Although they’ve been around for hundreds of years, there’s never been such a diverse and high-quality selection of kids’ wax & tweed jackets as there is today. While we love all varieties of outerwear, there’s no better way to keep your little one comfortable in all kinds of weather - from the harshest of winters to the freshest of spring days - than in a children’s tweed waistcoat or gilet. Tweed gilets for children double as stylish body warmers, so you won’t have to consider wrapping the little munchkin up in layer upon layer of jackets and blankets. Tweed comes from wool - which means it’s naturally insulated and waterproof - so the kiddo in your life will feel as cosy as a sheep with just a solid vest from a high-quality designer like Walker & Hawkes and, on the coldest of days, a decent coat to top it all off.
Style each of your boys in a waistcoat with a pair of children’s plus fours for a day out hunting with their father, or encourage your horse-loving girls to adopt the young equestrienne look by investing in one of our tweed flat caps for children. If you have a toddler in tow who is too young to express interest in sports, buy some hand-knit baby mittens to pair with his or her itsy-bitsy waistcoat (yes, we carry these online too), and you’ll have a little heartbreaker on your hands!
Tweed Waistcoats for Toddlers & Babies
If you have the most important job in the world - raising a little country lady or gent - then you know that you play an incredible role in guiding them into adulthood. While possessions aren’t everything, outfitting your kids with the gear they need to jump feet first into childhood is one of the greatest decisions you can make as a parent.We don’t mean to sound dramatic when we say that waistcoats are the answer you’ve been waiting for - it’s true! The best ones keep your kids toasty and warm in the winter, yet are still breathable for when they’re running around in the spring, and get this - they’re the perfect choice for all those weddings you dutifully attend when the sun says its summer hellos.
Perfect for keeping your child looking as smart as they come, flexible enough to allow full movement, and durable enough to stay in one piece during those rough and tumble playdates and early morning rides through the mud, the waistcoat is the quintessential British piece of kit that announces to the world a polished lady or gent in the making. Emblematic of country style and practically designed to withstand long days of shooting, you’ll soon realise that this essential is truly essential in every English tot’s childhood.
We have a feeling that once you start dressing your baby in a tweed waistcoat, he or she will never grow out of them (literally, of course, but in terms of style - never!) so be prepared in supporting your child’s love for these classics for life!
How to Style
Styling a child in a waistcoat or gilet involves much the same process as wearing one as an adult does - although, we have to admit, the kiddos usually look much cuter! Both genders can wear one over a long-sleeve collared shirt - the traditional look if going to a high profile event - but you can switch things up by dressing your tiny tot in a polo shirt and throwing on a gilet for a laid back, casual look.Girls have a few more options - you can pair a waistcoat with a skirt or even use one to top off a dress if your little princess wants to look like the belle of the ball while simultaneously staying warm.
We recommend choosing a colour that will go with most of the clothing in their wardrobe so that they can wear their to-be-favourite new piece of kit with everything! A neutral colour like brown and sage will complement most other hues, but a gorgeous blue is also a natural choice!
We carry cosy country tweed gilets with the simplest of designs, so you can pick one up for your sons and daughters without either of them making a fuss, but we also have decked out option with purple and pink stripes for those children that already believe in the “more is more” philosophy. Most great waistcoats come with multiple pockets, all of a substantial size, so make sure to check them before you pop it in for cleaning; and don’t be surprised in you find all sorts of “treasures” from your naughty children!
We recommend saving the super-pocket options for playdates and long days shooting in the fields and woods (although we must say, these options are sleeker than one would think!) and opt for a minimal design when it comes to formal events.
A great leather belt is the perfect accessory to keep those itsy-bitsy pants up and complement the tweed gilet. When it’s time to be laid back, though, even a great pair of little denims can work wonders when paired with tweed: casual-chic is even a style for the smallest of humans!
To top it all off, never underestimate the power of a tweed flat cap or, if they’re going to a ball game, a tweed baseball cap replete with a fine leather peak. The British charm your kid exhibits might be too much for you to handle, but make sure to take some pictures to treasure when they’re older and not quite as cheeky! Loafers or riding boots make a fine addition to keep their toes warm, and, of course, shooting will require high coverage for their feet.
Occasion
Whatever the occasion, the tweed waistcoat will be your child's favourite without any doubts! You won't have to worry about their comfort; they will also look polished even after a whole day playing around. But for the heck of it, let’s run through a few common events and how to style mini waistcoats accordingly.Does your little lady fancy riding? Whether she’s already competing at her tender age or merely enjoys attending local shows to admire the ponies and their mounts, help her look show-ready by pairing one of our pink or purple striped waistcoats with a gorgeous flat cap. While she’s dreaming of one day winning those Grand Prix rosettes, your little equestrienne will already be winning red rosettes in the style arena!
If you have a child who is following in the footstep of his or her game-loving parent, a waistcoat and plus fours combination is the perfect choice for a day out shooting. Invest in a quality pair of shooting socks and some Wellies or leather boots, and voila - you’ve got a little hunter to deal with!
Extra wind protection is readily available in the form of the combination closing of both zip and poppers, but fear not - it’s a piece of cake to put on and take off, so you won’t need to lend a helping hand, even with the smaller kiddos!
