The Workers

Thank you all so very much for the kind words of support, it really did mean a lot. I had to go into hospital for treatment, which probably all looked rather more dramatic than it actually was. Thankfully it went well, and I shall hopefully be able to visit all of your wonderful blogs soon.

I was recently watching a rather interesting documentary on the industrial market during the first half of the twentienth century. Upon the crash of the world markets, the Great Depression saw the unemployed and poverty-stricken masses migrating in order to find even the most basic means of survival. The factory workers who managed to retain employment were fortunate enough to be able to support their families during those harsh times. It is odd to think that it took such tragic events to reduce the great economic woes of America and Europe. Indeed, rather conversely, it was the dire functional needs of World War Two that helped improve the markets and promote the growth of industry once again.

As the various historians and economists explained the situations and documented accounts, I was particularly taken by the footage and photographs of the actual workers of the time. I managed to find the beautiful colour images above, courtesy of The Library of Congress, from the FSA and OWI digital collection. What fascinates me so greatly, are the clothing and uniforms that the workers wore, and indeed, how smart the workers looked in comparison to their modern day contemporaries.

The most important fuction of each garment was undoubtedly that of practicality - they had to be strong, versatile and easy to craft. As such, the fabric choices had to reflect these needs, resulting in the employment of materials including linens, canvas and roughly combed cottons. The design of each piece was also inherently far smarter than the utilitywear of today, which left me feeling rather nostalgic of that presentability unfortunately lost since.

Following my hospital stay, I had to visit one of my doctors for an appointment, and decided I would try my take on the worker's uniform. Rather than using the rough linens and canvases, I opted for finer fabrics in order to give a more personal ready-to-wear feel to my look. I also tried to keep my colour palette solely to the varying hues of blue, of the uniforms.

Along with a light blue shirt, I opted to wear a grey sweater and woven navy tie. I used the tie to add a smarter feel to the more practical side of the utilitywear, and as such also decided to use a woven, as opposed to a silk or fine combed cotton tie. Atop of this I wore my finely stiped, blue and white cotton jacket, along with a white cotton pocketsquare. I noted that these stripes were a common finish to many of the industrial uniforms, and indeed evidence of this can be seen above. Continuing with my theme, I wore a pair of unfinished navy trousers with my Doc Marten boots giving a more workwear inspired feel. Using the concept of workwear, I tried to keep a far more personal feel to my outfit, as opposed to the strict uniformity of my inspiration.


Currently playing: Nocturne, Op.27 No.2 - Frederic Chopin

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