Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Jumpsuit is a term for a one-piece garment originally used for skydiving, hence the name. It has since come to be used as a common term for any one-piece garment with sleeves and legs, and it has from time to time had its place in fashion. Jumpsuits are used for skydiving, as a fashion item, for sports such as skiing and motorsport, as stage clothes, worn by various singers including Elvis Presley, as an easy way of dressing children, especially in winter, and in aviation and space flight, where they are good for use in zero gravity and microgravity because they do not float around like separate garments and stay close to the body.
Jumpsuit is a term for a
one-piece garment originally
used for skydiving, hence the name. It has later come to
be used as a common term for any one-piece garment with
sleeves and legs and has from time to time had its place
in
fashion.
Uses of jumpsuits
For skydiving
the origin of the jumpsuit.
As a fashion item.
For sports, e.g. skiing and motorsport (auto racing and motorcycle racing).
Stage clothes worn by various singers, e.g. Elvis Presley.
As an easy way of dressing children, especially in the winter time.
In aviation and space flight. They are good for use in zero gravity/microgravity, because they don't float around like other garments and stay close to the body.
Jumpsuits are also often seen in science fiction, because they are seen as futuristic clothing.
Advantages and disadvantages of jumpsuits
Advantages
You never have to worry about how to combine your clothes, since the jumpsuit is the one piece of clothing you need.
Since jumpsuits have an unbroken line from the neck to the foot of the body, it gives a slimming impression which is flattering for most people's bodies.
Getting in or out of a jumpsuit can get very quick.
Jumpsuits are usually comfortable.
Disadvantages
As the jumpsuit has to fit the whole body, it has to be designed for the whole body. When choosing a shirt and pants, you can pick out the size that correctly fits your upper body, and another that fits your lower body, but with the jumpsuit you can't mix and match like that, and a poorly fitting jumpsuit is a problem because it can restrict your body movements. This makes it harder to pick out a good fitting jumpsuit off the rack.
A jumpsuit can be a problem when going to the bathroom.
Jumpsuits haven't really been in style since the early 1980's.
Related garments
A jumpsuit is very similar to a coverall (also called overall or boiler suit), but is usually more tight-fitting, even if it is not as tight-fitting as a catsuit, which is another related garment.
Another related garment, is the flight suit, so named because it is made for wear by military flight crews: pilots and co-pilots, among others.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jumpsuit ). Apparel Industry definition modified by Apparel Search 1/2/06 |
The jumpsuit began as equipment. A parachutist needed a garment with no loose ends to snag, nothing to come untucked in freefall, and pockets that stayed put, and the one-piece suit answered all of it. Motorsport took it up for the same reasons, adding fire resistance, and aviation generalised it into the flight suit. Fashion borrowed the silhouette repeatedly through the 20th century, and stage performers made it famous: a jumpsuit moves with a singer, catches light as one surface, and never separates at the waist mid-performance, which is why it became a signature stage garment. Science fiction adopted it as futuristic dress, which kept the style visible even between fashion cycles.
The fitting rules follow from the disadvantages. Torso length is the critical measurement, the distance from shoulder through the body to the shoulder again, since a jumpsuit that is short in the torso restricts bending and sitting however well the legs fit. Closures matter: a long front zip or button placket makes the garment practical, and details such as elastic or belted waists break the line deliberately where the wearer wants shape. For work and sport, fabric and reinforcement decide the buy; for fashion, the unbroken line is the whole point, and the garment is usually worn as a complete outfit needing nothing but shoes.
All three are one-piece garments, separated by fit and purpose. A jumpsuit is a general one-piece garment with sleeves and legs. A coverall, also called an overall or boiler suit, is the looser work version, made to protect clothing underneath. A catsuit is the tight-fitting extreme of the family. The flight suit is the jumpsuit's close relative, made for military flight crews.
There is nothing to combine: the jumpsuit is the one piece of clothing needed, so dressing is quick. Its unbroken line from neck to foot gives a slimming impression that flatters most bodies. And a one-piece garment stays in place, which is why skydivers, racing drivers, astronauts and parents dressing children in winter all use it.
Fit has to be right over the whole body at once: with a shirt and pants each can be sized separately, but a jumpsuit cannot mix and match, and a poorly fitting one restricts movement. Getting out of a jumpsuit for the bathroom is slower than separate garments. Partly for these reasons, jumpsuits have moved in and out of fashion, with their strongest period in the early 1980s.