Despite limited clothing store options within walking distance of campus, Dartmouth students can be considered to be quite fashionable. On any given day, students can be seen adorning the hottest trends, dipping into the styles of 30 years ago or perhaps sporting a thrifted sweatshirt after a trip to Listen Thrift Store. Take a stroll across the Green on a Monday, however, and you may notice an unusual abundance of something else: vests.
These students are likely participating in “Vest Monday,” an occasion where partakers incorporate vests into their Monday outfits. Although this weekly affair is not an official college-recognized club, a community of vest-wearers has emerged with an active GroupMe of over 160 dedicated members.
When the group first started last fall, Lindsey Geer ’25 — the co-founder of the tradition — was a newcomer to the vest-wearing world.
“I ha[d] some friends who wear vests a lot, and I was just really fascinated,” Geer said. “I didn’t really believe that they could keep me warm.”
Her mindset changed, though, when she purchased her own vest. The first Monday she wore it, she noticed people around her in similar attire. In conversation with her co-founder Samara Cohen ’25, she realized that the campus could benefit from a vest-themed GroupMe. As such, Vest Monday was born.
“It started as a joke, but it became really fun,” Cohen explained. “We would start to see more people around campus in vests [on Mondays]. It became a really great way of bringing all of the different parts of Dartmouth together into this one group.”
It’s this sense of community that often keeps people engaged in the group. Tommy Bevevino ’24 described how, despite only joining Vest Monday this term, he has already experienced this “strong community” of vest-wearers, where he and his friends will point out if they are wearing a vest for the weekly tradition.
This group camaraderie takes place not only across campus but also in the GroupMe. Nell Harris ’25, another avid Vest Monday supporter — who initially joined after she saw some friends wearing vests and thought it was a coincidence — enjoys checking the GroupMe on Mondays, as students will share pictures of other people’s vest-infused outfits.
Due to this communal nature of the group, friends will often hold each other accountable for their vest wearing.
“I think the group inspires a lot of really fun social interactions,” Bevevino said. “People [in the GroupMe] take photos of someone who’s not wearing a vest.”
Nonetheless, even though friends may poke fun at those in the group, Vest Monday is an open and inclusive space, regardless of your individual devotion to vest-wearing, according to Constance Legrand ’25 — a self-proclaimed casual member of “Vest Monday.” Cohen agreed, stating that the “entry ticket” into the GroupMe is simply to wear a vest.
“It’s a very inclusive community, and we love seeing it grow,” Cohen said.
The activeness of the GroupMe also inspires members to increase their involvement. For Legrand, once she joined the group chat, she “bought in a lot more” and decided to wear a vest “every single Monday.”
Simone Wuttke ’27, who is not involved in Vest Monday, thinks it is an “awesome” concept and spoke of its appeals to Dartmouth’s sense of tradition and community.
“You can feel like you’re a part of something, even if it’s just about a clothing item,” Wuttke said.
However, during the cold months ahead, the members’ dedication to Vest Monday will truly be tested. Since most winter fashion is not conducive to vest-wearing, there will be a weekly necessity for layering this winter season, according to Bevevino. Nonetheless, he values the opportunity the winter presents for creativity in vest fashion.
“If the conditions are rough, you could wear a wool vest underneath, and then an overcoat. Or just wear an argyle vest. Those are pretty in right now,” Bevevino speculated. “At least one of your layers should probably be the vest, but I don’t think that your outer layer necessarily has to be a vest.”
Legrand is equally excited to fashion her vests, believing that Vest Monday serves as an opportunity for friends to come together over a mutual passion for an item of clothing.
“I just really love vests,” she said.
However, Wuttke feels that a group like Vest Monday can be so much more than just a means for a fashion statement.
“It can be a way to show off your individuality in your style, with the added support of friends,” Wuttke said.
Ultimately, the group serves as a way to further engage with friends — and maybe even people you don’t know — as well as adds some much-appreciated style and fun to its members’ Mondays. For Harris, though, her favorite aspect of Vest Monday is her excitement when she sees someone wearing a vest on a Monday.
“It makes my day,” Harris said.
Geer and Cohen are members of The Dartmouth’s templating staff.
