Female chefs get chic with stylish kitchenwear made for women

One female foodie is waging war on baggy trousers with stylish kitchenwear made for women, says Rachael Sigee
Rachael Sigee3 February 2016

The capital is over shouty machismo in the kitchen (see Bradley Cooper as a hotshot chef in last year’s cinematic flop Burnt) and is discovering that the new culinary trailblazers are not necessarily bullying blokes.

In April 2015 Kim Woodward became the first female head chef at the Savoy Grill in its 126-year history and Gordon Ramsay protege Clare Smyth is due to open her own venture later this year.

But still only a fifth of professional chefs in the UK are women, and it’s not just maternity leave and unequal pay that rear their ugly heads in this male-dominated environment, but more practical issues.

PolkaPants launched last week to solve a problem that most people hungrily tucking into their tasting menu would never even realise existed — trousers for female chefs.

Maxine Thompson, 29, has been in the industry for over a decade and was fed up with wearing uncomfortable and unflattering trousers to work.

PolkaPants fans include baker and YouTube star Jemma Wilson of Crumbs and Dollies cupcakes

“I couldn’t for the life of me find a pair of comfortable trousers. The seams ripped, they were saggy, they wouldn’t stay up. I have a background in fashion design so in the end I just made some myself.”

Working in professional kitchens is notoriously tough, with unsociable hours, sweltering heat and endless chopping and stirring to work up a sweat. Clothes need to be able to survive the environment and take the strain like sportswear.

Thompson’s new commercial range is slim-fit with a high waist and reinforced crotches to prevent builder’s bums when rummaging in the larder.

They have large angled belt loops designed for tucking a tea towel through and the 97 per cent cotton and 3 per cent stretch fabric is breathable and easy to move in.

But as well as the practical design, they are more than just a functional uniform; they are flattering.

Thompson, who lives in Dalston and works as a private chef, says: “It sounds like being a bit of a diva to want to look good in trousers in the kitchen but if you take pride in your work, you also want to look good while doing it.”

And it’s becoming more and more usual for chefs to be seen by their customers rather than consigned to sweating over the stove.

The trend for open kitchens, private events and chefs coming to tables to meet their diners and talk through the menus means that chef’s whites have to be as suitable for the dining room as they are for the pass.

The leading ladies of London’s culinary world are already singing praises of PolkaPants, which counts Jemma Wilson of Crumbs and Doilies Cupcakes, and food writer and chef Olia Hercules among fans.

Lily Jones of Lily Vanilli, a bespoke bakery in east London, also points out the advantages for self-taught foodie entrepreneurs: “For my business and lots of similar businesses, if you’re self-taught and you haven’t come up through the ranks with chef’s whites, it’s always been about adapting your wardrobe for purpose.

Maxine Thompson, the founder of Polka Pants
Matt Writtle

“It needs to look professional: if people come in to see you in the kitchen, you want to be presentable. But it needs to be comfortable and practical too.”

The range comes in sizes 6-16 with the basic black costing £60 and a houndstooth version £75. The signature polka dot pair — with a screen-printed bespoke design that makes each one unique — costs more at £120.

“The price point is higher than other trousers but they are all designed and made in London, in Finsbury Park. If you’re a chef, you really care about where your ingredients are from and your footprint. It’s the same for me with these products.”

And price-per-wear must work out as a bargain given those 14-hour days.

Thompson has had an “overwhelmingly positive” response with requests for a future range of dungarees and even a men’s collection, although she concedes: “The men generally aren’t so concerned about how their arse might look.”

Follow Rachael Sigee on Twitter: @littlewondering

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