As my granddaddy used to say……. ” Quit your HEM HAWING and get back to work!”

Have you ever heard that one? I have and for the life of me it never made sense. To ‘Hem and Haw’ is a very old expression. It means to hesitate. The hem part is to pause and the haw part is to push with much effort.

A working man wearing Carhartt bibs is safe overall. There are no frayed hems just below his ankles to entangle with boots , thus his pant legs are secure. Neither do his fellows gleefully yell ‘haw’ because his big push caused buttons, buckles and belts around his middle to fly apart sending his britches south! Shoulder straps anchored to a bib keep a laboring gents backside covered.

History

Hamilton Carhartt was born in 1855 in Macedon Lock, New York. He grew up in Southern Michigan and his entrepreneurial style was reflected in the modifying of his last name by adding an extra “t” to ensure he would stand out from other businessmen.

With some helpful advice from his first potential buyer, he realized his products had to be different. After talking with a railroad engineer, he created an overall garment specifically for the railroad worker which had never been made before. Hamilton Carhartt founded his namesake company in 1889 and began making work wear with a single goal in mind: Set a standard of excellence to which all others would aspire.

“I believe that when a man wears an article that I manufacture, his self-respect is increased because he knows that it is made by an honest manufacturer, who is honest with his employees” – Hamilton Carhartt

No matter what your job entails chances are what you are wearing will play a role at the end of the day. Are you in a high traffic situation and staying visible means staying safe? Are you working in rugged or frigid conditions or need Fire retardant garments to stay in compliance… whatever your occupation …”Dressing for Success” can simply mean that at the end of the day..”You clock out … Safe & Sound!” ” Your shift is done.” This can be accomplished by wearing hardworking, long lasting Carhartt Clothing.

Work clothes manufactured to very high standards are an investment… and you are worth it! When you think of what a day can bring, it doesn’t take long to want to “Dress for Safety Successfully” and not regret later that you had the choice.

Bib overalls are usually made of denim and often have riveted pockets, similar to those on jeans. Bib overalls have long been associated, especially in the past, with farmers and railroad workers. These garments have an attached front patch that covers the chest and braces that go over the shoulders.

The bib overalls were a major fashion trend among the American youth culture during the 1970s.

Growing up I vividly remember priding myself in getting dressed on my own. When I was as little as four-years-old I would pick out my own outfit, comb my hair and tie my own shoes. One of the staples in my wardrobe was denim overalls from OshKosh B’Gosh.

Once I hit about third grade, however, I realized that no one really wore overalls anymore. This still seems odd to me: kids up to about third grade seem fine in overalls, then there is a break, but many seem to pick up the fashion again in their twilight years. The only place you usually see overalls on people in their teens to fifties is on construction sites.