Why Dress Modestly?

:D Hello all, I am new to this skirt/dress wearing idea. In fact, I did a -*test*-('") a few weeks ago in which to see if I would be treated differently by wearing a skirt. The outcome? Well I was treated differently by way of manners, how people acted and the great lenghts in which they had helped me. So this came as a shock to me. :P I stopped by to read The Dress of War. Very interesting! Found more books on which to educate myself as well. I do have a question however. I welcome anyone to help me learn as I go through this process. Please email me if you like. Ex. We lived near a family of homeschoolers that wore skirts everyday but looked *frumpy*. ( that is my husband's word for how they dressed. ) Our daughter dressed that way one day and hubby became very upset with me on how she looked. He liked the fact she was wearing a skirt (she loves them) but he did not want her to looking like a paperbag. Question is, how can one look modest without looking like a paperbag. My husband likes for us to look stylish and like women but HATES the paperbag look. ( i really hope you understand!) Like you, I have had a hard time at thrift stores and had to break down and purchase nice skirts/dresses online. And I have to add here, wow this is harder than I thought too without looking like a street walker! Funny enough, all the nice jewerly I have also hardly is worn at all. A few years ago it just did not matter any more and I asked my husband to NOT purchase any more jewerly for me. Can you image his look? lol Right now my jewerly box is in the garage. It hold a couple of precious things like my mom's and dad's wedding rings which I adore and will pass on to my children once they are older. Maybe that will be the only piece of jewerly they need. I do however like my costume jewerly. :lol: Well, that is enough yakking for me. Thanks for allowing me to post. Apprecite your time. Lisa Gailey lisa.gailey@cox.net

I definetly know what you mean! I find this so hard too. I don't want to speak for all but most modest dress companys have frumpy clothes that they sell. You really have to shop around to get the best deals and beautiful things. I would recommend http://www.littletouchofelegance.com/. I have not bought things from them but I would really like to just have not had the time yet. I would also recommend shopping at Old Navy. It might be a surprise to most but I was able to get some very nice skirts that were in style and modest too. Plus they were on sale! Yay! I hope this helps :)

Bethany, Thank you so much! I appreciate the fact that you wrote to answer me!! YAH! :D Old Navy, huh... Never thought about it. Was by one just today. I will check out that website you gave me. Thank you dear sister. I am learning alot as I go along. Lisa ps. was at a Christian book store today and a little girl walked by and I smiled at her. She actually came back and waved at me. I had a pink ankle-long dress on today. Oh... another question if you kind ladies don't mind. Have you ever been ignored in a store (by employees) because you were dress in you fashion you were? I experienced that today. It was a bit unnerving in a Christian book store!

I am very glad that you are able to use the information that I gave you. God Bless! No, that has never happened to me. That seems very odd. I would honestly wouldn't go their anymore if the ignored you.

Dressing modestly, resources
Hi, Lisa and everyone. I'm like you--recently called to dress modestly/plainly but afraid to be seen as frumpy. I have, however, found a couple wonderful dress makers who create stylish clothes at reasonable prices. I recommend Ringger Clothing at www.ringgerclothing.com. Amy Ringger has created several pretty jumpers and three long (ankle length) twill skirts that I wear all the time. I also recommend lilies of the field at www.liliesapparel.com. The only thing about ordering online is that you have to make sure you give the seamstresses specific measurements so they can sew something that fits well, and you have to wait a few weeks for them to complete the order. All that said, I'm very excited to have found this site. I live in So. Cal and I work in high-tech. I love the people I work with, but they've started teasing me. One said, "Oh, I see you had an 'Amish moment' getting dressed today." I said, "Nothing wrong with the Amish!" Best wishes, Karen-Michele

:arrow: :arrow: In Texas we have even had gentlemen open doors for us and tip their hats out of respect, sayin' MA"AM with a gentle smile. The men were not afraid of being yelled at for being gentlemen as some have been, by more masculine dressing, walking, talking, types of women. We do send a message by what we wear AND how we behave. :!: :D

Of course, it depends on the year and the season,, but I, too, have had pretty good luck at Old Navy, and their prices are pretty reasonable. One problem I have had is that (when I'm not pregnant), I can usually fit into the "junior" clothing, but don't feel that it is appropriate for me to wear, and a lot of times the woman's section is kind of frumpy.

