The 9 Very Best Aprons

Style: Adjustable neck strap, waist tie | Material: Cotton

Bragard is an even longer-standing industry favorite. (Chefs Eric Ripert, Jacques Torres, and an unnamed but equally famed third pro all can’t live without the brand’s chef’s jackets.) As Christophe Bellanca, owner and chef of New York’s Essential by Christophe, put it, “Bragard is the same thing as Staub” — meaning a tried-and-true heritage company. As such, “they’re very solid and high quality,” he says. “They last for a long time, cover the body well (not too short), and I like the feel of the material.” Charlie Pennes, founder of White Bark Workwear (whose own apron I recommend, below), says, “If you ask any chef what they always remember as their first ‘nicer apron,’ it’s probably this. The blue color hides a lot of stains and has an association with classic French workwear.” Anna Polonsky, founder of the food-focused strategy-and-design consultancy Polonsky & Friends, echoes this same sentiment. “They never disappoint,” she says, “and I think they’re made of the best-quality cotton on the market by far. Most bistros in Paris still use them. A classic.”

Style: Non-adjustable neck strap, waist tie | Material: Polyblend

Gaviria has 12 of these very affordable aprons on rotation. He’s been using them for years with extremely regular washing and says aside from some very minimal pilling, they’ve held up well. “I literally will use one, let it get dirty, and then just throw it in the hamper at the end of the day,” he says. “I just like things to be really clean. It feels better mentally, especially with kids.” He doesn’t mind that they’re no frills, saying that the strap fits his frame even though it’s non-adjustable (he’s five-feet-eleven, for reference) and the fit is comfortably flow-y overall, with a tie that allows you to secure it at the waist with “plenty of slack for a comfortable fit,” he says. One note: The brand doesn’t list the material definitively, but a polyester blend is Gaviria’s best guess.

Style: Crossback, waist tie | Material: Hemp

I have a White Bark apron in rotation. Though the company is a few years newer than Hedley & Bennett, it seems to have filled a similar niche of catering to both professionals and home cooks (last holiday season, pastry chef Tanya Bush told us the aprons were “the most coveted item in her group chat of professional Brooklyn-based bakers” and I see them in restaurants and test kitchens frequently too).

I love the material, which has gotten softer over the couple of years I’ve been wearing mine (the founder, Charlie Pennes, told me that he took inspiration from his favorite Japanese apron when designing, partially because hemp is “the most sustainable natural fiber that exists”). It drapes nicely on my body but gives fuller coverage and more structure than the linen one I own (more on that below). And while I do grab the linen more often for quick tasks, I turn to this one when suiting up for longer cooking sessions or if I go outside to grill. A cross-back is also imperative for me. I’m always bothered when there’s a tie on my neck, and this one sits comfortably on my shoulders with the weight evenly distributed. And one more bonus: There are a myriad of pretty washed colors to choose from.

Style: Adjustable neck strap, waist tie | Material: Denim

Meherwan Irani, owner of Chai Pani in Asheville, North Carolina, and founder of Spicewalla, has many different styles of BlueCut aprons, including this one made from selvage denim. “It’s soft,” he says. “It feels like it’s been worn in, even before you wear it in.” Still, it’s on the heavier side, which he prefers for the way it feels on, he says, as well as for the added protection: “I often grab a hot pan with the end of my apron, so I like something that has some heft to it.” (He notes that the canvas apron, another favorite, is also on the heavier side and good for the same reason. And recipe developer Tara O’Brady has one in canvas, too, and also says she likes the “heavy fabric.”)

Irani also likes the way the denim looks. “It feels as much like a clothing accessory as it does a utilitarian accessory,” he says. “There’s a little flair, a little style, which is nice if you’re gonna wear an apron.”

Style: Adjustable neck strap, waist tie | Material: Waxed cotton

Tilit’s waxed cotton apron came up a couple of times as a favorite of pro cooks. Recipe developer and cookbook author Alexis deBoschnek says the coating “wicks grime right off of you” — but it’s still “not super-thick and heavy.” As such, she can wear it every day for a month before washing. “Other ones get disgusting,” she says. “This fabric doesn’t absorb liquid or splatters or stains in the same way as others. If you’re cooking a lot, that’s a really attractive quality.” O’Brady uses the same apron for heavy-duty cooking too, like preserving and frying — tasks where there’s a lot of water, sticky residue, and grease. She says that unlike others, this one doesn’t get your clothes wet through it and you can easily wipe gunk away. And deBoscnek notes a couple of other pluses: She says she likes the wide bib coverage (others have left her sides more exposed) and the pockets, which lay flat to the surface so they don’t feel bulky.

Style: Skirt | Material: Polyblend

“You need an entertaining apron, I think,” says chef Camille Becerra. For her, that’s this Casa Velasquez skirt that ties around the waist, lays flat, and provides “a good amount of coverage,” she notes. “The half is fine for most things. If I have a big day of cooking where I’m doing more work, I’ll wear a bib apron like Hedley & Bennett or Tilit.” But she appreciates the ability to throw this one on at the last minute when she’s been consumed with prepping all day and making sure everything is ready on time. Whether over jeans and a T-shirt or pretty dress, “it elevates your look,” she says.