Comments on: Return of the Apron

By: Grace

Grace — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:05:59 +0000

I find all the attention given to aprons and the wearing of aprons quite bizzar. I don’t think any other garment (unless possibably a burka)inspires as much discussion as aprons do. For myself (and both daughters) aprons are just something we wear to protect our dresses. Our dresses and skirts being long, (mainly ankle lenght), we wear long full aprons. Our aprons are put on in the morning and worn all day. At home cooking and doing housework or at work our aprons protect our dresses which is what aprons are for. I think all the hype women invent to rationalise to themselves reasons why they should wear an apron is just that… Hype…. Links to the past, a vintage feeling, family nostalgia, Grans’ favorite apron etc. etc. are all reasons women use to legitimise wearing their apron, when they should just say I wear it because it keeps my dress clean. I think one reason women stopped wearing aprons as a “matter of fact” was that they stopped dressing like women (insert ladies} and swapped their pretty floral dress for a lewed tee shirt and intentionaly ripped jeans, at least in the home.
Our choice of apron.
http://ameliasaprons.com/wp-content/uploads/wpsc/product_images/edwardian_front.gif

Thanks for letting me on my soapbox.

Grace.

By: Jennie Schaeffer

Jennie Schaeffer — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:35:55 +0000

Lisa I think we’re on the same wavelength! I started painting pictures of vintage appliances when I got married 5 years ago and am now venturing into aprons as well. I have quite a collection from my husband’s grandmother, actually made by her in the 30s, 40s and 50s. At the moment I can’t say I don a lot of aprons, since I don’t cook much owning a business and having an 18-month old to tend to. But, slowly as he becomes more independent, I’m finding it easier to make a more nutritious dinner. I think the apron revival of today is a symbol of women wanting to do it all – desire to look good, feel good, and fulfill oneself with home-cooked healthy food and career. Thanks for writing this! I’ll be checking into your links and reading further.

By: ELee

ELee — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:41:12 +0000

I have not learned the art of cooking “neatly.” It is generally done with abandon. When I cook and especially when I bake, it looks like something exploded in my kitchen. The apron serves to save on clothing bills. As such, though I have a cute, frilly apron, I leave it in the drawer and wear one of “those canvas unisex ones.”

By: Judy Martin

Judy Martin — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:27:22 +0000

I have a great photo in my scrapbook of my husband cooking dinner wearing nothing but an apron!

By: Kathleen Christensen

Kathleen Christensen — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:33:43 +0000

I was laughing the other day when I found myself washing dishes in my grandmother’s apron with an old Doors record playing on the stereo. I haven’t stopped wearing an apron since I learned to cook and clean as a child in the 1960s, despite considering myself a feminist. Someone has to prepare food and clean the house, right? I can do it with more abandon when I have an apron on over my clothes.

By: Anny Wohn

Anny Wohn — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:02:00 +0000

As a pastry chef who wears an apron professionally, I see the new trend in aprons as a fashion statement rather than as a threat to feminism. While I loved to eat and appreciated the culture and history of food, I did not learn to cook or bake while growing up because my mother’s generation struggled hard with gender equality issues, and thus, I viewed domestic work as anti-feminist. I chose male-dominated careers such as neuroscience and architecture along the way, and only began to cook as a way to become self-sufficient. I love that people–male and female–are embracing food and cooking more than ever, and I applaud that there are designers who can elevate this utilitarian object into a fun, fashionable and colorful accessory to wear while doing rather mundane tasks.

By: Tinky

Tinky — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:58:05 +0000

Shelly’s got it. Men wear them, too. I’m much too sloppy a cook to do anything in the kitchen without an apron; in fact, I wear one a lot around the house in general. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure where this “revival” thing came in. I’ve been wearing aprons for years. Enjoy yours, Lisa; it’s fun and useful.

By the way, I am SO jealous of the turquoise stove. My favorite apartment ever had appliances of that color and vintage.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:06:24 +0000

It’s just an apron! I find some great ones in the thrift stores. My grandkids think I look like the “cooker” when I wear one!

By: naugesque

naugesque — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:24:48 +0000

I like aprons because I like to cook (potentially) messy food and keep the splattering curry off of my clothes. I had to be offered an apron repeatedly to get it, because it seemed easier to go without.
One good thing about the new re-emphasis on aprons is the variety of styles available, so that I don’t have to wear ruffles and my friend of ample bosom can find one that covers instead of flossing.

By: Shelly

Shelly — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:44:24 +0000

I agree with you, Lisa. I think it aprons are great way to keep your clothes clean while cooking. I don’t feel as if I am making a political statement when I don one. Nor does my husband.

By: Shannon Drury

Shannon Drury — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:28:58 +0000

Thanks for the shout-out. I still think that the third-wave interest in domesticity is linked to the desire to have your cake and eat it too (pun very much intended). Second wave feminism, whether by design or accident, presented work and home as opposites. Newer waves of feminists are keener to avoid either/or, good/bad dualities, which I think is a good thing.

Speaking of Good Things, I love your kitchen. LOVE IT!