ME AND MY DUNGAREES

Hello everyone,

How are you keeping?  Are you well stocked with food and activities that will help to see you through this madness and come out on the other side unscathed?

Although you have seen me wearing these dungarees on Instagram, thank you for your "likes" and comments, but I didn't actually publicise them on my blog.  Then I thought that while the most of us are in a locked home without much to do, why not open a discussion to find your opinion about whether women of a certain vintage, like myself, should wear dungarees in public?

This past summer the dungarees were hugely popular in Australia among young and not so young women and I thought they look cute but I never contemplated the thought of going into a shop and buying a pair for myself.  Somewhere in my head I always associated them with Tom Sawyer's look, a cheeky little boy the adventures of whom were so hilariously written about by the great American writer, Mark Twain.

I did a little research about the origin of dungarees and here is an interesting fact:  the first mention of dungaree occurred in the 17th century and it was referred to a cheap, thick, coarse cloth, usually coloured blue or white and "worn by impoverished people in what was then a region of Bombay, India a dockside village called Dongri. Hindi name of this cloth was “dungri”. Dungri was exported to England and used for manufacturing of cheap, robust working clothes. English began to call “dungri” cloth a little differently, and it became “dungaree”. Everyone who needed clothes for hard work that would not tear after a short time, from workers to slaves, began to wear dungarees".

Who would've thought that 400 years later they would become a fashion statement?  I bought mine in Cape Town last year on a total whim.  My husband and I were in the CBD for business and on our way back to the car passed a nice looking shop called "Just Cruizin".  A quick look through the big store window confirmed my first impression about it and we pressed the buzzer, which is a common practice in South Africa, to let us in.  As it happened, a sales assistant, nice lady of a similar age to mine, was wearing a pair of dungarees in deep indigo. She was all smiles and very helpful and when I asked how she feels about them, she just smiled and said "Fantastic".  

It was then that I decided to give them a try.  I normally don't like baggy shapeless garments, even my casual clothes have to be well constructed but when I put the dungarees on, I felt liberated like I had not a care in the world.  Looking around the shop, I noticed that all the garments were made of high quality cotton but cost far less then the price that I would pay for it in Sydney so I continued shopping.  A blue wrap-around blouse, a pair of earrings and a cocktail ring and a pair of dungarees, of course, all found their way into my shopping bag.

The first occasion that I wore my new dungarees came the next day, when my husband and I took a drive to Stellenbosch, a picturesque small town just about 40 minutes drive from Cape Town surrounded by beautiful vineyards and the mountains nature reserved.  Our destination was Vergenoegd Wine Estate, well known not only for their wines but also for the daily parade of over 2,000 Indian Ducks that is well know all over South Africa and attracts a lot of visitors.  

They called Runner Ducks because they stand upright like penguins and instead of waddling, the ducks run.  The show takes place three times daily and it was a lot of fun watching those ducks, running along the path, aided by the vineyard's staff.  I was pleased that I was dressed for the occasion 😎

Back in Sydney, I grew to like my dungarees so much that they become my "go to" casual outfit.  I saw some girls wear them with just a small tank top underneath but you have to draw the line somewhere and that's where I drew mine.   My two most favourite ways to wear them is either with a plain white t-shirt or with white and dark navy stripes top and a pair of sneakers.

Here is my question to you my dear friends:  "Would you wear a pair of dungarees and if not, what would be the reason"?

Please share your thoughts

Until then

Anna

xoxo