It’s a fashion breakthrough this big only comes around once in a century, and by once, I mean, like every couple years.
There’s nothing more fashionable than the jumpsuit, right?
Right?
I’ll just assume you nodded and pumped your fists in the air when I said that.
The team at Quartz this week wrote about the fascinating and unlikely history of the garment that got its name because it was the outfit of choice for people jumping out of airplanes.
And an important part of that history took place a century ago in Italy.
In 1919, the Italian artist Thayaht proposed a one-piece garment with buttons down the front as the next big thing in fashion.
He called it the TuTa, which had a double meaning.
It reflected the T-shape Thayaht saw in this new outfit; also, the word “tutta” in Italian means “all.”
He thought it was an outfit everyone could afford to wear.
That’s not quite how it was received.
Instead, Thayaht’s Tuta won acclaim in high fashion circles, and over the last century, we’ve seen jumpsuits show up time and time again in the works of the most influential designers.
We’ve also seen some designers make variations of the jumpsuit and suggest that, once again, in the future everyone will wear these.
Which we kind of already do.
The jumpsuit is both a recurring theme in top fashion, while also serving as the outfit of choice for many workers (think of Carhartts and Dickies).
What other outfit is so versatile you can connect with everyone from Rosie the Riveter, Evel Knievel, Amelia Earhart, David Bowie and the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000?
And if you noticed one iconic name missing from my list of the famous and be-jumpsuited, never fear, we know there’s no jumpsuit like an Elvis jumpsuit.
Quartz noted that one of the King’s suits, the white peacock-themed one, sold at auction in 2008 for a record $300,000.
Maybe they should’ve waited to make that particular purchase, because the apparel company GearHuman is selling an Elvis jumpsuit-style HOODIE for a mere $49.
Ok, it’s not technically a jumpsuit, but when you walk past Graceland wearing that thing, do you think people are going to complain?
Jumpsuits (Quartz)
Elvis Hoodie (GearHuman)
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Elvis Presley jumpsuit photo by Terry Ballard via Flickr/Creative Commons