The only three piece suit I’ve seen that didn’t work, was in purple velvet, with huge flares - in the late 1980’s.
It was definitely out of fashion then, but even that’s probably been back in fashion at least once since then.
I support the earlier posters who wear a good 3-piece because it looks* sharp*.
It does.
Please god, say it ain’t so!
It was one of those days where everything went right.
And there was a raving hippie right there at the market - how we did laugh!
He wasn’t wearing a hat though. It would have been perfect with a pimp hat and stick. But he was a skinny wee, redhead with a poodle-cut.
I bought a wok.
And don’t forget the monocle. What a beautiful story. You be sure to treasure that wok. 
Most of the men in real estate wear them to closings. I think three piece suits look really cool.
This goes to show that everyone should cultivate their own sense of style and stick with it, instead of trying to follow what is “fashionable.”
Fashion is variable and changes from season to season. I don’t know many men that can afford to change out their wardrobe that often.
Develop your own sense of style, build your wardrobe around some essential elements, and add your own touches to set yourself apart. If you like suits with vests, but the best suit with a vest you can afford and wear it. Vests don’t do it for you, don’t fit your build (they look good on slim or athletic builds, not so much on heavy guys), or otherwise don’t work - skip the vest.
“Weskit”?
I have one and wear it on occasion. Love the vest!
Sometimes in movies with old settings I see guys wearing suits with a vest that does not match; often its fabric is more brighter and/or ornate than the somber coat and slacks. (I’m thinking of the young shooter in Let Him Have It, who always wore a flowered waistcoat). Doesn’t count as a “three-piece suit,” IMO, and you wouldn’t want to wear it in a courtroom or boardroom, but it’s an interesting variation.
That’s usually what I wear if I have to go formal - a Victorian suit - pinstriped trousers, wool or corduroy jacket, white shirt, colourful silk or satin waistcoat with matching cravat and handkerchief. I have 4 waistcoats, the peacock chinese silk one being my favourite.
Nowadays, I mostly get to dress like that for LARP.
I see 3-piece suits in GQ and Details quite frequently. Last year, one of those two magazines had a whole article devoted to them. I’ve seen some very nice 3-piece suits from various labels at places like Barney’s and Sak’s.
I work in midtown Manhattan and see men wearing them on a semi-frequent basis.
My first suit, when I was eight years old, was a three piece salmon colored suit I wore to my cousin’s wedding.
That’s not really why I popped in, though. I just wanted to remark that the first Google ad now reads “Bras For Men”.
What purpose was a vest supposed to serve, anyway?
It gave you someplace to keep your pocketwatch and fob, of course.
(I was recently lamenting the decline of the wristwatches, since they were originally used by WWI pilots, and now have been replaced by cell phones at the same time the very last WWI vets are dying)
I thought 3-piece suits were killed off by all those cheap ones in the 1980’s that looked like they were cut from sheets of foam rubber, and work with belts :eek:
Too bad - with the right black suit, tartan vests looked killer.
And if kilts are ever to be accepted as business attire, they’ll have to be worn with waistcoats (claymores optional): with just a tweed jacket, anyone wearing a kilt looks like a girl.
No, “waist coat”. Oldsters or yokels might pronounce it like that, though.
I had an epiphany a few months back: Cell Phones are the new pocket watches. As far as checking the time goes, they’re used in essentially the same manner, they just don’t generally fit in fob pockets.
That said, the fob pockets on my bluejeans see continued use as a convenient place to keep my zippo lighter when I’m out in civvies. 
It’s not about what’s fashionable or in style. It’s about what suits you. And while I don’t wear three-piece suits, when I wear a tuxedo, I choose the ensemble with the vest. And I look fucking sharp. More than once, I have been taken aside to receive whispered compliments on being the best-dressed guy in the room. There’s “in style,” and then there’s stylish.
Not with those knees, they don’t!
I like the idea of black suit, tartan vest and that works the same with black formal jacket & vest with tartan kilt.
Not for business, but for formal occasions like weddings. Very sexy and manly. [shallow] Fwooar![/shallow]
Do you do the one where you’re all pretending to be vampires, or the one where you’re all pretending to be vampires? 