Saturday, May 4, 2013

The Revival Of Fashion Aprons

By Adela Beasley


Aprons are garments that are most often used to cover the front of people's bodies. They protect outfits while the wearers could possibly soil or damage them. Sometimes they are included in uniforms, such as in service businesses like restaurants, hospitals, and cleaning. Fashion aprons are resurfacing, and are enjoyed by many who like to be creative and trendy.

Various materials and fabrics may be used to manufacture cover-up garments. They may be light, medium, or heavy. The weight will depend on the desired utility for the garment. From basic to fancy, they can be altered to fit the occasion. In the days of Ozzie and Harriet, TV shows portrayed wives as domestic creatures who did their household chores in stockings, spike-heeled shoes, dresses, and starched, white aprons. Of course, they never broke a sweat, or mussed a curl in their perfect coiffures.

Wives in rural areas or farms usually made their clothing out of simple, inexpensive cloth. One source of fabric was recycled feed sacks. Because their wardrobes were very limited, women often made aprons out of the same cloth. Protecting their clothes was important, because laundry day was sometimes once weekly, and labor-intensive with washboards and line drying.

Urban women were more likely to be shown as fashionable and sophisticated. Their clothing styles would usually consist of fancier and more elegant designs. Certainly, they were in need of protection from soiling and staining. They selected cover-up styles that would complement the outfits they wore. For special occasions, such as Sunday dinner, cover-ups could be dressy when combined with satin and lace, or ruffles and bows.

When home laundries began adding automatic washers and dryers, care of clothing became much more convenient. Ease of care changed the way in which people used precautions against soiling or staining their outfits. Easy care fabric and clothing were an option for many, and made life much easier for housewives. It decreased the use of cover-ups following the 1950's.

Although in the past, aprons were worn by mostly females, it is also common today for men to use them when doing household chores. Men now boast about their kitchen prowess, in addition to their roles as homemakers. Some of the garments that men use have slogans, cartoons, and sports team logos.

Not only outdoor cooking, but even gourmet recipes and techniques are topics of conversation among many men at social functions. They use cover-up designs of various materials, including camouflage, burlap, terrycloth, and even burlap. They are more inclined today to take pride in their ability to succeed in previously female household roles.

Unlike the old styles of sack-cloth dress, the new designs are now popular. Some women's aprons are as fancy as their cocktail dresses. A popular look is to wear a floral, satin apron over a sleek, black dress. That is sure to wow the guests at the door. There are lots of ways to create a desired impression when wearing a fashion aprons. Some ideas are to add rickrack, netting, rhinestones, or ruffles. A fancy or flirtatious design can add charm and cheer. Some ladies love to use aprons as costuming, such as in the French maid style. Aprons are certainly gaining in popularity again, but are still not so prevalent as in the 1950's.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment