You Say Vest, I Say Gilet

Dear friends. It's amusing how we have different names for garments here in the UK and in the US. What I'm wearing above is a gilet in the UK, but a vest in the US (and in the Middle East, a vest is a long over garment for men).

A vest in the UK is an undergarment usually worn under your normal clothes to protect against winter chills. Prettier ones with strappy sleeves can be worn on their own in the summer. (Image: Marks and Spencer).

Talking about your pants can cause a few raised eyebrows in the UK because these are what we call pants:

It usually applies to men's underwear but can also apply to women's. In the US, "pants" refers to what we describe as trousers. Another term that sparks confusion is our "jumper" versus the US sweater.

The definition of jumper is: "a piece of clothing with long sleeves that is usually made from wool, is worn on the upper part of the body and does not open at the front." We sometimes refer to them as woollies or pullovers. To take this further, I believe the US has a "jumper dress", a sleeveless dress intended to be worn over a blouse, shirt, or sweater, which we in the UK call "a pinafore."

The other item which causes hilarity when misused is what the US refers to as a "fanny pack." I'm not even going to go there, except to say we call it a bum bag.

Back to my faux fur gilet - and I knew instantly when I saw it in the new Kettlewell collection that I wanted one. It comes in 10 colours. I have a Medium and my advice would be to size up, because it's a bit on the small side (I doubt if I could fasten it). A good one for the Christmas list, if they don't sell out before then.

I like decorative gilets, the type you wear indoors to add some extra warmth instead of a cardigan, rather than the functional padded sort you wear hiking. This one is very warm and cosy. It will be ideal for early spring and late autumn too, but the temperature has plunged this week so a coat or padded jacket is now required outdoors.