Awhile ago I invited gal pals over for drinks and suggested they wear their favorite aprons. I was shocked to find out only one woman even owned an apron.
Except for me. I have a whole stack in a drawer. Now I find out aprons are highly collectable and my stash may be worth millions….or at least tens.
Aprons have a long history. At first they were worn only by men. Each trade had an identifying color and fabric. For instance, barbers wore a checked pattern; butchers, green; and masons and the Masonic Society, white. Fabric depended on the trade. Blacksmiths were protected by leather aprons; clockmakers wore linen, which repels dust.
Women soon recognized the utilitarian advantages aprons provided and started wearing them too. Before the industrial revolution, cloth was expensive and most women only had a few dresses. Aprons protected from spatters and drips that occurred in every busy kitchen, as well as from rips and tears in the barn and garden
By the 17th century the gentry added their own romantic notions to aprons. If a young lady’s apron accidently untied and fell off, it meant her beau was thinking of her.
Apron styles continued to evolve in the 19th century. Since clothes had to be washed by hand, it was common for women to wear the same dress for a week or more, covering it with an apron. Fashionable tea aprons were worn while entertaining, walking in the garden or picnicking.
Aprons were frequently included in the uniforms of household servants. It was both a symbol of their status and a way to keep the rest of their uniforms free from grime.
When she didn’t have a cook to prepare meals, the mistress of the house would wear one apron for preparing food in the kitchen, then change into a crisp, clean one to sit down to dinner with her family. Her nicest aprons were rarely soiled because they were only worn at the table and were protected by a napkin.
By the late 19th century, pinafore aprons became popular, especially for young girls (Alice in Wonderland among them). It was pinned onto clothing, which gave the apron its name. In the 1940s, the pinafore apron evolved into a cool, summer dress worn by little girls.
In the early 1900s, fashions were changing and so were aprons. They hung straight and loose, like the flapper dresses they covered. During World War I while women contributed to the war effort, traditional cotton was replaced by heavier fabrics designed to stand up in factories and hospitals.
World War II found homemakers faced with short supplies and rationing. Aprons were plain, often handmade. Feed sacks and handkerchiefs were turned into aprons, and half aprons became popular since they required less fabric.
After the war, fabrics like polyester and rayon were introduced and colors exploded. Sewing machines became inexpensive enough that most homemakers could own one and aprons became a fashion statement.
The creative housewife decorated gingham with rickrack, ruffles and bows. Or she bought a full skirted plastic apron to match her outfit. Aprons were at once the stuff of the hostess-with-the-mostest and a way to show off homemaking skills.
In the 1960s, with the women’s movement gathering steam, aprons became a symbol domestic drudgery. They might have been burned along with bras except they were so inflammable.
Cheaper clothes and washing machines made aprons even less common by the mid ‘60s.
But some women continued to wear them, now in orange, avocado green and pink. Hand towels were stitched into the waist band. By the 1970s pockets were deeper and more numerous.
And then aprons began to loose their identity. Microwaves and frozen dinners reduced their role. Former homemakers went to work to support two cars, a boat and a 5 bedroom home. Who needed an apron?
But wait! It’s not over yet. Aprons have become a retro-chic fashion statement. They now sell for $50 and more at trendy Anthropologie stores and exclusive boutiques ($200!). Apron chic taps into the rising interest in home entertaining and gourmet cooking, perhaps a reaction to stressful economic times.
Aprons, once an essential garment for anyone doing housework, have now ascended to costly kitchen couture…and a collectable item that women can be proud to be seen in…if they’re not selling them on eBay. Antique aprons are especially valued. Fabrics from earlier times have deteriorated with time and were eventually turned into dust rags.
You can find a ton of vintage and antique aprons on the net (check out Flickr). What is incredible is their uniqueness in approach, fit, design and ties. Aprons are pure art while also wonderfully utilitarian.
If you have an apron from the 20s or before, you’ve got something rare and valuable. Over time most fabrics deteriorated and were eventually turned into dust rags, so there aren’t many around.
