PRACTICAL

TOPS

A CLOSET FULL
OF CHOICES

The strain of having to juggle work and home life was one reason why more and more women were turning to ensembles—combinations of skirt and blouse or pullover-like top. At the same time, such practical tops were increasingly coming into fashion, becoming an important part of everyday wear. Separate tops and skirts had the advantage of being easy to mix and match, thus expanding the options that could be found in one’s own closet. They could also be washed separately.

EASY
TO PULL OVER
THE HEAD ...

There was a demand for blouses and pullover-type tops with wide necklines that could easily be pulled over the head and were therefore simple to put on and take off. To ensure that they still fit well, they could, if necessary—depending on the type of neckline—be closed at the front or at the back of the neck with small ribbons, hooks and eyes, buttons, or snaps.

THE JUMPER

One such top was the jumper. Hip-length, the jumper often had a belt and featured different necklines and collar designs. It, too, was easy to pull over the head.

HISTORY
OF THE JUMPER

The jumper had its origins in the clothing worn by sailors, who donned pullover-type tops when working on the rigging—where warm and resilient clothes were required. Beginning in the second half of the nineteenth century, these garments gradually made their way into the realm of everyday clothing via the world of sports, where they were called “sweaters.”

These pullover-like tops are made of material that is knitted—known as knit fabric, which includes jersey.

The word “jumper” is still used in much of the English-speaking world to refer to a knitted top that is pulled on over the head.

THE LUMBERJACK

The lumberjack was a blousy, loose-fitting top—actually a jacket—that was gathered via tightly knit material at the cuffs and waist.

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HISTORY
OF THE LUMBERJACK

The lumberjack derives from the clothing worn by North American lumberjacks and jackets worn as part of military uniforms. Since the 1930s, such a garment is more commonly referred to as a blouson.

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