I do not wear any. A teacher of mine (he was teaching me etching) once said that aprons was making the mind reckless, that you would pay more attention if you knew you could get stained or burnt.

I wear my full Williams-Sonoma apron when I'm making something extra messy... basically anything with flour, marinara sauce or anything fried. The rest of the time I don't wear an apron. I've never understood the point of half aprons.

I don't even understand the half apron. Does this mean most people aren't splattering themselves with food while cooking? I'm the only messy one?

I always think half aprons look cuter (there are some REALLY cute ones on Etsy)-- but they just aren't practical. Bib aprons all the way!

I generally don't wear an apron, but the ones I do have are full aprons. I'll probably stick with that until someone buys me a Chef's jacket to wear in the kitchen.

@shux, I wear a half apron because if I get dirty it's due to dropping things.

if I'm baking, it's the half apron and I wear mine slightly high waisted. other times, I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt that I've designated as my 'cooking jacket'.

That half apron in the photo is adorable! Also since this happens to all my shirts: http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2011/07/11/tiny-holes-in-your-favorite-shirts-kitchen-mistery-solved/ I think it's high time I got an apron. Even the half aprons would help take care of the hole issue, I hope.

I wear a chefs jacket which is much more practical than either a half apron or a bib apron.

My father's daughter - I wear a bib apron in the kitchen always, even while doing dishes (better than splashing greasy water on myself). He's a restaurateur and is never seen without a crisp clean white bib apron on over his khakis and polo. Totally old school and awesome.

My bib apron is so ugly--heavy red canvas. But it gets greasy and covered with flour. So why would I want a cute one? As for my assets escaping the bib, as long as I'm not topless under the bib this is not a serious problem.

I wear an apron more frequently now as I am just tired of ruining my clothes with splatter stains. I have 4 aprons two of which are from Williams Sonoma. But those aprons never seem to fit me all that well (I think they are meant for tall people) so they don't get used nearly as often as the other two that I've picked up from who knows where.

don't own an apron... i wish i did though! i like the idea of the half apron, because i'm always doing across the kitchen to wipe my hands on a towel, when it would be much more convenient to practically have one around my waist! ...and not taking up any of my precious counterspace in my teeny kitchen! haha

I tend to wear the old granny style half aprons but it isn't so much about the splattering and mess but more that I have something to wipe my hands on easily instead of dragging around a towel. I don't like the full aprons because I don't like things hanging off my neck but I can see that they are useful under certain cooking conditions.

I like the bib aprons, because I'm messy and tend to splatter things on my clothes. The one I have at the moment is kind of frilly, since a friend and I spent a day over the summer sewing up some Anthropologie-inspired aprons (though mine is way more colorful than theirs.) But I like it.

I love the half bib look and it would be great if I was just cooking dinner and doing dishes - cuz then I'd have a handy thing to wipe my hands on rather than using the dish towel... however, for baking, I need the whole apron! I haven't made a batch of cookies yet where I haven't splashed myself with a big puff of flour.

When I wore an apron for work (in a bakery, as a caterer, and years ago working in a gourmet deli), I would take the bib-style apron, fold it so the neckpiece was tucked inside and out of the way, and wrap the resulting long cafe apron around my ribcage just below the bust, then pull the strings to the front to tie 'em.

This covered up most of the spatter-susceptible torso without bringing up the untidy geography that Dana mentions, where one's breasts get in the way of the apron bib.

These days I rarely wear an apron in my home kitchen; I just tie a big floursack towel around a bit above the waist, tuck an extra kitchen towel in to wipe my hands on, and call it good.

I've worked in kitchens where I wore both. For pastry type things, bib aprons were the norm (and yes, the boob popping out to one side problem is a big pain!) and in restaurant kitchens where half aprons were the norm. I loved any apron in professional kitchens. I got mine filthy by the ends of the day, mainly used to wipe my hands quick. I never really had a preference. Probably the half aprons (but I mean long kitchen ones, not cafe) cause they wrap around so nice.

At home though? No apron. I can't justify it usually and I have some really cute ones! I'm home and never really cook/bake in nice clothes I need to keep clean. If I make a mess, I can just go change.

Bib apron for baking. Half apron (like the one pictured) for housework, because I got spoiled by scrub-top pockets at an old job. The pretty, ruffly half aprons don't see much use, but I like having them around just the same.

Traditional bib apron. Being really short, a half-apron is completely useless for me. I used my lab coat from freshman chem, with the sleeves cut off, for a while too. The pockets really came in handy.

I wear my great-grandmother's homemade, complete with crocheted trim, bib apron.

The only time I wear an apron is when I'm baking, and I wear a full apron. Flour and egg and everything else tends to get everywhere. All other times I dont wear one.

I wear hand me down aprons from my great great grandmother. I have a half apron for washing dishes and two bib style for cooking. And they were hand made so they fit MY curves too!

