They have been seen on male figure skaters and political candidates, not to mention a certain snake wrangler turned reality television star.
They have suspenders; come in denim, leather and rubbery versions; and are worn with or without shirts.
They are overalls (or bib trousers or salopettes), a staple of children’s and workwear wardrobes, and they have lately become associated with the images of notable grown men.
Perhaps the most indelible of those men is Rob Rausch, who frequently wore denim overalls during his recent appearance on the reality competition show The Traitors.
He sometimes wore them shirtless, showcasing his toned shoulders and the snakes tattooed on his upper body.
Rausch, 27, who lives in rural Alabama in the US, said in an interview that the sight of overalls reminded him of home.
“There’s a lot of farming and agriculture around where I live, and they’re popular,” he said.
He wore overalls growing up, he added, and later as a contestant on Love Island USA, the reality dating show that put him (and his wardrobe) on the map.
When Rausch arrived on the set of The Traitors, he found a pair of overalls waiting for him, he said.
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Overalls are also something of a signature for blues musician Buddy Guy, a cast member of the film Sinners. He wore a black leather pair to the Oscars on Sunday and has performed onstage in various styles.
Others recently seen in overalls include Graham Platner, the oyster farmer running as a Democrat for US Senate in Maine.
His campaign has released a photo showing Platner in a hard-worn fishing bib that evokes the salt-of-the-earth image he has fashioned as a candidate.
At the Winter Olympics in Italy, Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate performed a Minions inspired routine that involved a tightfitting costume resembling denim overalls.
Actor Alexander Skarsgard, appearing in romance film Pillion, wears a low-cut, black leather pair.
Skarsgard recently told CNN that he “quite enjoyed the black leather chaps”.
Denim overalls – the kind favoured by Rausch – were something of a trend in the 1990s, a decade that has continued to influence fashion today.
In the 90s, they were associated with musical artistes like Tupac Shakur and entertainers like Brad Pitt and Will Smith.
A Google spokesperson said that searches for “90s overalls outfit” had surged during the last week of February, as had searches for “Rob Rausch” (the final episode of Rausch’s season of The Traitors was released that week).
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Like Rausch, Brandon Marlo, 36, an owner of a digital media company in Los Angeles, has long worn overalls. He sees them as more classic than trendy.
“I think that we’ve kind of evolved beyond them being an ironic piece of clothing to something that is now timeless,” he said.
Marlo, who has styled his overalls with loafers and boots, added that people often commented on them.
“It’s still not an article of clothing they’re used to seeing on an adult man, but they’re always complimenting me or commenting on how I’ve styled them,” said Marlo, who has overalls from Carhartt, Lee and Liberty, a century-old US workwear brand.
Referring to Rausch, Marlo added: “Rob will have the last laugh when luxury designers release their version of an overall.”
Some, like Prada, already have. In recent years, the brand’s overalls have been worn by athletes like skier Gus Kenworthy. – ©2026 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
