Dressing Like a Lady

this exquisite painting is by Greg Harris

 

Today I want to share a few things about wearing pretty clothes daily, and at home.

I always get inspired by the sight of a field of flowers, or the way the light plays on a meadow, making the grass look like it has white flowers growing in it. I might study a picture from a beautiful book, or maybe just a "well-dressed table", to design clothing to "go" with it. In the winter I always want to make a coat with snowy white fur borders and cuffs, or a dress made of festive fabric with a silver sheen to it. It is always interesting to create a matching fascinator headband, or some other accessory with left-over fabric.

 

This lovely painting is by Greg Harris

 

Another thing that gives me the over-all idea of ladylike fashion, is art. I have looked at the art of many eras and found that good artists rarely if ever, paint pictures of ladies in masculine or unflattering clothing. This is something to think about when dressing your best and feeling good about your clothing. When I look at little girls in their church dresses playing outside after church, it seems like a painting. It seems sad to me that while there are lovely little-girl-dresses at places like Costco, it is harder to find the same thing in ladies styles. The girls must think it is odd to wear such pretty things themselves, while their mothers have to dress so differently.

This idyllic serene scene is painted by Greg Harris

 

In past times, the ladies I knew enjoyed dressing to match the nature and the scenes around them. They seemed to know that a pink gingham check or a nature print with cherries on it "went" with a picnic, while a light blue sailor style dress with white soutache trim on the collar was the perfect outfit for a walk at the seaside. A trip to a rose garden meant choosing a dress with a rose print, because of the photo that would be taken. As soon as any hedgerow or tree or rose bush came into bloom, they found a dress that matched the color and had their picture taken in front of the foliage. When I go through old photographs of the women in my family, I find this sort of thing in a lot of the pictures.

There are just as many indoor, homey inspirations for dressing. Many people have beautiful homes with lovely new furniture and do not realize how this can be a source of ideas for the kind of dresses to make or buy. If houses are beautifully furnished , why should the homemaker not compliment it by dressing just as fine? Women who really love being home love to change the rooms and rearrange and clean them and give the area a new look. Think of this in terms of the lady of the house and her mode of dress. If you can dress up your house, you can dress up yourself. When we present our homes to others for a special occasion, we have bright focal points and vases of flowers, while we try not to call attention to the areas that are private or need some work.

Another astonishingly bright and beautiful painting by artist Greg Harris

 

Indoors, ladies would change from their work-apron and don their lace apron when it was time to sit down to dine. If they went to someone's home for afternoon tea they dressed as if they were going to afternoon tea! In fact, you could fairly judge what the ladies were doing or where they were going, by what they were wearing. Today it is hard to know if a woman is going to attend a wedding or a race.There were traveling clothes, church clothes, vacation clothes, and wedding clothes. They did not need a huge closet for the kind of clothes they wore, because they could use one outfit in different ways by adding a little bolero or a shawl, or a change of shoes.

A house dress was no less pretty just because it was worn at home for house keeping. Clothing was, to me at least, exciting and inspiring. It made me look forward to getting up in the morning. We enjoyed the seasonal catalogs, which provided sketches of ladies clothing that was available to order. It made each season special knowing when there was a summer dress or a winter coat arriving in the mail.Trips to town were approached with enthusiasm because it was a chance to wear dressier clothes and enjoy the shops. People showed respect to the proprietors and other customers by the way they dressed, and most ladies wanted to look nice and appear to be ladies. Clothing was the easiest way to show dignity and to express that they were doing something they considered quite special. Even the poorest person knew how to look dressed up!

art by Greg Harris

 

 

One thing that made ladies clothing so different and interesting is that it was not the same as men's wear. Today, much of the manufactured womens clothing is a female imitation of men's clothing; a slightly altered version of jeans and shirts. There were colors and prints and textures exclusive to ladies clothing that made them feel ladylike.