The humble apron has quite a history, serving practical purpose at the same time it makes political, class and fashion statements. I’ll appreciate mine a lot more from now on.
Except for me. I have a whole stack in a drawer. Now I find out aprons are highly collectable and my stash may be worth millions….or at least tens.
Aprons have a long history. At first they were worn only by men. Each trade had an identifying color and fabric. For instance, barbers wore a checked pattern; butchers, green; and masons and the Masonic Society, white. Fabric depended on the trade. Blacksmiths were protected by leather aprons; clockmakers wore linen, which repels dust.
Women soon recognized the utilitarian advantages aprons provided and started wearing them too. Before the industrial revolution, cloth was expensive and most women only had a few dresses. Aprons protected from spatters and drips that occurred in every busy kitchen, as well as from rips and tears in the barn and garden
By the 17th century the gentry added their own romantic notions to aprons. If a young lady’s apron accidently untied and fell off, it meant her beau was thinking of her.
Apron styles continued to evolve in the 19th century. Since clothes had to be washed by hand, it was common for women to wear the same dress for a week or more, covering it with an apron. Fashionable tea aprons were worn while entertaining, walking in the garden or picnicking.
Aprons were frequently included in the uniforms of household servants. It was both a symbol of their status and a way to keep the rest of their uniforms free from grime.
When she didn’t have a cook to prepare meals, the mistress of the house would wear one apron for preparing food in the kitchen, then change into a crisp, clean one to sit down to dinner with her family. Her nicest aprons were rarely soiled because they were only worn at the table and were protected by a napkin.
By the late 19th century, pinafore aprons became popular, especially for young girls (Alice in Wonderland among them). It was pinned onto clothing, which gave the apron its name. In the 1940s, the pinafore apron evolved into a cool, summer dress worn by little girls.
In the early 1900s, fashions were changing and so were aprons. They hung straight and loose, like the flapper dresses they covered. During World War I while women contributed to the war effort, traditional cotton was replaced by heavier fabrics designed to stand up in factories and hospitals.
World War II found homemakers faced with short supplies and rationing. Aprons were plain, often handmade. Feed sacks and handkerchiefs were turned into aprons, and half aprons became popular since they required less fabric.
After the war, fabrics like polyester and rayon were introduced and colors exploded. Sewing machines became inexpensive enough that most homemakers could own one and aprons became a fashion statement.
The creative housewife decorated gingham with rickrack, ruffles and bows. Or she bought a full skirted plastic apron to match her outfit. Aprons were at once the stuff of the hostess-with-the-mostest and a way to show off homemaking skills.
In the 1960s, with the women’s movement gathering steam, aprons became a symbol domestic drudgery. They might have been burned along with bras except they were so inflammable.
Cheaper clothes and washing machines made aprons even less common by the mid ‘60s.
But some women continued to wear them, now in orange, avocado green and pink. Hand towels were stitched into the waist band. By the 1970s pockets were deeper and more numerous.
And then aprons began to loose their identity. Microwaves and frozen dinners reduced their role. Former homemakers went to work to support two cars, a boat and a 5 bedroom home. Who needed an apron?
But wait! It’s not over yet. Aprons have become a retro-chic fashion statement. They now sell for $50 and more at trendy Anthropologie stores and exclusive boutiques ($200!). Apron chic taps into the rising interest in home entertaining and gourmet cooking, perhaps a reaction to stressful economic times.
Aprons, once an essential garment for anyone doing housework, have now ascended to costly kitchen couture…and a collectable item that women can be proud to be seen in…if they’re not selling them on eBay. Antique aprons are especially valued. Fabrics from earlier times have deteriorated with time and were eventually turned into dust rags.
You can find a ton of vintage and antique aprons on the net (check out Flickr). What is incredible is their uniqueness in approach, fit, design and ties. Aprons are pure art while also wonderfully utilitarian.
If you have an apron from the 20s or before, you’ve got something rare and valuable. Over time most fabrics deteriorated and were eventually turned into dust rags, so there aren’t many around.
The humble apron has quite a history, serving practical purpose at the same time it makes political, class and fashion statements. I’ll appreciate mine a lot more from now on.