dear doris. can you please tell us how to style overalls without looking like a mechanic?
issue 30 ♡ overalls are the ultimate home improvement outfit or for pretending to do hard yakka
dear doris. can you please tell us how to style vintage overalls and coveralls? i have a pair that fit awesome but i don’t want to look like a mechanic (not that mechanics look bad) love nat. northern rivers, australia.
dear nat
i thought you would never ask. this is a newsletter intended for home and heart, so i felt a little side (ladder) step into a conversation on old skool overalls fits in succinctly into the (tool)box of home improvement wear. if you’re into vintage or just discovering pre-loved — previous issue 6 collecting vintage and ep 2 podcast the joy of collecting vintage or issue 12 on vintage chairs are fun reads.
in part I we tune into the higher self doris to download why personal styling is of importance from a higher perspective to earth bound creatures. in part II we deep dive into dungaree-landia from my styling lens.
part I.
the pieces you are drawn to, that adorn you are a symbiosis of two elements — the wearer and the wearee — the worn. there is a kinetic relationship where the wearer is drawn to an apparel piece or sparkly number and wish to be within it, be one with this, fuse with it, to adopt some kind of personal character. like choosing garments for an avatar — you customise your outfits accordingly to how you feel, want to present to the exterior world and what makes you feel like the character of the avatar. however sometimes clothes are used to mask one’s agenda and you are unable to truly see what lies beneath the cloak (literally).
what you wear is a physical expression of a soul’s individual flair and flamboyancy and fits according to ones general outlook on life. we love what we love, when it comes to customising our external selves, as it gives us a chance to explore and experiment and encourages one out of their tortoise shell even.
some are pretty in pink, others love the dark side of the blues, those who dig leather or linen or elaborate beading or embellishments that tickle their fancy (press) — there are particles of past-lives here at play. your energetic connection to an era, a time gone by, of yesteryear can be like a little string of connection, a thread even to a past (p)article of clothing — one you may have worn, seen, touched before, in a similar (s)ilk.
there is beauty in allowing yourself to be drawn to articles of the ward-robe. allow that pull to guide you in styling and surfacing your past agenda’s and fedora’s and fasteners and fine feathery things that light up your heart and most importantly makes you feel like an amalgamation of a thousand past lives in the present state of being.
part II
overalls were invented in the late 19th century and originally worn by blue collar dudes to do manual labour and to cover-all and protect their clothing. the main purpose of the design was to go literally over all your attire — so you could get grubby and greased up without staining your actual clothes. these days, they are worn by all folks for various rugged reasons and styling seasons and the best kind are always the worn vintage variety. let’s start with the the different degrees of dungarees that are available on our planet and then some suggestions from a stylist lens.
shortalls otherwise known as overalls. these are pretty much a short or cut-off version of the long-legged brother. the key to wearing shortalls is a wide leg so it is super comfy to wear and non-restrictive while you prance around doing hard yakka (or at least pretending to). when wearing overalls for home improvement, throw your hair in a braid or two and your favourite dads cap with a pair of aussie blundstone’s or working boots and you are ready to roll a la’ pamela anderson home improvement daze.
if you are taking this ensemble beyond the fence line then reach for delicate or feminine accessories to offset the masculine cut. during the day, throw them on with your fave sneaks or sandals — with socks if its trans-seasonal. the aim is to balance out the mechanical with pairings that are extremely non laborious and impractical — a floral, linen, silk or white vintage blouse would suffice — particularly with puffy sleeves or frivolous cuffs. the bigger the contrast, the more linda mccartney artist off-duty gardening mum feels.
overalls otherwise known as dungarees. they are full length and generally made from hardy canvas or denim. to avoid the greasy garage association, add layers of gold or silver jewellery — the more dangly and inappropriate for manual labour the better. however if you are feeling low-key, neutral and casual — opt for a plain white or stripe tee to steer into the artist / designer on-duty kind of feels. the key to this is a very well worn and washed out tee — also the more fitted the cut, the less grease monkey.
if you feel comfortable leaning into the local mechanic look, then choose a loose, washed tee or ribbed singlet (or steal one from your partner or old man’s wardrobe) and layer under your dungarees of choice. add neckerchief or bandana around the neck for good measure and roll up your sleeves to show off your hard working forearms. add a fresh sock and worn work boots. a deliberate stylized play on the mechanic is always a fun idea.
coveralls otherwise known as a boiler suit. this full length suit has variations in long and short sleeve varieties. they have a more fancy feel to them — like the dinner suit of overalls. they are often found in artists wardrobes or as creatives workwear. contrast and contradict the suit by mixing up with feminine pieces and a soft palette. mix pastels and pinks and warm tones with the hardy canvas — usually industrial tones of navy, stone, khaki and forrest green.
the best classic brands and deadstock overalls are american and generally usa made — including big smith, roundhouse, dee cee, pointer, liberty, carhartt and osh kosh — possibly the most well known brand for overalls, particularly in the vintage kids market. they are renowned for their engineer stripe or hickory stripe that were originally worn by american railroad workers. aussie workwear staples include hard yakka or its early incarnation as yakka and kinggee.
the best vintage workwear style overalls are arguably from the fifties to sixties era. the shapes from the seventies are more fitted and flared. from the eighties the legs lend to taper and the hips sit high and the nineties to y2k move into loose, low and long fits.
overalls are particularly good for those days when you wake up and go “f**k, what am i gonna wear today?” and you throw a suit on — job’s done.
if you can find a pair that connects with you on etsy, depop or your local flea market or vintage re-seller, grab them and adjust accordingly. if they are too long — you can cut them to size. if they are oversized — you can wear them loose. if there are holes, you can patch or darn them.
if you’re looking forward to putting on your overalls to good renovating use, previous issues 26 creating a home and issue 23 accent colours or issue 4 interior whites may be of service to you.
i hope we have gone over-all of it here.
big love
dee x
ps. if you not over-all of this — this newsletter does cover-all on what to wear right now: how about a pair of overalls from the lens of
pps. below is a link to my etsy favourites of over 100 pairs of vintage overalls for paid subscribers :)
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