On Bib Overalls Archives - Page 4 of 4

November 21, 2021

Gap, with stripes (or, New to the Collection)

Back in the 90s, The Gap (along with everyone else) made some really nice overalls. I still have some from that period, and they are now officially Vintage.

Maybe you wouldn’t have expected it, but Gap’s overalls from that period were actually pretty well made. They used denim of decent thickness and good quality hardware in the buckles (cheap buckles breaking is a thing, unfortunately), and they included standard details like hammer loops and side pockets on the legs. The bib pockets are large and functional, even if I generally don’t tend to keep things in my bib pocket. These are some favorite overalls of mine, so I have a saved search for them on eBay, if I ever spot pairs at decent prices. As time goes by the ones I like, in my size, show up less and less frequently, and the prices are higher and higher, but you never know. So I keep an eye out.

And then a listing caught my eye, and I couldn’t believe it. I had no idea, but back then Gap didn’t just make those overalls in blue denim; they had Hickory-striped pairs too! This I never knew. Hickory stripes have always been the also-ran in the overalls department, but I love the way they look. (Hey, Carhartt! You make Hickory striped overalls for women, so get a men’s version out there!) So I anguished a bit over these when the listing popped up, because the seller wanted a little more than I really wanted to pay, and because they are one size bigger than I really want. (I am not as big as I used to be, and I continue heading in the right direction: just yesterday I had a doctor visit that confirmed I’ve ditched eight pounds since my last visit several months ago. Huzzah!)

Ultimately I concluded that I couldn’t pass these up, so I grabbed them with the thought that I’ll just make sure to wear them under multiple layers. Especially multiple poofy layers. Like, a mock turtleneck and a nice warm sweater.

By the way, it continues to be obvious to me that a greyhound is an outstanding fashion accessory.

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November 1, 2021

Sir Cottagecore meets Monsieur Village Cooper: Realizing my New Aesthetic

At some point last year a Facebook ad appeared in my feed for Renaissance-festival style shirts. I saw them, thought, “Wow, I’d like one of those!”, and I bought one.

Renfest shirt, with overalls — Cool shirt! Note the steampunk watch around my neck.

And then I waited…and waited…and waited. Took forever, to the point where I figured I’d been scammed. But no: it just took, well, forever! The shirt came, and I loved it.

Flash forward to this year, when I decided to buy another one, when I saw a different ad. However, this time instead of just pulling the trigger on the spot, I actually threw the question out into FB and the Twitterverse, because I actually know some people who know stuff about Renfest clothing and whatnot. The verdict was pretty unanimous: do not buy the stuff from some random FB ad. There are plenty of reputable dealers of Renfest-style clothing online. After fielding some references, I ordered a shirt from Renstore.com.

In typical fashion, my thinking was to get a white shirt to go with my black (well, charcoal gray) one. In also typical fashion, I ended up ignoring my initial wish for a white shirt and bought a blue one instead. This I ended up wearing on our yearly Ithaca jaunt, and I like the way that shirt looks so much that a couple weeks ago I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the white one.

Is this a bit on the eclectic side? You bet it is…but hey. I think I’m just about at the point in life where the outside world gets zero vote here. If I want to look like a strange blend of cottagecore-meets-Julien-the-local-barrelmaker, well, that’s just what I’m going to do.

This might well be my favorite look now.

By the way: that pair of overalls? That’s the pair I’ve owned the longest. I bought those in 1994 or 1995, not long after I got the job at Pizza Hut that…well, no, it wasn’t a great job and I should have done something else with my time, but I also don’t regret the lessons I learned while working that job. But anyway, even though I have since loaded my collection with a lot of pairs of vintage overalls (some of which are soon to be featured in this space!), there’s something to be said for buying an article of clothing brand new and living with it until it’s vintage. This makes me happy.

Excelsior!

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October 18, 2021October 17, 2021

Duck Season! Wabbit Season! No, it’s–

It's flannel season! — Apologies to Chuck Jones, et al.

Yes, it appears that our most recent stretch of warm days is finally over, which means temperatures in the forecast that don’t break above 60 degrees, and even cooler nights. It’s been a long time coming, folks…I’m even hearing that in what I’m sure will be surprising to absolutely nobody, this may end up being the warmest October ever, at least in my neck of the woods. On the anniversary this past week of 2006’s “Surprise storm”, in which lake-effect snow pounded Buffalo, wrecking thousands of trees that hadn’t dropped all their leaves yet, we were in shorts because it was 75 out.

But now, it’s finally flannel season! Readers may remember that I wrote last spring about my newfound appreciation for flannel; well, now the time is here. Huzzah!

Flannel and overalls: a classic combination!

Hooray for flannel!

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October 13, 2021October 13, 2021

Recent Adventures in Overalls Nation!!!

Bib tag from Washington Dee Cee overalls

No doubt all of you* have been asking, “Look, dude, all this music writing and book stuff and all is great, but what’s new with your bib overalls collection?!” And I am always one to give the public what it wants**, so here’s something new!

You may remember*** last year, when I acquired a pair of vintage Hickory-striped overalls in the Washington Dee Cee label. I was searching for these for quite a while, because they employ different styling in the bib pocket than most other overalls in my collection.

Well, naturally, if you buy a pair of striped overalls in a new label and style, you’ll be happy…for a while. But then the nagging voice will start whispering in your ear, late at night, when you’re trying to decide which overalls-and-shirt pairing you’re going to wear tomorrow****:

“Sure, the striped pair is great, but you know, you really really REALLY need a pair of the same overalls in the classic blue denim. You NEED them. It’s science!”*****

So, off to eBay I went, whereupon I created a new Saved Search for Washington Dee Cee overalls. There are almost always a few pairs available, because Dee Cee was a popular and common brand back in the “glory days” of bib overalls, but as they are always vintage by definition, they tend to be expensive. But…persistence pays off! I finally scored a pair for a price that wasn’t enough to make you look at me like I’m insane.******

I actually acquired these in July, which is the time of year when I don’t wear overalls much at all, because it’s just too warm. Aside from trying them on when they arrived, I have really only worn them one day, and that was on our annual Ithaca trip a couple of weeks ago. I paired them with another new acquisition, a “Renfest” style shirt. I realize that wearing a shirt like this may put me a bit too close to “Jerry Seinfeld in the pirate shirt” territory, but I figure that now that I’m fifty, I’ve long since reached the point of being able to wear what the hell I want and give zero f*cks about it.

Washington Dee Cee overalls, with blue “renfest” shirt

Same, just...sitting down — Same, just…sitting down

I have to admit, I genuinely like this look. It’s my version of the “cottagecore” thing that’s been popular of late. There’s something, well, me about a Renfest shirt worn under a pair of nicely-worn vintage denim overalls, isn’t there?

Anyway, if it ever gets reliably and seasonably cool around here (as I write this we’re entering a several-day stretch of possible record highs for mid-October, which is not ideal), I look forward to pairing these overalls with some of the new flannel shirts I have around…and I can’t rule out ordering another of these Renfest shirts, maybe in white this time.

And of course, the highest praise has already come. Carla approves of these overalls!

* None of you have been asking this.

** Yeah, this is just a lie.

*** You do not remember this. I do not hold this against you. (OK, I do. A little.)

**** Not kidding! I really do put thought into this. I don’t just roll out of bed, grab a shirt and some overalls, and go about my day. Come on, folks. I’m weird, but I’m not some heathen.

***** Why am I dragging poor science into this? Science has nothing to do with overalls. Sheesh!

****** “Har har, we already look at you like–” Yeah, yeah, I know. You don’t have to say it.