Behold! The Jumpsuit. 

by John Brearley

I have always strived to be at least somewhat of a sharp dresser. When it comes to daily wear, I know what I like when I see it. Certain pieces of clothing have been a staple in my outfits for over a decade. A style of shoe, a dress shirt, a western shirt, single color t-shirts, dark jeans, black dress pants, a handkerchief around my neck. With those pieces, as I am sure everyone does, I try to make a complete visual for my outfit, a complete idea, or look. A gift came to me years ago from a fellow sound engineer during a freezing cold day on a job in Chicago. Little did I know that eight years later, this gift would still have a great effect on my style. Behold! The Jumpsuit.  Here it was, the answer. A complete idea, with a zipper all the way up front, one blast of full color. Goodbye man-bag! A suit with all the pockets a guy could want. Work wear for everyday life. It wasn’t long until I found myself wearing the jumpsuit around our freezing warehouse loft space on a daily basis. I found that a nice pair of long underwear, preferably also an onesie, with my nice sturdy denim jumpsuit was the perfect solution to keeping warm in my environment. Plus, what’s better than climbing into a complete outfit, zipping it up and being ready to go? The only decision is what color to wear! Soon enough, I began leaving the house, working, traveling, sleeping, and even some things best kept secret, in my jumpsuits on a daily basis. I have certain jumpsuits I wear for in the house, and others for going out. I have retired a few for indoor use only. I have mended loose stitching, in hopes of keeping one around another season. From the cold of fall, to the beginning of summer, you will find me most days in the comfort of my jumpsuit. What started as a piece of functional clothing, turned into a look or even as a sense of fashion security for me. It’s a look I like: I like the monochromatic look, and I like an outfit with such ease and functionality. Being a guy with a smaller build, I feel that my jumpsuits give me a slimming taller impression, but most importantly, nothing is better than feeling comfortable throughout a long day looking and feeling good in what I am wearing.

Bio John Brearley has resided in Chicago since 1996, a graduate of Columbia College with a B.A. in sound engineering.  Currently works in the food industry, although has explored, enjoyed, and detested numerous other lines of the day-to-day grind.  In his more enjoyable time, you can find him behind a bass, a synth, a book, or a film.  A past member of Chicago based bands Beauty Pageant, Hertzprung Gap, Behold! The Living Corpse, and Plastic Crimewave Sound.  His current project, Casual Encounter began in 2005 with his wife Betty Eo.