An English King, Charles II, introduced the vest or waistcoat in England though Royal Proclamation on October 7, 1666. We know the exact date from the diary of civil servant Samuel Pepys.
It was a simple straight cut, and close fitting garment made from black cloth with a white silk lining. Promoted personally by the king, it was soon popular with everyone. But the political purpose was to undermine French fashion influence in England and by the vests simple lines was to defy the extravagant dictates of Versailles.
The vest was based on a style brought back to England by visitors to the Pesian court of Shah Abbas. That model had sleeves and was longer than the coat worn over it. The vest evolved shorter to above the knee, then to mid-thigh, to the top of the thigh, and finally by 1790 to the waistline. It became sleeveless around the 1750’s.
The simple and sober beginnings were all but forgotten by the 18th century when the waistcoat became a brilliant display of luxury fabrics and detail such as bold buttons.
Even during the staid Victorian era the waistcoat retained it’s fancy feeling (polka dots, stripes and floral patterns reined)
The decline in the vest as fashion in the early 20th century were probably due to improvements in central heating, the emergence of the sweater and wartime clothes rationing.
From the 16th century to 1668 the vest worn was in the form of an under-doublet, which was waist length, quilted and worn for warmth it became more and more decorative.
From 1668 on, an undercoat cut similar to the justaucorps. Justaucoprs was a tight fitting knee length coat worn over a waistcoat. Borrowed from a military coat and worn from mid 17th to early 18 century in England and France.
It was made with sleeves until 1750 went out of fashion until 1800. Gradually became shorter until reached the waist in 1790. Single breasted until 1730’s Double breasted in the 1780’s and 1790’s with both styles common in the 19th century.
King Edward VII, "Bertie", son of Victoria (1841 – 1910, King 1901 - 1910) was so heavy that he could not get the bottom button fastened on his vest or to be more historically kind, maybe he just forgot. His subjects taking it as a fashion statement followed his lead and today no man’s suit, sports jacket or vest is designed to button the bottom button. The tradition of not buttoning the bottom button may have also come from the early waistcoats, which were very long. It may have been out of necessity of being able to walk that the bottom buttons were left undone.