An Education
Dungarees are many things to many people. As a general rule of thumb, if you can remember things ‘the first time round’ then you’re probably too old to wear them now. Seeing as women first started wearing dungarees during the Second World War, in this case, it’s especially true.
After this, we can roughly trace the history of the dungaree from the likes of a cool young Patti Smith pretty much wearing them constantly in the ’70s, to a Neighbours-era mechanic Kylie getting jacking oil all over hers in the ’80s. Without question, Jordan from New Kids on the Block took the bib-wearing crown in the ’90s.
Shortly after, it was decided that Jordan wasn’t hot anymore so we tried to ignore dungarees (and the Appletons) for least a decade before the revival gathered pace.
Dungarees right now
Affirmation of this revival was all over the S/S’12 shows. Danielle Scutt, Jean Paul Gaultier, Ralph Lauren; quite simply, you’re in good sartorial company with a bit of pinafore stuck to the front of your trousers. Actually pulling off the look if you’re not a size zero child with pink hair, aka the typical S/S’12 model, is more of a grey area…
Recent sleb wearers of dungarees are a fair indication how much of a twat you can make of yourself. Alexa looking good, Cher Lloyd looking bad and Courtney Love looking mad, all have had various levels of success. What can tips can we take from the top then, if we’re trying to ride this trend wave without looking like dumpy assexual loons?
Get on that bloody bandwagon
Dungarees are a youth trend. There is no escaping it. Literally, kids that are 6 months old wear them. Worst case scenario; Imagine the star of your typical horror film approaching a cute looking pinafore-clad ‘kid’ from behind in a dreamlike state. What do you think happens next? The kid turns round, all old, hagged and Aphex-twin like. The film could be called ‘when (short) adults wear dungarees.’
Accept this weird fact (that we’re dressing like frightening babies from a B-movie) you’re free to be on trend. Remember to keep the rest of the look young to keep confusion to a minimum. Even for a poor soul as raisin-faced as Anna Della Russo there may be hope, just team with stripper shoes or a bunch of cherries on your head to show you’re down with ‘playful’ dressing; it’s all a big joke right? We have a sense of humour.
With this in mind, ultimately whether you look like a tit or not is obviously irrelevant. It’s fashion kids! Try with heels, hoodies and a screwed up face. You’ll look ‘in the know’ to an inner circle of fashion peeps who all dress like they’re in arrested development.
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