Formal weddings and events are no match for our smartest waistcoats! Dress your son in a crisp white button-up under a gorgeous tan tweed waistcoat, and this heartthrob might steal the show at the nuptials! You can opt for an extra jacket layer on top of the waistcoat if the wedding happens to be in Iceland, but otherwise, this is a great stand-alone piece when the weather is warm enough.
Even if your child is just playing casually outdoors, a gilet is a perfect antidote to the constant, mud-centred parental worry. The spacious pockets and Teflon-coated tweed that are customary for Walker & Hawkes waistcoats will make this piece irreplaceable during the wild times spent outdoors.
You won't have to concern yourself with mud permanently destroying the little tyke’s clothes...and the munchkin will be always full of happiness while playing around in this gorgeous gilet. We can’t help you with the tracking-mud-into-the-house problem though!
Pros/Cons
The pros are too many to list, but let’s take a quick run through the most important of them.
1. The first factor that makes these superhero pieces of kit perfect for occasions year-round is that they’re incredibly flexible when it comes to weather. Gilets are body warmers designed to hug your child’s torso and keep them snug as a rug when the leaves start to fall, and they’re easy to throw a coat over in the winter - you won’t need to deal with your little one’s sleeves bunching up underneath a gorgeous tweed jacket. However, their sleeveless component also makes them a perfect choice for formal occasions in the summer when full suits are just not an option.
2. A second pro in opting for a waistcoat is that you’ll have flexibility in dressing your chap or lady both up and down. Checking the post with a tagalong toddler? Going to a fancy wedding? A horse show? A casual football match? A waistcoat will soon become your go-to in dressing your child for all such occasions, thus eliminating every parent’s nightmare: the need to buy a separate outfit for each occasion! We can feel our blood pressure rising at the mere thought of such an abhorrent idea, but you can avoid this completely by investing in a great waistcoat or two!
3. A third? They’re gender-neutral! While we do have waistcoats detailed with colours that young ladies tend to like in addition to our regular colours, our tweed children’s clothing is well-suited for both genders. Olive green, brown, grey, and dark sage are just a few of the choices on the market today, so you can truly cater to your little one’s style when choosing a new wardrobe addition - dash it all, you can even use the same waistcoat for kids of both genders!
Now for the cons.
1. The first one is that your child will become a heartthrob (or heartbreaker) at a very young age. In all seriousness, though, we can’t think of any cons to the waistcoat per se, but there are some circumstances that you might not want to the child in your life to wear one. Although they’re a great choice for young boys to wear at summer weddings, thus nixing the need for a hot jacket, sweltering weather is not ideal for a coat of any kind.
2. On the opposite end of the spectrum, wearing one alone on the coldest days of winter, while recommended (keeping your child’s torso extra toasty and protected is always a good idea), will not be enough - their sleeveless nature demands that an extra coat or jacket be added to beat the chills. Other than that, no cons - in fact, we can’t do enough justice to this faultless, must-have classic.
Where to Buy
If you haven’t heard - we provide free postage to anywhere in the mainland UK, so don’t worry about stepping out in the rain to drive to your local shopping centre (even though our fabulous waterproof coats for adults will make that a non-issue). Our fast delivery guarantees that your little bundle of joy will be a double-bundle - but this time in tweed - before you know it!
We are proud to carry all varieties of Walker & Hawkes waistcoats and gilets for children. Their products are made from a combination of wool, polyester, acrylic, and mixed fibres - a perfect blend for waistcoats and gilets that work in any weather and don’t constrict movement. After all, we all know that children will refuse to wear anything that isn’t as comfy as can be.
Most of our coats feature several handy pockets, a popper front, and an elasticated waist so that your kids don’t outgrow this smart piece of country kit too quickly! But there’s an additional reason we lean towards Walker & Hawkes - they know what children are like!
Besides being cute as pie, the little pumpkins in our life will do the darndest things to create messes we didn’t know were possible, but the waistcoats we carry are designed to withstand everything from rolling in mud and puddle jumping after a good British rain to climbing on the dog during a game of “pretend Rover is a polo pony”.
Whatever your child’s needs are, we are confident that we can provide a high-quality, stylish match, with a great postage deal to boot!
Overview
Waistcoats aren’t just the must-have accessory in Mountain and Moorland showing classes anymore, nope, they’re becoming the perfect addition to jazz up an outfit, or even keep your kids warm too.
Our range of boys and girls waistcoats are simply to die for, made from the highest quality fabrics, and with the best quality buttons, zips, and embellishments on this side of the Thames. Your sons and daughters will not only look stylish but with such long-lasting garments - they may even be able to hold onto them and pass them down to their children someday.
Walker and Hawkes is one of our esteemed suppliers and having seen first hand how long their tweed stays looking new; we’re absolutely positive that you will not be disappointed with your purchase. Nothing quite makes one look quite so fabulous as a shooting or hunting waistcoat, there’s something about the clean lines, and wool tweed fabric that makes anyone look the picture of style. And when also combined with the fact that these specific waistcoats are created for kids and babies, you have to add the healthy dollop of adorable-ness!
Keeping your children warm and looking as though they’re straight out of a Country Living magazine has never been so fun, so we invite you to have a look around, and with our sections for women's and men's waistcoats - you could enjoy your waistcoats as a family.