Why dress modestly?
I have found several modest cotton dresses at Blair online catalog. I have to wear natural fibers because of a problem I have with my body thermostat where I overheat really easy. Blair has a lot of polyester, but there were also several cotton dresses. I ordered two of them and had to send one back for exchange for a smaller size as I think their sizes most likely run a little bit bigger than some other lower priced clothing lines do. I wore one of the dresses today, and the only thing I'm going to have to fix about it is the below the knee slit it has on one side and it is really a lot too long on me (almost to the floor). I still enjoyed wearing it today and think I can just stitch up the slit okay. Frankly, I get tired of looking at women in britches who cannot possibly fathom what they look like from behind in the things. Oh yes, I wore them for years alternating with dresses and skirts frequently - but for a long time now I've stuck with skirts and dresses, do wear long caftans a lot around the house. I don't have this thing down pat, but I'm trying - at least I think I look more modest from behind (and the front) than I used to wearing britches. - I'm almost sixty years old, but have been going in this direction for several years. Wanda

Karen-Michelle, I love those dress makers too! I have not ordered from Ringer Clothing but I have ordered from Lilies Apparel. They are wonderful! I ordered a nightgown and absolutely adored it. I need to getr another one! LOL! Shipman Family, This has happened to me alot lately and especially at church. I really think that men (and young men in my case) really do respect and highly regard you more when you dress and act like a lady. I always cross my ankles, wait for my turn in line and sit up straight. Plus I wear things that are pretty. Wanda, That is so true! I find that you just can't wear pants or shorts and be modest because even if you do cover everything up they are hugging every curve of your body! I wear some very practical skirts that are denim and they look perfectly fine. No one can really even tell that I wear skirts all the time because I buy name brands.

I find nice skirts at Goody's. This spring I purchased several ankle length cotton skirts with built in cotton slips for @ $15 each. They tend to run great sales on holiday weekends and offer a discount to military id holders. Trina

Inspiring Chivalry
I've noticed a change in how some men treat me, especially in passing. Some men here at work actual nod as if to tip an imaginary hat when I walk by. Others have held doors open for me. I work with a lot of very aggressive women, and, although I'm a professional in a technical field, I find that type of aggression--from anyone--completely disrepectful of any human being. I think dressing modestly is my reaction to that type of aggression. Maybe I'm providing some much-needed balance to the environment. Who knows? The furor over my new wardrobe is calming down here. (Remember i said people were teasing me about my "Amish moments".) Today, for example, I'm wearing a beautiful, floor length plaid jumper that Amy Ringger made me from fabric I sent her, and no one has commented or seemed to notice. Whew.

Amish moments
The girls and I dress in skirts and dresses only but not drab at all. Some STILL ask if we are Amish.... we were but AMISH would NEVER even think we come close to looking Amish. Just that the world notices ! They are VERY observant

Dressing with Dignity
Hi ladies, Glad to find this forum. It sure helps to hear others stories and know that I'm not the only one wearing skirts! I started wearing skirts in November of last year after reading Collen Hammonds book Dressing with Dignity (can purchase at tanbooks.com ) I'm a traditional Catholic, looks like most of you are Christians, despite though the book would be a great reading source for all women. Myself and my sister in laws have the easiest time finding good modest clothing at Christopher and Banks usually in the local mall. They are expensive, most items are 40 dollars or so, but if you watch the clearance you can get things for 5 and 20 dollars. Also we have been sewing alot of our own skits and dresses... picking out more modern fabrics and adding a bit of flare if necessary. I think the only people who know we have made the switch is family and coworkers that knew us in the pants days. Speaking of, pants are soo uncomfortable now I wouldn't wear them any way. I was always more of a skirt kinda gal growing up and got 'forced' into the pants and t-shirt world. I'm glad to be away from it now even if it wasn't easy to do at first. Now I just have to start adding some dresses :) Glad to meet everyone, CeAnne

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