Apron

However, other types of aprons may be worn as a decoration, for hygienic reasons, as part of a uniform, or as protection from certain dangers such as acid, allergens or excessive heat.

The bib apron's humble beginnings began when people used scraps of fabric to make a bib-like covering that slipped over the neck and tied at the back.

The term apron also refers to an item of clerical clothing, now largely obsolete, worn by Anglican bishops and archdeacons.

The clerical apron resembles a short cassock reaching just above the knee, and is colored black for archdeacons and purple for bishops.

The history behind the vesture is that it symbolically represents the mobility of bishops and archdeacons, who at one time would ride horses to visit various parts of a diocese or archdeaconry.

Cheaper clothes and washing machines made aprons less common beginning in the mid-1960s in some countries such as the United States.

Today, the apron has enjoyed a minor renaissance in terms of both women and men now wearing them when performing household chores.

For instance, an article in The Wall Street Journal claimed in 2005 that the apron is "enjoying a renaissance as a retro-chic fashion accessory" in the United States.

However, prevailing social norms ensure that women frequently wear more delicate clothing, and may therefore be more likely to want the protection an apron offers.

Since fabric was precious in the medieval and Renaissance eras, aprons then were little more than scraps of material tied around the waist with the intent of protecting the valuable clothing underneath.

The Union of the Grand Lodge of England between the Ancient and Modern branches of English Freemasonry in 1813 brought into many effect many changes in dress and ritual which still prevail to this day.

Scottish lodges each have their individual right to choose the design, colour and shape of their aprons; some employ a tartan, while many others have a circular rather than a triangular flap.

[9] Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion wore leather aprons as part of their ceremonial dress as early as the 18th century.

Well-to-do women favored long dresses often with detachable sleeves, and to keep their expensive gowns clean, they wore washable aprons or overdresses in a range of embellishments and materials.

This sparked the Puritan look of a white apron covering a long black dress that reached from a woman's neck to her toes.

[10] In contemporary South Africa, young women wear beaded aprons to celebrate their coming of age.

[1] Monuments and wall paintings in Ancient Egypt depict a triangular-shaped apron with the point upward when the wearer is taking part in some kind of ceremony of initiation.

Upscale American women in the 18th century wore embroidered aprons that sometimes dipped at the front of the waist (so as to not obscure the bodice of a gown).

"[12] The maid's clothing was meant to follow the fashion trends of the time while also representing her employer's class status and wealth.

[13] Some aprons had lace, embroidery or pleating work on them to add a bit of sophistication if they were servants who regularly appeared in front of house guests.

[14] Wealthy housewives of the time were also expected to show off their family's status in society and their commitment to the domestic life.

"[17] The elegant and colorful apron was also a symbol that a woman had the funds to be swindled by travelling merchants into purchasing "a gaudy ribbon or shining pair scissors.

[20] They are out shopping in a market and through the appearance of their stylish aprons, they are exhibiting their upper-middle class status as well as their ties to female domesticity.

Women working outside the home wore whatever protective garments their jobs required, including coveralls, smocks, or aprons.

[8] Magazines from the 1940s and 50s feature apron-adorned women in nearly every advertisement that is related to housework or cooking, including those for irons, kitchen appliances, and food products.

The 1950s brought out the half-aprons of highly starched cotton, feedsack,[dubious – discuss] and for special occasions sheer fabric trimmed with lace.

She made aprons out of remnants, extra kitchen curtains, dish towels, handkerchiefs, and flour sacks.

Husbands in the 1950s often sported bib aprons for barbecues on the weekends,[10] often with written statements about Dad's grilling talents.

[1] Today there is no negative social stigma associated with doing one's own chores (e.g. cooking, cleaning) or pursuing messy hobbies or careers (e.g. styling, gardening, painting) [original research?