Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of
garment usually used as
protective clothing
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, ele ...
when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of
trousers".
Overalls were originally made of
denim, but they can also be made of
corduroy,
chino cloth
Chino cloth ( ) is a twill fabric, originally made of 100% cotton. The most common items made from it, trousers, are widely called chinos. Today it is also found in cotton-synthetic blends.
Developed in the mid-19th century for British and Frenc ...
, or
Leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...
to name a few. Overalls were invented in the mid to late 1890s by Grace Howard and
Jacob W. Davis
Jacob William Davis (born Jākobs Jufess; 1831–1908) was an American tailor of Latvian-Jewish origin who is credited with inventing modern jeans. Growing up in Latvia, he emigrated to the United States as a young man and spent some time in ...
at
Levi Strauss & Co., but they went through an evolution to reach their modern form.
Initially only used for protective clothing in work settings, such as farming, welding, working in oil fields, ext. They have also become a garment of high fashion as "potential cult items". Many high fashion brands have released their own spin on overalls.
History
Beginnings
The exact beginnings of the wearing of overalls are unclear, but they are mentioned in literature as early as 1776 as protective working garments commonly worn by slaves.
The first evidence of overalls being mass-produced are those made by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in the 1890s. The first "
jeans
Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
" they invented were actually overalls ("waist overalls" or "waist-high overalls"), consisting of suspenders attached to denim pants with buttons but with no top part with a bib.
From the beginning, denim overalls were popular workers' garments due to their durability. In fact, Levi Strauss & Co.'s slogan in the 1880s-1890s was "Never Rip, Never Tear".
In 1911,
Harry David Lee
Henry David Lee (December 9, 1849 – March 15, 1928) was the founder of the HD Lee Mercantile Company, inventors of Lee Jeans.
Early life
He was born in 1849 in Vermont and attended school in South East Randolph, he moved to Galion, Ohio ...
made the first bib overalls, made of pants with pockets with a bib and straps over the shoulders.
In 1927, Lee's developed a "hook-less fastener" and created "button-less" overalls. Zippers replaced buttons.
Soon after, suspender buttons were traded in for belt loops to attach over-the-shoulder straps.
The Overalls Movement of 1920
In 1920, groups of "Overalls Clubs" formed around the United States. They took overalls as their symbol to protest the rising cost of clothing, and profiteering in the garment industry.
The Great Depression
In the 1930s, the poorest segments of the American population wore overalls:
farmers
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...
,
miners,
loggers, and
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
workers.
They were most commonly worn by men and boys in the
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
and
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
. They can be seen in many of
Walker Evans
Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans' work from ...
's photographs.
Modern history
Bib overalls (in different colors and textiles) became popular garments among American youth, from the 1960s onward.
In the 21st century, overalls have evolved into high-fashion garments. Designers such as
Stella McCartney feature them in ready-to-wear collections for men, women, and children. McCartney's children's overalls sell for as much as $138.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...
sells overalls for as much as $1,080.
Brands
Lee's and Levi Strauss & Co. were not the only companies making overalls in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
* One of the oldest brands of overalls,
OshKosh B'gosh, founded in 1895 in Wisconsin, specialized in hickory-stripe (blue-and-white stripe) bib overalls. The company produced bib overalls for children in the late 1960s.
* Larned, Carter & Co., from
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, called themselves the "World's Greatest Overall Makers". They marketed their products as uniforms for railroad workers.
* One of the biggest overall manufacturers was Blue Bell, which began in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
in 1904. It was popular among railroad workers.
* Jellico Clothing Manufacturing Co., later renamed Big Ben, was a major competitor of Blue Bell. Big Ben bought Blue Bell in 1926 and continued under the name Blue Bell.
Blue Bell then bought the overalls company Casey Jones.
Garments adapted from overalls
Shortalls (a contraction of the words "short" and "overalls") are overalls adapted so the part of the garment below the waist is
shorts.
Salopettes
Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed t ...
is the French word for bib-and-brace overalls. The word is used in English for a similar garment to overalls worn for
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...
,
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
,
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
, and other heavy-duty activities. They are made of wind-and-waterproof trousers, traditionally with a high waist reaching to the chest and held up by adjustable shoulder braces.
Historically, military "overalls" were loose garments worn in the 18th and early 19th centuries over soldiers' breeches and gaiters when on active service or in barracks. After 1823, the term was replaced by "trousers" in British Army documents, but it survives to the present day in reference to the tight-fitting garments strapped under the instep, worn as part of the
mess dress
Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
and
full dress
Western dress codes are a set of dress codes detailing what clothes are worn for what occasion. Conversely, since most cultures have intuitively applied some level equivalent to the more formal Western dress code traditions, these dress codes a ...
uniforms of cavalry regiments.
References
External links
{{Use mdy dates, date=March 2018
Safety clothing
1890s fashion
20th-century fashion
21st-century fashion
Trousers and shorts