Dr bill had this to say about weskits:
had an amusing experience the first time
I took ferry from Cape Tormentine to Borden on PEI.
There was a safety poster in French, about 'gilets de
sauvettage'. With my best high-school French, I asked
the purser who looked French:'Qu'est que c'est un gilet
de sauvettage?' He snarled at me:'I don't speak French!'
And shut his door before I could ask again in English.
As I walked away, I suddenly had vision of an illustration
in a French language version of Alice in Wonderland, with
the White Rabbit wearing a bright red weskit.
Suddenly it dawned on me: Weskit in French is 'gilet'.
So 'gilets de sauvettage' were life jackets.


so anyone--is the word gilet related to the PIE(that's proto indo european, not PEI(Prince Edward Island--reputed to be the prettiest place on earth) word for clothing (to wear clothing?)