# Pinafore > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pinafore > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pinafore.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinafore > Source revision: 1355199936 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{wiktionary}} {{Short description|Sleeveless apron-like garment}} {{redirect2|Pinny|Pinnie|the sportswear|Scrimmage vest|the 20th-century New York assemblywoman|Pinny Cooke}} {{other uses}} thumb|Girl wearing pinafore, Denver, Colorado, {{Circa|1910}} thumb|Two girls wearing pinafores, Ireland, c. 1903 [[File:Candy Stripers in training in Tallahassee, Florida (9932666936).jpg|thumb|[Candy striper](/source/Candy_striper)s in training in [Tallahassee](/source/Tallahassee%2C_Florida), 1957]] A '''pinafore''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɪ|n|ə|f|ɔr}} (colloquially a '''pinny''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɪ|n|i}} in [British English](/source/British_English)) is a sleeveless garment worn as an [apron](/source/apron).[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinafore Pinafore], definition in the Merriam Webster dictionary. Pinafores may be worn as a decorative garment or as a [protective apron](/source/protective_clothing). A related term is ''[pinafore dress](/source/pinafore_dress)'' (known as a ''jumper'' in [American English](/source/American_English)), i.e. a sleeveless dress intended to be worn over a top or [blouse](/source/blouse). A key difference between a pinafore and a pinafore dress is that the former is open in the back. In informal British usage, however, a pinafore dress is sometimes referred to as simply a pinafore, which can lead to confusion. Nevertheless, this has led some authors to use the term "pinafore apron", although this is redundant as pinafore alone implies an apron. The name reflects the pinafore having formerly pinned (pin) to the front (afore) of a dress. The pinafore had no buttons and was simply "pinned on the front".{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pinafore|title=Pinafore - definition of pinafore by The Free Dictionary|work=TheFreeDictionary.com}} ==Differentiations== Pinafores are often confused with [smock](/source/smock_(garment))s. Some languages do not differentiate between these different garments. The pinafore differs from a smock in that it does not have sleeves and there is no back to the [bodice](/source/bodice). Smocks have both sleeves and a full bodice, both front and back. A pinafore is a full apron with two holes for the arms that is tied or buttoned in the back, usually just below the neck. Pinafores have complete front shaped over shoulder while aprons usually have no [bib](/source/bib_(garment)), or only a smaller one. A child's garment to wear at school or for play would be a pinafore. More recently, other types of full or dress-like aprons are also occasionally referred to as pinafores. In particular, this is the case for an apron with a full skirt, bib and criss-cross shoulder straps. Further confusion results from some foreign languages, which, unlike English, do not have a distinctive term for the pinafore. In [German](/source/German_language), for example, there is no precise term for "pinafore". ''Schürze'' means "apron" and thus ''Kinderschürze'' is used to describe a child's apron or pinafore (in contrast to the German word "Kittelschürze", which refers to an adult garment, typically worn by older women for housework tasks and cleaning). In 19th century England the pinafore was considered an appropriate garment for girls but on reaching womanhood they were expected to wear aprons. The young narrator of ''[Cousin Phillis](/source/Cousin_Phillis)'' by [Mrs Gaskell](/source/Elizabeth_Cleghorn_Gaskell) is disturbed to notice, on first meeting his 17-year-old cousin, that she still wears a pinafore: "I thought it odd that so old, so full-grown as she was, she should wear a pinafore over her gown...A great tall girl in a pinafore, half a head taller than I was.." Later he notes: "Phillis left off wearing the pinafores that had always been so obnoxious to me; I do not know why they were banished, but on one of my visits I found them replaced by pretty linen aprons in the morning, and a black silk one in the afternoon."Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell ''Cousin Phillis''(1864) Parts I and II. The book describes a girl's transition to adolescence and experience of a first, acutely unhappy, love affair. Her teenage cousin easily perceives her suffering and its cause but her parents, to whom she is still a much-loved child, do not. In modern times, the term "pinny" or "pinnie" has taken another meaning in [sportswear](/source/Sportswear_(activewear)), namely a training [tabard](/source/Apron) or [scrimmage vest](/source/scrimmage_vest), double-sided short apron, often made of mesh, used to differentiate teams. This usage is chiefly seen in the [United States](/source/United_States) and [Canada](/source/Canada). Tabards are also used by large retail stores to indicate employees. ==History== The pinafore was a type of apron that was pinned over the dress and easily removed for washing. Buttons were frequently damaged by [lye](/source/lye) soap, which was one reason why dresses were not laundered very often.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} ==In popular culture== *''[H.M.S. Pinafore](/source/H.M.S._Pinafore)'', a [comic opera](/source/comic_opera) by [Gilbert](/source/W.S._Gilbert) and [Sullivan](/source/Arthur_Sullivan), uses the word in its title as a comical name for a warship. *At the Lowood School in ''[Jane Eyre](/source/Jane_Eyre)'', the students are forced to make and wear their uniform which includes a pinafore.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} *[Alice](/source/Alice_(Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland)), the eponymous heroine of ''[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland](/source/Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland)'', wore a white pinafore over a dress in [John Tenniel](/source/John_Tenniel)'s illustrations.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} *Swedish author [Astrid Lindgren](/source/Astrid_Lindgren), known for the [Pippi Longstocking](/source/Pippi_Longstocking) series, created a character, [Madicken](/source/Madicken), who is often portrayed wearing a pinafore.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} ==See also== * [Apron](/source/Apron) * [Overalls](/source/Overalls) * [Smock-frock](/source/Smock-frock) * [Tabard](/source/Tabard) * [Pinaforing](/source/Petticoating) ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Clothing}} Category:Aprons Category:History of Western fashion --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pinafore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinafore) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinafore?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.