There seemed to be an awareness among ladies that they represented their families by the way they dressed, and they did not want to dress in a careless way and reflect poorly on their kin. This seems to be a lost value today. It might take a long conversation to explain it to someone in this culture of T-shirt dressing.

art by Greg Harris

 

It is possible to dress in a ladylike way every day, but there are some things you need to be aware of. The first thing that comes to my mind is the issue of modesty. Many people who understand the New Testament teaching on this subject in 1 Timothy 2:9, but they sacrifice beauty, femininity and ladylikeness by using dull fabrics and "dumpy" matronly styles that make them appear ungainly, overweight, unfeminine and unladylike.When women teach about modesty they need to show how modesty should be elegant and pretty, too, in a sense, elevating the mind. Modesty should be glorifying to God and compliment His wonderful creation, rather than looking drab and depressing. It helps if you try to remember what other people have to look at, and to be thoughtful of them when you choose your clothing.

art by Greg Harris captures the true essence of ladies in flowing clothing of the 19th century

 

Everyone agrees that fads, or "for-a-day" fashions which are dominate one day and unpopular the next, are not wise to follow. Have you ever considered, though, that some of the so-called modest clothing can also be a fad? Women often latch on to a modest style because some religious women promote it as modest, not considering all aspects of the total look. A long skirt can be modest but if it is not well fitted with a nice drape and flattering lines to your own figure type, it can draw attention to the wrong things. People will be looking at that ill-fitting skirt and it becomes an immodest distraction.

You can wear a modest skirt and still look very unladylike and unhappy about your life.

As for blouses, there are too many religious women saying that tops made of tee shirt material are modest, but these types of tops are not flattering or modest at all unless they are embellished with ruffles, pleats, gathers, pintucks and other decorations. Since I will not be able to spend a lot of time describing what blouses are pretty and appropriate and modest, I will let you determine it by some of the paintings I have posted on my blog over the years. It takes a trained eye to determine what is appropriate, because not all clothes are right for you just because they are modest. There are other things to consider, such as the color and print and the design.

 

A tip that might help in determining how to dress: Since I found that skirts and blouses present quite a messy problem in my closet, I have sewn mostly dresses to wear. That way, the blouse and skirt are already matched up and it all hangs securely on one hanger. To choose an outfit in the morning is easier when selecting a dress, instead of deciding on what separates to pair up. I learned years ago that matching up separates tends to create a pile of clothing that did not work well with other pieces, and it all has to be put back in the closet, which takes up valuable time.

The reason I suggest that some of the so-called modest clothes can be a fad, is because women will sometimes go overboard with the dull aspect of the fashion, wearing ugly head scarves, refusing to treat their complexions by covering blemishes, neglecting to dress their hair and keep it clean and healthy-looking, and totally ignoring how ungainly and unfeminine their jogging footwear looks with the skirts. Later on, they get tired of this purportedly modest way of dressing, abandon it, and go on to something else that is just another extreme way of dressing.The best thing to do is to like and admire things that are beautiful and refined, and be able to identify things that do not look good on you. You can get a very inexpensive full-length mirror for your room, and stand before it analyzing your appearance each day.

Painting by Edmund Blair Leighton

When my generation was younger, we were taught to look at the back, also, to make sure we knew what people would see from the back. If the garment was unflattering from the back view, we didn't leave the house. Stitchers and tailors are trained to create garments that look good from all sides, but not all manufactured clothing does, so it is important to use the mirror.

While looking in the mirror, use this mental checklist:

Does it adequately cover and skim your figure or is it too tight and to gaping in areas?

Is it pretty and feminine (ruffles, lace, trims, fabrics different from men's clothing)?

Does the outfit look professional and smart, or dull and dowdy?

Does the color make your complexion look bright or dull?

Is the entire outfit overall slimming in appearance or does it make you look fatter?

Is the outfit too loose and sloppy?

How does the color, style, fabric and fit affect your mood?

This frock from Chadwicks has the right idea, with long length and slimming style, but it needs sleeves. If you had a pattern you could easily add any style sleeve.

Does it make you feel optimism or pessimism?

Are there parts of the garment too low or two short?

Lovely style and I would add sleeves if I were sewing this. I like sleeves.

 

Is it too short, too long, too tight or too baggy for the type of style?

There might be more you could add to this checklist yourself as you discover the many aspects of dressing in a ladylike way.The most important thing is to glorify God and reflect the happiness you have as a Christian, by thoughtfully choosing clothing that is suitable. In my opinion, every day is a gift, and every day warrants dressing carefully. You will find, too late, how short life is, and will wish you had celebrated life daily by dressing well.

 

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