Waterville has become my favorite vest/gilet company over the past couple of years. Though they are very expensive, the quality craftsmanship, the excellent fit, the premium materials, and being made in Italy all combine to make the price sting a bit less compared to some other brands such as Barbour. If you’re looking for an upgrade to the standard Barbour vest Waterville is your solution. As someone who used to wear the Barbour Lowerdale Gilet as my default vest, the Waterville has the same fit (no worries about sizing issues), more material options (including wool), same diamond quilting, and made in a first-world country (only Barbour’s waxed cotton jackets seem to be made in England these days).
History
Waterville was founded in Italy in 1992 with a focus on sporty yet elegant, practical yet refined, useful yet sophisticated outdoor clothing. Combining a strong adherence to craftsmanship, traditional natural materials as well as searching for high quality technical fabrics, Waterville has successfully reinterpreted traditional outerwear with a modern spirit.
Notes
We only have direct experience with Waterville’s vests, so we won’t be focusing on their jackets, though we imagine all their products are made with the same quality craftsmanship as their vests.
What to Buy
The Theo Quilted Vest in Vitale Barberis Canonico wool is Waterville’s best product. The fit and fabric quality don’t exist in any other brand’s catalog. Our go-to color choices are the Navy (replaces the navy Barbour Lowerdale everyone else wears) or the Beige. Beige may seem like a strange choice, but having a lighter colored vest works very well on top of some darker colored flannels, and pairs well with any color of jeans or any pair of chinos that aren’t also beige. (forgive the picture quality, it appears Waterville spends more time on clothing design and manufacturing than updating their website pictures)
