If you only buy one waistcoat this wedding season, please make sure it's this one

Simon Callow, John Hannah and Charlotte Coleman in Four Weddings And A Funeral — Simon Callow, John Hannah and Charlotte Coleman in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. Callow's character, Gareth, wore a hand-painted Favourbrook waistcoat which helped put the brand on the map.

(Image credit: Alamy)

'The King hath yesterday in council declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes which he will never alter. It will be a vest… and will do good,’ recorded Samuel Pepys in October 1666.

Thus the waistcoat became the very heart of Britain’s long tradition of formalwear — a legacy Favourbrook continues 360 years later.

It was the seconds rolls at Stephen Walters’s silk mill in Sudbury that inspired Oliver Spencer to create his first waistcoats from ecclesiastical cloth — a fitting source, given that a theory behind the garment’s name (spelling notwithstanding) is that it was once made with offcuts.

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Favourbrook waistcoat — Waistcoats remain the most expressive element of formal dress, according to Favourbrook, offering scope for colour, texture and individuality while staying entirely correct.(Image credit: Favourbrook)

He sold them at Portobello Market in the 1980s and later established Favourbrook on Jermyn Street, London, in 1990, aiming to inject a sense of fun into formalwear. A starring role in Four Weddings and a Funeral propelled the brand from niche concern to international fame.

The waistcoats are produced in London using British-woven silks, gabardines from the north of England and Northern Irish linens, chosen for quality and to support traditional textile skills.

Single- and double-breasted styles have been refined so each sits close to the torso without restricting movement and the elliptical sweep of double-breasted variations harmonises with a suit's lapels.

Colours range from sunshine yellow to muted grey, and the elaborately embroidered pieces are produced in northern France.

‘The waistcoat offers men an easy, approachable way to introduce colour and personality to their wardrobes,’ says Oliver. Charles II would have regally approved.

Waistcoats from £160. Visit the Favourbrook website for more information and to purchase.

This feature originally appeared in the May 13, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.

Amie Elizabeth White is Country Life's Acting Luxury Editor. She studied history at the University of Edinburgh and previously worked in fashion styling. She regularly writes for Country Life's London Life supplement and has written for Luxury London, covering everything from Chanel suits and skincare, to the best pies in the city. She has a big heart, but would sell her soul for a good pair of shoes.