Overalls—Do They Work For You?

Come spring, the jumpsuit will be facing some tough competition from overalls. The utilitarian standbys got a makeover on the catwalks, with Ralph Lauren leading the way. The designer showed both beat-up denim versions and a glam satin style for after-dark, and he wasn’t the only one to sex up the look from its pedestrian origins. Altuzarra’s suede shortalls, for example, are definitely not meant for working on the railroad.

So what’s the appeal? “I’ve always loved overalls because they are a uniform,” Jean Paul Gaultier explains. “And being true to myself, I love making something different out of them—cutting them in Levi’s denim but with a conical bra. I love to subvert a classic.”