The bib part of an apron may be held in place in several ways. A simple solution is to simply pin it to the chest (the historical origin of the word pinafore). However, that design disappeared almost completely some time ago.

The perhaps most widespread approach today is to use a simple neck strap. Another common approach is to use shoulder straps that go over the back (often criss crossing) and attach for instance to the waist bands.

The advantage of the former design is that it makes it especially simple to put on the bib apron -- simply tread it over you head. The advantage of the shoulder strap design is that it makes the apron more comfortable to wear; a neck strap can slightly impair ease of movement.

The difference between a neck and shoulder strap is illustrated below.


Illustration shows difference between bib apron with shoulder and neck straps.