MODESTO, Calif. -- After cutting the strings to what had become a symbol of domesticity, they're rediscovering the apron.

At a recent party in San Francisco, the hostess donned a frilly half apron as she brought out store-bought appetizers. It was clear from the look on her face that she was making a fashion statement.

"All my friends have one," said the 30-something single professional. "When we get together and cook, we wear our aprons."

That utilitarian tool of the working class is suddenly chic again. Search for aprons on eBay or witness the work done by Joyce Cheney, Missouri-based author of the book "Aprons: Icons of the American Home" (Running Press, $24.95), who organized an apron retrospective that toured American museums earlier this decade.

Julia Orante, 52, of Modesto, Calif., is wearing aprons again. She recently bought one for her niece and one for her mother and was pleased with the growing selection of cotton aprons.

"Now, every time I start to cook, I look for an apron," she said. "I don't know how we got away from that."

Aprons fell out of fashion as the domestic bliss idealized in the 1950s in shows like "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It to Beaver" gave way to the turbulent 1960s. Women no longer were content to stay at home and raise children. The dawn of easy-laundering permanent-press fabrics sealed the kitchen apron's demise.

"The good news is that the apron's disappearance of thirty years or so was just temporary," according to "The Apron Book," by EllynAnne Geisel (Andrews McMeel, $16.95). "Even though American women are now fully entrenched in the workplace, they also are back to cooking and sewing and crafting and nesting like never before. So aprons are coming out of the attic and into the kitchen."

Aprons have been around as long as there have been tradespeople and craftspeople. They're worn by blacksmiths, carpenters, masons, fishmongers and tanners. They're the uniform of choice for cooks and maids. They come in a variety of styles and fabrics. There's the half apron, the frilly and see-through hostess apron, the smock apron and the half apron with bib.

Think back to Colonial times and it's hard to envision women without that long white apron tied over their ankle-length skirts or the blacksmith without his leather apron as he mended horseshoes.

But aprons didn't enjoy their heyday as a fashion accessory until women retired their Rosie the Riveter work aprons after World War II and returned to domestic life. They once again had opportunity to sew and embroider, and they used their spare time to trim their aprons with embroidery, lace, tatting, cross-stitching or crocheted borders.

Functional as well as designer aprons can be found on the Internet with prices ranging from $2 into the hundreds for vintage styles.