Blue Lace New York & Company Romper with Pointed White Bow Shoes (17996476273)

A romper suit, usually shortened to romper, is a one-piece or two-piece combination of shorts and a shirt. It is also known as a playsuit. Its generally short sleeves and pant-legs contrast with the long ones of the adult

jumpsuit A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachuters. The original skydivers' jumpsuits wer ...

History

Rompers appeared in the United States of America in the early 1900s. They were popular as playwear for younger children because people thought they were ideal for movement as they could be so easily morphed between a one-piece and a two-piece. Rompers were in many ways the first modern casual clothes for children. They were light and loose fitting, a major change from the much more restrictive clothing children wore during the 19th-century Victorian era. Styles and conventions varied from country to country. In France they were, for many years, only for boys. While primarily a play garment, some French children wore dressy rompers. Their popularity peaked in the 1950s when they were used by children as playwear and by women as leisure—and beachwear. Thereafter the garment has continued to be used by infants and

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 12 to 36 months old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "to toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, like a child ...

s; however, it has become less common among older

girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

s and

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

, although never disappearing entirely. Starting in the late 2010s the romper dress, and romper with shorts have returned in fashion to all ages from kids to tween, teen, college and above ages.

Adult fashion

While rompers had been popular among women in the 1950s, they re-emerged in the 1970s as a fashion for adult women. In the 1970s rompers were usually a casual garment made of

terrycloth Terrycloth, terry cloth, terry cotton, terry toweling, terry, terry towel, or simply toweling is a fabric woven with many protruding loops of thread which can absorb large amounts of water. It can be manufactured by weaving or knitting. Terryclo ...

, and often in a

tube top A tube top, colloquially known in the UK as a boob tube, is a shoulderless, sleeveless women's garment that wraps around the upper torso. It is generally tight over the breasts, and usually uses elastic bands at its top and bottom to prevent it fr ...

style. They were common in the 1980s in a wider variety of materials such as

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

y fabrics for evening wear. Since 2006, rompers have enjoyed a minor renaissance as a fashionable garment for women. Though much less common, rompers for men have been produced. Several designers have presented collections including romper suits and they are offered by many retailers. Designers include Deborah Sweeney and Juliette Hogan. In the 2010s the "sleep romper" for women gained popularity, being similar in style to the teddy, but with the appearance of shorts. In 2017, the Male Romper was originally showcased in Milan, Italy. It is a romper for men and is sometimes referred to as a "romphim".

References

External links

"Romper boom: I see Anna, and Blake, and Dita..."
in ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

''
"French rompers / barboteuse"
on Historical Boys Clothing website {{Clothing Children's clothing One-piece suits Infants' clothing 20th-century fashion 21st-century fashion

History

Adult fashion

See also

References

External links