Is this the next kitchen fashion?

January 30, 2023 by
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A few years ago, we asked EYB Members if they wore aprons while cooking, and many responded with a resounding yes. The latest sartorial suggestion from Epicurious might not get as many people replying in the same way, however. Wilder Davis recently posited that wearing a jumpsuit in the kitchen is even better than wearing an apron.

Davis suggests that most kitchen apparel, from clogs to aprons, is unfashionable at best and garish at worst. He compares wearing an apron to looking like “a barista on the lam” and opines that “the jumpsuit best toes the line between utilitarian kitchen attire and acceptable streetwear.” I am not sure why he feels that what he’s wearing in the kitchen needs to be stylish instead of practical, but even if it does, there are plenty of adorable aprons available. They might not be runway ready, but aprons are among the nicest things I wear when cooking. My kitchen apparel ranges from a) pajamas to b) yoga pants and a t-shirt, to c) whatever I was wearing at the office, with c) being the only thing is marginally fashionable.

While a jumpsuit does provide more protection for your clothing, I am not convinced about the practicality of wearing one in the kitchen. For starters, the trendy jumpsuits that are linked at the end of the article are not designed to be worn over other clothing. Is one supposed to change completely out of one’s outfit to cook, then back again afterward? That hardly seems feasible. I barely remember to throw on an apron even though they are conveniently hanging in my pantry, much less completely change my clothes.

If I opted for a more utilitarian coverall – like the kind my grandfather wore when he went out to tend to the cattle or work on the tractor – I would hardly describe the resulting look as “stylish”. Frumpy doesn’t even begin to depict how bad I look in a set of coveralls, and I have firsthand experience wearing them so this is not mere conjecture.

While this article may be well-intentioned, the title does seem straight out of Mansplaining 101: “Actually, A Jumpsuit Is the Best Thing…” I would rather look like a barista on the lam than a crumpled paper sack with legs and arms, which is the most charitable description of me wearing a jumpsuit. And I’ll deal with an occasional grease stain if it means I don’t have to completely change my outfit. (Pro tip: automotive brake cleaner will remove eventhe worst grease stain, but you’ll probably have to wash twice to get rid of the odor.) Now I’ll ask you – are you likely to wear a jumpsuit while cooking?

Category: Antipasto

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25 Comments

  • tmjellicoe  on  January 31, 2023

    A jumpsuit/coverall notion in the kitchen is the funniest thing I’ve read today. I cannot use a jumpsuit to quickly handle a hot item like the bottom of an apron. And yes, having to change my clothes before any tasking in the kitchen would be a pain. I’m to the point now where it feels wrong and I have anxiety about slopping on my clothes without an apron, I packed one for my use at my parents house for Christmas as Mom does not feel the need to protect her clothes.

  • wester  on  January 31, 2023

    So, if you want to cover your shoulders and arms as well, you could always get a lab coat. As easy to slip on as an apron, less frumpy than a jumpsuit.

    Personally, I don’t even use an apron. The children own some, but they are somewhere in the back of the cupboard.

  • XantheClay  on  January 31, 2023

    As a messy cook, I’d love an overall – not in the American sense of dungarees, but the sort of wrap dress we used to put over our school uniform for art class. Maybe not in the bright green though!

  • ellabee  on  January 31, 2023

    I’m in the group that doesn’t even usually wear an apron, so I’d be unlikely to adopt a jumpsuit. Tried to think of an occasion when I would, and it’s like something out of an unsettling dream: I’m dressed up for an occasion, but somehow have been pressed into service cooking, specifically frying something splatter-y.

  • ellabee  on  January 31, 2023

    The closest U.S. item to what XantheClay describes is a housecoat, a light buttoned or wrapped outer layer worn over clothing while cleaning or doing light cooking. Its heyday was 1920s-mid60s.

  • TeresaRenee  on  January 31, 2023

    I interpreted ‘jumpsuit’ as ‘coveralls’ and wondered why would I want to dress like an auto mechanic or convict while I’m cooking?

    We called the painting cover-ups ‘smocks’: long sleeved, light and loose enough to cover your clothes easily. This would work for cooking but I like keeping my wrists clear so my cuffs don’t drag in the food or the dishwater.

  • StokeySue  on  January 31, 2023

    I think I went to a similar British school to Xanthe Clay, and I remember my overall which had green rubber buttons, that seemed to me quite exotic aged 11, ours were like lab coats, they didn’t wrap. A lab coat would in fact do the job if you wanted to cover sleeves,I have a protective jumpsuit, of the kind worn for painting ceilings and changing wheels, not fashionable in any way and a faff to climb in and out of. If you are going to go that far, why not just change into chef’s trousers and jacket, removing any clothing that can be spoiled.I wear an apron, I’m messy, it amuses the neighbours, especially those in the catering trade.

