correct cami/ vest etiquette - guide me please!

[div22c]

I don't like to display cleavage, so often use vests/ camis to layer up, with the top of the vest/ cami showing at the neckline. After a comment made by an acquaintance, am wondering if I have been doing it all wrong. Sooo are lacey/ satiny vests/ camis wrong for day wear? Should they match the main garment in the type of material they are made of (ie silk vest under a silk dress, jersey vest under a jersey top and so on)? What about under a formal dress? Is that a strict no-no?

what was the comment? i only have jersey camis so would put these under everything.

Something on the lines of 'lace-topped camis are only for nightwear'...i quite like the feminine touch of lace so have quite a few of those am afraid .

On a related note, I have a silk shift dress that fits me really well but I hardly ever wear it as the neckline tends to be a bit more 'plungey' than I am comfortable with. Something similar to this (a vertical slit at the neckline but not joined at the top, if you see what I mean). Would a cami that shows at the neck spoil the look for a formal occasion? If not what kind of cami can I wear?

I wouldn't put a simmet under that lovely dress! You could put a small stitch to raise the bottom of the 'v' if you see what I mean?

I think lacy camis are probably to be avoided, but that's just my taste.

I would get a couple of 'seamless' vests for for wearing under smarter things, maybe a silk one if you need under a dress, and stick to very simple jersey vests for daywear.

This won't help you much for this particular OP, but for wrap dresses & tops my wardrobe is transformed - google Bosom Button. Just ordered some of these after wrestling with a safety pin on a summer dress last weekend when I though surely other women have this problem and must have invented something?! And hey presto........can't wait for them to arrive I have ordered three different colours.

I wear lacy camis like this under dresses/tops that are low cut. I think they look pretty.

What a sodding cheek [excuse me] to tell you that a lacy cami was inappropriate. I think it's a matter of taste and there is no disputing matters of taste. You wear what you like.

I think shape and colour matter more than fabric for camis under dresses. Plus your budget! I couldn't afford to buy a cami for every different frock.

Re the dress ... well it's a matter of taste but I would go for a very plain "straight across" cami or vest (i.e. one that doesn't divide at the boobs). Probably without lace but that's just to stop it distracting too much from the look of the dress.

Thanks so much everyone! Off to look for some straight across silk camis and Bosom Buttons (sounds interesting, to be sure!). Will check to see if the stitch-idea will work too (skiving off at work right now).
Am very small busted and narrow shouldered, so alot of necklines tend to fall apart instead of sitting nicely. These suggestions should help immensely!

I think YouCant has the best idea for that particular dress - a couple of stitches at the bottom rather than a cami, it would ruin the look of that dress IMO.

Don't see what is wrong with camis under low cut straight across tops though!

Same problem and I have a dozen of those. They most certainly are not nightwear.

Phew, what a relief to know I wasn't dressed in nightwear for all these years! Will surely check out the stitches option, which soumds like the best one for this dress. Fingers crossed!

I too have several good lacy camis and don't think they look nightwearish at all. Do find though that in summer tend to gravitate to something a little plainer/ lighter, such as the Boden cami, which still has an interesting, but very subtle, trim.