When most people think of overalls, they think of the strange denim jumper worn by an old farmer milking his cow with a straw hat and dirty cowboy boots… or they think of the 90s. But hey, no one ever said it was impossible for a city girl to bring back this classic look. Besides, old styles are constantly coming back: converse high tops, leg warmers, shoulder pads even crazy bell bottom jeans have found their way to Cosmo. So, I guess there’s hope for me.

I defy the fashion police (a.k.a. every teenage girl) every weekend by sporting my very own pair of dark denim overalls, chest pocket and all.

Before you stop reading this and decide I am no longer cool enough to be your friend, let me rewind to last Christmas and explain. For our family Christmas card, my mother thought it would be nice to reenact a picture taken eight years ago of my sisters and me sitting on a log, all sporting our very chic denim overalls (this was a time when they were actually cool for a first grader to wear, I swear). So that’s when the search for overalls that would fit a teenager began, but (perhaps not so surprisingly) no store sells overalls ANYWHERE. That’s how I ended up with a pair bought online for $40.

When I saw them for the first time, I did not expect to wear them ever again in my life—I was even embarrassed to wear them in the park for 10 minutes taking the Christmas picture. But then I realized how useful they really were—with adjustable straps that hold up the pants making it impossible for them to fall down, their usefulness for messy projects, and their importance to people you see painting their picket
fences.

But more important than any of these practical uses, there is one reason I wear them that trumps the rest: I truly love them. I love the way they cover me top to bottom, in uniform denim, and that you can wear anything underneath them (tie-dye patterns being a favorite of mine). I feel so secure in overalls; they are like my bodyguards. Literally. After all, no one will come within 10 feet of me when I wear them, not even my King Charles Spaniel, Lucky (apparently, royalty and farm-wear don’t mix.)

Believe it or not, every weekend, I pull them out to wear since:

a) They were $40—I better get my money’s worth.

b) It is usually laundry day—why get another pair of pants dirty for no reason?

c) They are comfortable and easy to “chill” in with their nice 6-inch crotch space (a nice fork hiding place for the Falcon Assassin game.)

d) No one usually ever sees me on the weekend. Well, except for last weekend when some of my friends dropped in for an unexpected visit. They had a good laugh.

It may be a fashion crime, but who cares? No one could possible say or do anything that would stop me from wearing them, at least, in secret. I guess the moral of the story is to wear whatever makes you happy, and if that’s hick-town overalls, then fine. I’m telling you, they’re coming back with a vengeance—or rather, I’m bringing them back in style.