Waistcoat Questions

[Roen]

How popular are four pocket waistcoats compared to two pocket waistcoats?
Is the default cut for two pocket waistcoats a straight cut? Do you ever see slanted waistcoat pockets in either diagonal direction?
How popular are breast pockets on waistcoats? Do you ever see barchetta style breast pockets or all they generally always straight cut?

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

Theoretically the only thing you put in a waistcoat pocket is your pocketwatch, so you only need the two bottom pockets. Now, since no sane person actually uses a pocketwatch anymore, that guideline isn't as useful. I've had waistcoats made with 4 pockets but there's just not much real estate in the chest to put anything in without looking bulgy and feeling uncomfortable, so I stopped doing this as all it ends up doing is making things look too busy without any practical benefit. I find myself using he bottom two sometimes to put stuff like boarding passes, business cards, etc. into if it is warm and I am not wearing a jacket, but that's about it. I wouldn't want them slanted; the pockets are already kind of shallow and slanting the opening would make me worry about stuff falling out.

 

[Despos]

4 pockets project a more traditional aesthetic than having 2 lower pockets. Have made the upper pockets to hold pens, cigars and eyeglasses. Have made lower patch pockets and have done crescent shaped besom pockets or straight besom. Made a lot of vests with 2 upper welt pockets and the lower 2 pockets with flaps. This has been popular styling with Ralph Lauren. Upper welt/lower flap pockets reflect the same pocket scenario as the jacket.

 

[WhereNext]

I used to just get the usual two lower pockets, as four felt like too much going on and, since I would never use them, a bit redundant. I also tended to associate them with more casual outfits (like tweeds) as they struck me as being more functional; that is solely down to tricks of my own mind rather than some rule, I imagine.
I have started having my waistcoats made with zero pockets, as I never used them and I'm getting more and more minimalist: at least in terms of design features: 1-button jackets, only one back pocket on trousers, and besom jacket pockets on suits, for example. Again, that may be against some guideline or other, but I prefer not having a pocket I'll never use if I have the choice.