  • anya_sf  on  January 31, 2023

    I don’t usually wear an apron since I’m typically wearing sweats or something that is easily washed. If it’s a dinner party and I’m already in my nice clothes, then I’ll wear an apron.

  • Rinshin  on  January 31, 2023

    I never wear an apron but my mom always did. I get more stuff on my clothing when eating than cooking.

  • Indio32  on  February 1, 2023

    Yes, I have an apron but confession time…. I don’t use it because in ties up at the back and I can’t do that. 🙁

  • tgirlza  on  February 1, 2023

    Considering practicalities… I love my aprons, but remove them before going to the toilet. So if I was wearing an overall, I’d have to strip down like George Costanza to spend a penny, and then don my overall again before getting back to the kitchen. Not gonna happen.

  • KarenGlad  on  February 1, 2023

    I love my aprons! Even so I usually forget to put one on till after something has splattered on me. I’m taking note of automotive brake cleaner…thank you!

  • TBipp  on  February 1, 2023

    Apron wearer here. Not all the time but most of the time as I’m a messy cook. A few I bought on trips and they bring a smile when I wear them; e.g., a turquoise one with mermaids that I found in Key West, another I purchased for my sister and I both while we vacationed together, etc.

  • pitterpat4  on  February 1, 2023

    I don’t wear an apron. I forget to put it on LOL. Is he expecting people to wear the jumpsuit over their other clothes? That’s going to be a bit warm in the kitchen. Also, what if a person is wearing a skirt or dress? If you want full coverage of your upper body, you could wear a chef’s jacket.

  • manycookbooks  on  February 1, 2023

    I posted on my blog about aprons a few years back….lots of nostalgia and memories. I even remember having to make one in “home ec”.

  • JFM  on  February 2, 2023

    I bought these trousers for gardening work, but found that they are soooo comfortable, I could wear them anywhere, anytime.
    My favourite apron is this one.

  • sanfrannative  on  February 2, 2023

    *rotfl*

    That’s crazy. Unless you are a chef who works in the kitchen all day, why take the trouble to put on a jumpsuit? When jumpsuits have gone out of fashion people will be scratching their heads about this idea.

  • Aggie92  on  February 2, 2023

    Jumpsuits make you look like a prison escapee. No thank you, I’ll stick to my apron.

  • Annsfoodanddrink15  on  February 2, 2023

    I’ve got a few aprons. My house clothes end up with all sorts of food stains otherwise. I even bought one for my daughter but it’s me who ends up wearing it 😊 when we go to stay.

  • GiselleMarie  on  February 2, 2023

    I have a wide assortment of aprons and I wear one every time I perform a task in the kitchen, no matter how quick or unmessy it is. Even when I’m dressed in clothes that are old and worn, I am simply uncomfortable when I’m not wearing an apron in the kitchen. My sister confessed to me about a decade ago that she had a weird quirk: She HAD to wear an apron to cook, no matter what! It must be genetic! The coveralls idea is ridiculous! I know I couldn’t function in them, but if I were forced to don them for kitchen work, I’d wear an apron over them.

  • bhasenstab  on  February 3, 2023

    Impossible to read about jumpsuits without summoning images of overweight, sweaty Elvis in Las Vegas! Sticking with my apron, thanks!

  • Rella  on  February 3, 2023

    I have 3 aprons that I probably should get rid of, except there’s too much nostalgia – I should frame them. Ties around the neck just kill my neck. If there is really a messy recipe; i.e., meat sauce, I will don a chef’s coat – always my preference. Jump suit? It would take me hours to pull on and off; I can’t jump anymore!

  • Ruthdigs  on  February 4, 2023

    Who on earth cares about looking unfashionable or *gasp* garish in the kitchen? It’s not a tv set it’s a place of practical work. Deffo a mansplalining idiot article that one.
    Personally I wear an apron when doing anything with flour; experience has taught me I really need to 😄 or hot oil. And I don’t give a damn what I look like in it.
    One of my aprons has really long ties so it wraps around and ties in the front. For the person who can’t tie in the back.

  • pomona  on  February 4, 2023

    I associate aprons with baking and I love mine. Putting one on is the first step to a happy time that ends with cake or something like that.

  • hibeez  on  February 4, 2023

    I, along with others, wear an apron when doing messy or splattering cooking, as I have many favorite t-shirts with grease stains on them. I love that I can dry my hands on it when needed. I have a very old King Arthur Flour cotton apron that I actually iron after washing so it will “drape well”. I also have one from a schooner cruise in Maine, that has the neck and back ties all as one, so you can tighten/loosen the neck with one pull. It also has pockets, but I haven’t found that to be very useful. Yet.
    Nix on the jumpsuit.

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