No I'm not about to start making a case for braces, frankly they creep me out and I can't shirk the TGIF's association - I love a badge but the birthday song and fake smiles have irrevocably tainted the trouser holder-uppers. Anyway, back to it, I've written about dungarees before and their use as a visual signifier of sadness in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series. Buffy is now over, yet the dungarees are still holding fort and with everyone coming over all Penny Lane (as in embracing 70's fashion, not shagging rockstars, although whatever your fancy...) it seems apt to do a little style guide of the revamped chic dungarees.
Firstly however, I want to address the fedora clad elephant in the room. Dungarees have such a bad rep, case in point Boyfriend and his resistance to them. Now I would understand if I was forcing him at stiletto point to wear them himself - just to clarify, I wasn't. By a matter of fate, or bad luck or whatever, he happened to be my shopping partner and I merely asked his opinion as to whether or not he thought I could pull dungarees off. His response, "Do people even wear those nowadays?" The rest was just blah, blah, blah but it ended with an expletive, just to emphasise his distaste. We left minus the dungarees but they remained etched into my mind. Days (and a few imagined outfits) later, the stars aligned and by that I mean that H&M was offering 20% student discount and my sister happens to be a student.
One swipe of the card later and they were officially mine, in my actual possession and I knew precisely who the first person I wanted to see whilst wearing them was: Boyfriend. I paired them with a plain white tee for their first outing and sauntered on over to Mr 'so over the overalls'. However, I can't say that I single handedly changed his opinion on the dungarees - apparently he'd seen others that had helped with the swayage - yet I felt triumphant, jubilant even. These were good trousers dammit! Their bib like front meant that I could re-wear tops even if I'd previously split on them - laundry is such a drag after all - plus their straps prevent a revival of the early aughts, jewel encrusted thong flash from ever rearing its ugly, er, arse again.
I later wore them to the cinema (because they're appropriate for all manner of exciting social activities, apart from anything that involves hasty removal of clothing...) and found that the chest pocket was in a prime position for sneaky phone checks and stashing popcorn - just remember to empty it before leaving the darkness to avoid weird lumps and inquisitive stares.
My top 5 tips to harnessing the trend:
1/ Always wear a top underneath, I'd like to think that this one is a given but perhaps not. Think Alexa Chung not Pam Anderson in some porno hill billy sketch.
2/ Straps up not swinging down around your thighs. This is just a personal preference but in my opinion the only thing that should be hanging low are the jaws of onlookers as they see how good you look.
3/ Don't force others to embrace the lewk, it's not for everyone, plus it leaves more choice for you, which, hello! is always a good thing.
4/ Always, always empty your bladder before putting the dungarees on. This is even more imperative during the winter months, when layers are unavoidably thrown into the mix.
5/ Opt for a dungaree dress rather than dungaree shorts. Again this is purely personal preference but a skirt is far more forgiving than shorts, coupled with the fact that the bib-like front may add some bulk around the middle (dependent on fit). I'm all for trends, but you want to look good whilst embracing them don't you?
Et voila! And you don't have to feign a baby bump or keep a bunny in your pocket to wear them. Bet Cara Delevingne wishes she'd read this blog before she made those rookie mistakes eh?!
(Images via: manrepeller.com, my own picture & fashion.telegraph.co.uk)
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