I fold a large light weight kitchen towel in half and tie it around my waist. Tie it kind of high, so that (a) I can actually tie it- the hips are a little too large and (b) it gives me more splatter coverage.

I can't cook without an apron!

Usually I wear old clothes, but when the guests are on the way, I change into nicer clothes and a full (bib) apron. Like Dana, I tie the neck part high to avoid, ahem, slippage. The half apron seems pretty useless to me.
On a related note, I hate it when people on tv cook with their sleeves down. I must have my sleeves pushed up to cook!

@ek76, unless you're cooking polenta. THen you will need full sleeves to avoid the dreaded splatter burn on your forearms.

A friend made me an apron with this pattern: http://sewliberated.com/products/emmeline-apron-sewing-pattern

Totally solves the girly problem you mentioned, I'm curvy and it fits really nicely.

If I'm cooking something really messy or wearing nice clothes I'll put on a full bib apron. Most of the time I just wear grungy clothes for cooking and cleaning.

My mom made me a super cute half apron from old jeans for gardening. It has at least a dozen pockets for my various tools and supplies. I keep telling her she should open an etsy store but she doesn't like computers.

I was about to do a little cooking last month and my wife handed me an apron. It had flowers and chickens all over it, along with some lace edging. I have no Idea where she found it.

She informed me that I've stained one too many shirts, and it had to stop. I intend on purchasing a more many apron soon. Oh, and yes, bib of course. Kind of defeats the purpose otherwise.

Hanna: That is an adorable apron -- it's almost like a dress and I love the fact that it's reversible!

I think it sort of obviously depends on what you think an apron is for to begin with. Many of you above seem to wear bib aprons to prevents you from getting food (etc.) on your clothes.

I mostly consider an apron something to wipe your hands on so you're not constantly using your dish towels, rendering them soaking wet before you even start the dishes. A half apron will be just fine for that.

(On a side note, I never wear an apron, but I always try to wear long sleeves when I cook, especially if I'm frying something splattery. That's what the washing machine is for, right?)

As my mother always tells me, I should wear an apron, especially since I have ruined so many shirts due to spatters of grease. I do have a sweatshirt that is so stained that I wear it as an apron (as my mother pointed out on a recent visit), and based on that, my husband just ordered a couple of chef's jackets (not that I am a chef) that would fit my cooking and dressing style--and protect my clothes. We'll see.

I almost never wear an apron, but when I do, it's a bib with a cute print. When the job is potentially very messy, like making jam or canning tomatoes, I'll also wear a color coordinated shirt.

An unexpected bonus: my husband says I look adorable in my apron. ;-)

I have to side with the Asian grannies on this one! I have two aprons I wear consistently, one from my German Omi is a smock style (totally rocks for cleaning house, all those pockets) and one from my German Omi-in-law which is a pinafore style (think Alice in Wonderland.) Both cover everything and stay put.

I wear a bib apron, but I have the ties really long so it wraps around the front so I can tuck a folded apron into the waist ties to wipe hands and move hot pots. I have one from Ikea that has one tie that goes through the sides of the bib so it's also the neck-piece that is my favorite. I can raise the bib high enough that nothing pops out the sides

I wore aprons and chefs coats when working in pro kitchens for years; it has taken me many years to train myself NOT to wipe my hands all over my clothes now at home. i just never really thought about wearing an paron at home...weird. And bib aprons do nothing to prevent flour from getting all over your shoulders and sleeves...if I was worried about it, a jacket would be the way to go for baking.

I often get home late and go right into the kitchen to make dinner so I'm still wearing my work clothes. I HAVE to wear a bib apron because I'm a terribly messy cook. But, not only do I have the boob problem, I'm also short so neither the neck NOR the waist really hit me right. Drives me nuts.

I have an adorable black and white checked bib apron with frills, lace and red accents that match my kitchen. I hang it decoratively and sometimes use it when baking. But for the daily stuff, I use my denim Pampered Chef apron and I love it. It's durable, washable and can take all the abuse I dish out. :)

I like to use a bib apron for protection but can't stand the feel of the halter tie around my neck. So I bought a vintage style h-back apron from this etsy seller. Kind of cute but not so precious that I'm afraid to wear it for real kitchen work. The one I bought is a lot more just like a calico and not so bright and obnoxious. Any way, it's more coverage and more comfortable than a regular bib apron.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/18644940/lavender-blue-dilly-dilly-h-back

Maybe I'm weird, but I do a lot of my experimental cooking while wearing a terry-cloth robe (either before or just after showering) which works very well as a towel. And it has sleeves if I need them for oil protection.

I have lots of aprons and while at home nearly always have one on. In the house I usually wear a well covering pinafore with crossed over or H shaped back straps and in the garden a prairie apron. I like wearing long dresses or skirts, so I need well covering aprons.