The nostalgic charm of a VINTAGE APRON ... offers a huge connection to the past for anyone who ever ran home from
school and straight to the kitchen to see what smelled so good all the way from
the front gate. This fast-growing collecting trend is part of the popular draw
to all things kitschy and a fine example of the ‘tacky’ to some, ‘treasures’ to
others collectibles popping up in vintage shops everywhere. Antique linens in
general, including vintage aprons, are just one of the many ‘hot’ items tugging
at the apron-strings of collectors hearts everywhere.
The item always
home made with love and featured fabrics, colours and styles as varied as the
women who stitched them. The most popular collectible style being the near new
or never worn examples sporting lovely hand work, embroidery, exquisite sheer
fabric and heritage laces and worn only on the best of occasions for the finest
of entertaining. The less than refined examples are no less of a draw and the
trims of bright contrasting colourful fifties-era trims and rick-rack zigzag
bring a charm to the simple utilitarian item. Another popular style is the
reversible aprons sporting a bright floral and matching plain trimmed pocket on
one side and when flipped over offer the opposite in a plain apron with the
bright floral featured in the pocket. This style offered the style conscious
hostess a quick turn-around to a fresh look after cooking but just before
serving the meal.
Mother size aprons
with a matching young daughter-size twins are a special treasure as are the
Christmas themed aprons often holding their original starching too special to
even wear. The bridge playing set had a look all to itself with lovely handwork
featuring black and red aces, spades, hearts and diamond are another hot
commodity. The keen eyed collector may
even find the apron matching hand-worked linen napkins and card table cloth
with tie-down corners to complete the well-heeled hostesses’ afternoon luncheonette
and weekly card game.
The gingham aprons
are always a crowd pleaser and boast popular hand cross-stitched borders and
waistbands and pockets trimmed in a contrasting colour. Many also feature
lovely full round hems and smocking delicately stitched into the cinched
waistbands.
Most women have a
draw to the aprons, not only because they grew up always entering a cooking
underway kitchen wearing one style or another, but also fondly remember their
first school sewing project and making their own personal apron touting their
handwork talents.
As a collector one
might still find these gems in thrift shops, although as the popularity
increases, they are getting harder and harder to find. In the vintage and
antique shops expect to pay from $10. to as high as $60. or even $80 dollars
for a prime example of hand work and finery. Once a collection is started it
rarely stops at one or two as each style, each print, each trim, brings back a
fond memory of an era when the kitchen always smelled wonderful and the apron
of the day always reflected the occasions, the season or the talents of the
cook. Vintage aprons are a deliciously appealing item to collect.
