To be praised as a good host has always been a fabulous compliment. With those two words, you are told you have a well-presented home, are a dab hand at cooking and possess a sense for people: who to sit together, when to let the conversation linger, or how to distract your guests with a well-timed cocktail.
Hosting used to happen behind closed doors, but today our consumption of online content means the simple act of gathering around a dining table has taken on new airs. From sharing snaps of our tablescaping efforts to YouTube channels dedicated to swapping tips, new generations of hosts are bringing a fresh enthusiasm to this ancient art.
Perhaps this is what sparked a sudden excitement for aprons. Yes, the humble apron, worn by our grandmothers to keep a Sunday roast from dirtying her clothes, has become a talking point. It started last autumn, when Alexa Chung playfully donned Miu Miu’s apron dress to Paris Fashion Week. Unmistakably a pinny, fashion critiques mused that it was the new slip, but fashion and lifestyle brands have now followed suit, reimagining this traditional garm with inspirations rooted in the kitchen.
Is it anti-feminist to tempt women into wearing aprons as fashion pieces? While the subject, which has been discussed in op-eds online, feels subjective, Léa Zana, founder of French homewares brand Vaisselle says, for her, it’s not. ‘I am originally a fashion girl,’ she explains, sharing that she studied haute couture at university, grew up with a fabric dealer father and learned to sew on her grandmother’s Singer machine.
‘My grandmother grew up in France during WW2 and learned to make daily rituals feel special by setting the table and wearing matching outfits to the plates, tablecloths and flowers, building a whole world when entertaining the family. She owned lots of aprons for cooking, hosting, gardening…it was simply an accessory she would throw on like another pair of earrings.’
The Vaisselle ‘Goldie Apron’ directly references Léa’s grandmother’s style. ‘The design features utility pockets with a feminine ruffle and I’ve collaborated with Cressida Jamieson on embroidery. Most of my grandmother’s clothes were made by the village seamstress and had her initials embroidered (like a wedding “trousseau”) so it was the perfect excuse to ask Cressida to join,’ Léa continues. How does this translate to the now? Léa believes that current day struggles have also inspired many of us to find the joy in hosting: ‘I believe that since the boom of entertaining at home during Covid, hostingwear became the natural extension. We also terribly need escapism; setting the table and “dressing the part” is a way to easily romanticize the day-to-day.’
Other independent brands have felt similarly inspired, including Amsterdam-based Oury Home who have looked to rustic, rural scenes to influence their collection of wicker baskets, embroidery anglaise scarves and cotton aprons. Founder Valeria Zagalets says that her designs are a reaction to seeing the beauty in the everyday, enjoying the rituals that we often forget about. ‘There are things we’re used to reaching for without even thinking about it, and an apron is one of them,’ she says. ‘I use mine during quiet mornings in the kitchen, making breakfast or tidying up, perhaps working in the garden or arranging flowers. What we believe is that essentials deserve the same attention as the objects we reserve for special occasions, with hopes of returning to a time when even a common apron would be carefully constructed.’
In a different vein, NYC-based Gohar World has crafted an entire identity from giving customers unique, eccentric hosting accessories. Their first collection launched with lacy boiled egg covers–and it worked. They sold out almost immediately. Now, six years on, Gohar World is celebrated for its products like adult bibs, baguette bags (yes, a bag to hold your baguette in) and, of course, an array of decorative aprons. In fact, they even stock an apron for champagne bottles, complete with a little neck tie. You don’t have to go as far as tying on a $138 hand-sewn bib for grown-ups to enjoy this joyful trend. Make like Alexa and wear your apron as a dress, lean into a farmhouse feel and wrap a linen panel around your jeans or save your pinny for special occasions to show your guests you really are the hostess with the mostess.
