My Jenny Overalls with Side Buttons

Hola! Last week I got back from a teaching trip to London (and a side trip to Stockholm which was all my dreams realized) and now I'm trying to get caught up with the blog (side note: are you interested in any travel posts from me? Happy to share about my trip if you're curious about it). Today I want to show you one of the first pairs of the Jenny Overalls I made for myself. They are special because I skipped the side zippers and used buttons at the hip instead - later this week I'll be sharing a tutorial post so you can do the same. Now, more about these babies...

The goal with these was basically a riff on iconic Carhartt overalls, but you know, glamorous. Like what Patricia Field would have put Carrie in if she ever dated a mechanic. I used a super heavy duty cotton twill from my stash, and it's absolutely sturdy enough for actual workwear. I would 100% garden or do home improvements in these, but first I'd have to hem them to wear with flats; I made them long enough to wear with heels and clogs, and while I love how long my legs look, they might actually be more practical for actual errands if I rehem them.

I made these with an earlier draft of the pattern so the legs are a touch wider than they are in the final version. I made a straight size 14, but could have graded to a 12 at the waist - they aren't quite as defined in that area as my next pair, which I don't mind so much since they give more of that Carhartt vibe.

As I mentioned, these have buttons at the hip instead of zippers, which is the closure we most associate with overalls. I debated endlessly about whether or not we should include this as an option in the pattern but I thought it would be too much in the end; our instructions tend to be pretty exhaustive (and long as a result), and adding too many variations just gets confusing. It's a super simple mod so I decided to show you how to do it in an actual tutorial. I  love the detail of the buttons at the hip; it' just adds a little something something to that pocket, and they are super easy to get on and off.

I used regular polyester thread for the topstitching and all the hardware is from our new kits. The main kit has the buckles and sliders and a few buttons, but if you want to add the hip buttons like I did here, we have a little extra button kit you can add on. Also you're not hallucinating; I shot these twice since I forgot to get details the first time, hence the shirt and lipstick change. How cute do these look with an oxford shirt?!

I am actually wearing these as a I type, and when I dropped the dogs off today at the therapy center the director was like "WHOA I LOVE YOUR OVERALLS!" in French, but I didn't know what the word for overalls was and we launched at my Anglo stupidity, and when I told him I made them he was like "PLEASE MAKE ME A PAIR!" and I laughed and laughed because we all know that's never going to happen.

I'm going to Home Depot this afternoon to get a bunch of stuff for some home improvement projects and feel like I really dressed perfectly for the day. I want to like, put a measuring tape on my hip and stick pencils and tools in the bib pocket while I walk around nodding appraisingly at deck screws and power tools. I was very inspired by how damn beautiful EVERYTHING is in Sweden so I have a long list of things I want to do around my apartment; I have realized I have a lot of mildly anxious, newly single energy that needs an outlet. These overalls are basically the Ms. Single, Handy & Fabulous outfit I need so badly right now.

So that's it for these Jennys. Stay tuned for the upcoming hip button tutorial!

Details: Jenny Overalls pattern in olive twill (similar here) with antique brass hardware, Nisolo wedge sandals, RTW tshirt, lipstick: Glossier Generation G in Zip)