navy, with dark denim or cords. Burgundy and black is a strong pairing if the black is matte. What to avoid is brown trousers at a similar depth — the two colours sit too close.

Looking after it

Condition twice a year with a colourless product. Hang it with space either side; crushed loft does not fully recover. Keep it out of long direct sun, which pulls the red out of a burgundy faster than it does out of brown.

Shipping, duties and returns

Free worldwide shipping, 4–9 working days. Import duties are settled before dispatch where the carrier supports Delivered Duty Paid to the destination country; where it does not, duty is charged locally and we will tell you which applies before you order. Thirty days to return anything unworn with tags attached. Questions to info@cordwainleather.com or +34 614 79 27 86.

Size chart

Measure your chest around the fullest part with the tape level. Vest chest is the finished garment measurement and runs larger than your body, because it has to close over you. There is no sleeve measurement on a vest, so chest and shoulder decide the fit. Between two sizes, take the larger.

A vest is worn over a shirt or a knit, so size it over whatever you actually plan to wear underneath. Email your chest and shoulder measurements to info@cordwainleather.com and we will come back with one size.

Questions about choosing a gilet

Is a burgundy gilet harder to wear than a black one?

A little, and worth it if you already own something plain. Burgundy goes with every neutral and reads as a considered choice rather than a default. The one thing it will not do is disappear under a coat the way black does.

Can you wear a gilet over a shirt with no jumper?

Yes, and it is the version that looks most deliberate — a collared shirt with the collar outside the gilet’s stand collar, sleeves showing below the armhole. The shirt needs to be substantial enough not to rumple under the leather; a flannel or an oxford rather than a fine poplin.

Why do gilets have stand collars instead of hoods?

Because a hood on a sleeveless garment gets in the way of whatever is worn over it, and because the point of a gilet is to be a layer. A stand collar closes at the neck and then disappears under a coat; a hood bunches at the shoulders and stops the coat sitting properly.

Does the colour of a gilet’s lining matter?

Only for how it looks worn open, which is most of the time. A lining close to the shell colour keeps the garment reading as one piece; a strongly contrasting one draws the eye to the opening. Neither affects warmth.

How do you tell if a gilet is too short?

It should cover your waistband with a little to spare when you raise your arms. If the hem lifts above your belt when you reach up, or your shirt shows below it when you stand normally, it is short — which is the most common fit problem on sleeveless garments, because nothing anchors them down.

Do gilets suit broad builds?

They do, provided the fit is right and the quilting is fine rather than deep. A gilet adds visible volume to the chest, so a broad frame wants narrow channels and a dark colour — exactly this combination — rather than a pale, thickly padded one.