With crisp winter mornings fast approaching, extra warmth can be found adding a layer underneath your suit jacket. You largely have two options, a suit vest (matching or contrasting) or a simple v-neck jumper. We are a fan of the look here at InStitchu so have created a few simple tips for you.

The Vest

A great option to boost the formality of your suit is a vest. Which, when done well, will certainly catch a few eyes. You have two options; choose a matching fabric or a contrasting one. Expectantly, matching the vest fabric to the suit is the easiest. It can transform your look immediately. We recommend cutting your vest with three buttons, matching pockets and the strap/fabric option at the back. The three button configuration will create a comfortable and casual look between your shirt, vest and tie compared to the stuffy five button look.

The contrasting vest can be trickier to execute yet can look superb when done well. You can keep it simple and contrast textures and colours, or step it up and play with contrasting patterns. Adding a slightly lighter grey/charcoal vest to a darker charcoal suit will create a memorable monotone look. Alternatively, a light grey textured vest paired under a simple navy suit with navy tie will create a less formal and casual vest look.

The V-Neck Jumper

There are two simple tricks for ensuring this look is executed well.

• Quality Over Quantity

This is arguably the most important rule for men's fashion and building a wardrobe. Versatile, quality pieces will outlast and add more value than a plethora of sub quality garments. We recommend 100% wool or move onto cashmere if your budget allows. The three necessary jumpers include grey, charcoal and navy. After these three you can add colour, red will usually come first then perhaps a baby blue tone.

• Learn to Contrast Colour Tones

Some blue and red combinations simply don't look as nice as others. This is because of the contrast between the colour tones i.e. strong reds and strong blues can be an eyesore. As a general rule, keep the contrast between colour tones on the conservative side for the eye. Like with matching ties, experiment over time and you will naturally build a knack for placing colour tones together

Have a go designing your own vest with our online suit builder, or if you would like, make a booking with our Sydney or Melbourne showrooms to design your own.