Foodie Freebie Friday: Jesse Steele Aprons

It's the start of another week and time for another Foodie Freebie Friday! This week I'm spending a lot of time in the kitchen and to protect myself while cooking and baking, I generally wear an apron. One line of aprons I like are Jessie Steele's.

Meet Claire & Helena Steele
from Jessie Steele fine hostess aprons...

These two ladies have redesigned the vintage apron to be cool again! Jessie Steele's vintage-inspired, hostess and kitchen aprons prove true the old adage that beauty and style are timeless. Influenced by the romantic visions of a bygone era, and designed in vibrant colors, flirty patterns and figure flattering shapes, these fine quality, retro-chic cooking aprons make the perfect fashion accessory in or out of the kitchen.

From hobby to new business venture…
Helena had collected 20th Century vintage aprons for years. She has about 50 to date. She has searched vintage stores all over the country for them. We both felt that people were nesting more and spending more time with their families, and cooking / entertaining plays a major role. We thought, "why not look cute while you do it?" And the aprons on the market at that time were utilitarian mainly, and non-flattering. So we decided to bring back the hostess apron, a lost American tradition.

The response has been overwhelming and by our first trade show we knew we had a winner. Some people were shocked as the stigma of the apron was still a bit negative at the time, but we felt that there were women out there who enjoyed this portion of their lives and we wanted them to look great!

The original…
Their company was named after Helena’s mother and Claire’s grandmother, Jessie Steele. Her philosophy for creating a really warm welcoming environment was very inspiring. She always made you feel welcome in her home. She was a forward thinking woman who was sophisticated in her world view. She looked on people and situations without judgment, and she had great understanding of human nature which she passed on to us through stories every time we came over for tea and cake.

Mother and daughter team...
Helena shared her vision with Claire, her daughter, a former model and fashion expert. Helena proposed that they bring their talents together to create vintage aprons that would both reflect the retro whimsy of the 1940's and 50's and meet the challenging needs of today's woman. Claire enthusiastically agreed, and Jessie Steele fine hostess aprons was conceived.

Updating an American taboo…
We wanted to update these great aprons that Helena had collected, but keep their 40's and 50's vintage aesthetic. After spending over a year researching and developing our plans, exploring a wide variety of fabrics and prints, designing their own textiles and finessing cuts and styles, we began manufacturing the line of vintage kitchen aprons. We have added a contemporary twist to the old fashioned hostess apron by updated the prints and silhouette to fit today's woman. -- Vintage Shopping Guide

So this week, I'd love to have a lucky reader win their choice of one of these aprons! The following aprons are called "Sweethearts" (red), "Leopard" (brown), "Pink Poppy Fields" (pink), and "Cafe Toile" (white/black). Read on to find out how you can win one of these!

Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States. My apologies to my international readers!
- You must have a valid email address so that you can be contacted if you win.


To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:
- What was the messiest experience you had in the kitchen either cooking or baking? What did you make?

Deadline: Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

One Winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on May 1, 2009. Good luck!