Workwear

Heat-shielding apron of the forge

The blacksmith's apron is a thick leather garment worn by smiths from medieval times to the present at forge and anvil, shielding the body from flying sparks, shrapnel, and searing steam. Made from layered tanned cowhide or pigskin, held by neck strap and waist ties, it reached from neck to knee or shin — longer versions down to the feet for workshops handling heavy ironwork. In medieval European guilds, apprentices earned the right to wear the apron only through a formal ceremony, making it both practical and a symbol of craft identity. Years of use darkened the leather with soot and fire-marks, and old aprons passed down from master to master became heirlooms. In fantasy, the blacksmith's apron — blackened, riveted, and pocketed — is the signature dress of dwarf artisans and master weapon-smiths.

Victorian female servant's uniform

The maid's dress is the uniform of female domestic servants in Victorian-era British households, defined by its striking black-and-white contrast — a dark long dress covered by a white apron, topped by a white mob cap. Before Victorian times, servants simply wore everyday clothes; but as rising middle-class wealth made employing domestic staff a mark of status, standardized uniforms emerged to display the employer's rank. Strict class divisions within the servant hierarchy produced different uniforms: gray dresses for scullery maids doing morning cleaning, black with lace-trimmed white aprons for parlour maids serving afternoon guests, and the finest fabrics for the lady's maid. The maid's dress made a household's internal class structure visible at a glance — central to the look of dramas like Downton Abbey. In late-20th century Japanese pop culture, a highly fictionalized "moe maid" uniform evolved far from the Victorian original.