One time, I walked into a store and saw a lovely jumpsuit that had no price tag on it. I took it to the sales attendant to ask how much the jumpsuit cost only for the attendant to say it is not a jumpsuit but a dungaree.
I disagreed but this attendant was very sure of what she was saying so I calmed down and got a lecture on the difference between a jumpsuit and a dungaree which I will be sharing with you today.
Pick a seat and a pen, and follow me.
10 Differences Between Dungarees and Jumpsuits
Table of Contents
- Material
- Design
- Unisex
- Other names
- Usage
- Weight
- Body shape
- Acceptance
- Style
- Price
Material
The major and most notable difference between a jumpsuit and a dungaree is the material used in making both types of clothing.
Dungarees, typically, are made from a dungaree fabric – this is where the name originated from – which basically looks like denim.
A dungaree fabric is a thick calico clothing that is mostly known to be one by a particular village in India.
Jumpsuits on the other hand can be made from any kind of material. Jumpsuits are known to be more stylish and have better designs.
You can sew a jumpsuit from a denim, cotton, nylon, wool, anything.
So, next time you are in the store and you see a one-piece made out of a material that looks like denim, then you should know that it is a dungaree.
However, if that one piece comes in a stylish cotton or polyester material, you would not be wrong to call it a jumpsuit.
Design
The design in which these two clothes come is another obvious way to identify which is a jumpsuit and which is a dungaree.
While they are both one-piece clothing, a jumpsuit is not made and does not appear like a dungaree and vice versa.
Dungarees are made to appear in a really simple design which is the over-the-shoulder straps. Typically, dungarees are sleeveless and you can easily identify them with the straps used to hold the rest of the cloth.
Jumpsuits, however, come in a variety of design. While some may actually be sleeveless and carry an over-the-shoulder strap, most jumpsuits come in distinct designs.
Jumpsuits can have sleeves, some may not. In fact, some are without sleeves and also without straps.
Basically, dungarees are pretty much one-way in the way they look while jumpsuits exhibit a lot of fashion creativity.
Unisex
You would agree with me that dungarees and jumpsuits share a lot more similarities than differences.
In terms of physical appearance, you can be forgiven if you mix them up because of how similar they tend to look at times. However, you cannot, as a man, because they look alike, wear a jumpsuit.
Dungarees are unisex in nature, which means they can be worn by both males and females. Since a dungaree can be worn as casual cloth and as work clothing, it is not out of place to find some men wearing a dungaree.
If you look at folks who do a lot of menial jobs you will find that most of them do their job in a dungaree.
Jumpsuits, on the other hand, are made and reserved for women. It is a one-piece of clothing that is typically worn by ladies.
Just like skirts and gowns, jumpsuits add to the growing list of fashion attires created especially for women folks.
Other names
It is not uncommon to find an item bearing two different names, especially when the said item is being bought in two different geographical locations.
For example, in Britain, short or knee-length trousers are called “Knickers” while in America, it is called “Shorts”. Both of these words refer to the same clothing item.
The same can be said for dungarees and jumpsuits. You will find that some people refer to dungarees as “overalls”. In particular, when you find this piece of clothing in any boutique in New York, it will be called a dungaree.
However, if you move to London and say you want a dungaree, I bet the attendant will look at you funnily because over there, it is called an Overall.
In the fashion world, jumpsuits are also called rompers. It has, in fact, become popular to refer to jumpsuits as rompers that you may find some boutique and fashion stores saying they sell rompers.
Do not be confused, it is just a jumpsuit.
Usage
Jumpsuits and dungarees are worn for different reasons entirely. While both can be styled casually and worn to informal events, jumpsuits and dungarees were not actually made for casual wear.
I mentioned earlier that you are likely to find people who do menial jobs come in a dungaree, and that is right because dungarees were essentially made to be protective wear for workers.
However, in recent times, we have seen dungarees become casual wear that people now wear to run errands and attend hangouts. It does not change the fact that they were originally made to be work clothing.
Jumpsuits are worn nowadays as casual and, sometimes, corporate wear but do you know that they were originally made to be worn by parachutists? Well, now you do.
Fashion has evolved and turned jumpsuits from a parachutists work attire to a casual wear widely accepted by every lady around the world.
Weight
Typically, dungarees and jumpsuits do not weigh the same kilograms. If you are still confused about whether that one-piece cloth is a dungaree or a jumpsuit, carry it to see which is heavier. The heavier one is likely to be a dungaree.
Dungarees are heavier because of the denim-like material used to make them. The dungaree fabric is very thick and heavier than cotton.
Jumpsuits on the other hand can be made out of different raw materials which may be cotton, wool, or even nylon and polyester.
All of these materials are soft and very comfortable and also do not weigh very much.
In this same category is the texture. Dungarees are much thicker and harder than jumpsuits.
Body Shape
Dungarees and a particular style of jumpsuits may look alike but it does not mean they are the same.
This means that while you may look really exotic in a dungaree, it does not guarantee that you will also look dashing in a jumpsuit.
This is simply because of the way both clothing items are designed, they tend to fit certain body types and shapes more than others.
For dungarees, people who have broad shoulders tend to look much better in them than people who do not. This is because the bib part of a dungaree tends to draw the eye in to look towards the center of the body.
Jumpsuits, however, look best on ladies with hourglass shapes. People with this kind of shape, also called “figure 8” were born to wear jumpsuits.
We can also say that jumpsuits were specifically made for these people. This is because the way most jumpsuits are styled, they tend to accentuate the slim waist and wide bust and hips.
Acceptance
Now, this is a big deal. If you are thinking of buying either a dungaree or a jumpsuit, or maybe it is both, you should definitely know that one of them is more generally accepted than the other.
I am sure you know that people love and would wear jumpsuits over dungarees.
This is simply because jumpsuits are easier to style. Heck, you do not need to read any blogpost to know what and what to wear to complement your jumpsuit, but you see dungarees?
A lot of people do not know how to wear and style them beautifully.
You should know that jumpsuits can be worn to any kind of event, whether formal or informal, so it is not surprising that a lot of people would choose jumpsuits over dungarees ten times over!
Style
As I mentioned earlier in this piece, the most notable difference between a dungaree and a jumpsuit is that dungarees are made with two shoulder straps that actually hold the cloth together.
Well, when a cloth is made like that, it is important to wear another cloth beneath it, preferably a plain round-neck t-shirt.
Jumpsuits are generally made as ready-to-wear. This means you can wear them just as you as received them. You do not necessarily have to wear another clothing item beneath.
Basically, when you buy a dungaree, ensure you have a cloth that can be worn under it or you just buy that too.
Price
Finally, the amount you will spend getting a dungaree is different from what you will spend getting a jumpsuit.
While this may be dependent on location and quality, know that on average, the prices of these two clothing items are different.
In most places, boutiques, or fashion stores, dungarees are mostly cheaper to get than jumpsuits.
This does not mean that there are no expensive dungarees or very affordable jumpsuits, rather it means that you are likelier to come across a dungaree being cheaper than a jumpsuit.
This can be attributed to the fact that dungarees do not undergo any special procedure or use a special material other than denim.
Jumpsuits, however, are made of different types of materials which may be quite expensive.
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