Origin of the American Use of Dungarees

[Carter Rila]

You folks are all too young to have experienced the clothing worn before WWII and just after. It was the custom for farm boys to go barefoot and wear only bib overalls. No shirt no undies. Adults who worked the crops did wear shirts with overalls and probably undies. My granddad wore union suits all his life.
http://pro.corbis.com/search/Enlargement.aspx?CID=isg&mediauid=%7B498E8AB2-859B-4D66-9BE2-453E57A6D754%7D 
And there was an abbreviated one piece sleeveless garment worn by men and especially by city boys who wore shorts year round with knee socks. 
http://www.costumes.org/history/20thcent/1930s/realsilk/10underwear.jpg
I saw a lot of old movie shorts and films like Our Gang, and the Fighting Sullivans, five brothers who joined the Navy and were lost when their ship was torpedoed. They grew up in a small town so their clothing was more dignified than farm boys but less formal than what city boys wore. Although before WWII the official Boy Scout uniforms had long-sleeve shirts and shorts with knee socks. See Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms series. 
As to dungarees, the term originated in the Indian subcontinent and was carried by the British and Indian troops to Malaya where the US Navy kept ships on the China Station and the Yangtze River Patrol.
Dungarees were dark trousers and light blue shirts. They were worn only on dirty duty such as in the Submarine Service and by the "black gangs", those who worked in the below decks ratings, Motor Machinist, Coal-passer, Water Tender, and other dirty conditions.
The deck ratings, Radiomen, Quartermasters (navigation assistants), Radiomen, Gunners, etc, etc, wore undress blues or whites for service and dress with the decorated cuffs and collars for liberty. 
In recent years the hobby of impressionism has become popular. Original wartime garments are scarce and now are collectable as artifacts. In addition, with the modern diet few can wear the sizes of those days. So most cannot wear their original unforms even if they still have them. Impressionists put on demonstrations and wear exact replicas of everything from the skin out. They also use replica weapons in the case of the Civil War dor the originals have so much value as collectables. This has been true since the late fifties.
Here is one listing for USN dungarees as worn late in WWII. Belted trousers with loops
http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/usn.html
The original pattern adopted for general duty had a long sleeve chambray shirt and trousers with patch pockets adjusted by a white shoe lace through eyelets on the small of the back. Also prominent bell-bottom legs. The Coast Guard wore USN unidorma except for insignia.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/gifs/Uniform_WWII_6_300.jpg
Navy Seabees and Advanced Base personell wore their own olive drab cotton uniforms of different cut than Army or Marine patterns. These were collectively referred as utilities by Navy and Marines alike. This is the USN working uniform.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/gifs/Assisting_Wounded_Iwo_Jima.jpg
Remember in olden days a fleet sailor could wear conspicuous clothing because he was not the target, he was on the target. !
Here is a modern version of the erstwhile USN dungaree trousers. Note both male and female versions. The latter pattern is much more recent than even Vietnam.
http://www.militaryhq.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=52
 

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org