Gentle Ladies, Please Consider This (Dressing With Dignity)

Hello Dear Ladies, both young and old. This is a message about dressing with dignity.

By the way, all posts here are part of my exercise of free speech.

Although they may not seem controversial politically,  there is an element of society that has a great knack for turning even the smallest things of life into a controversy, from birth to breathing.

And so it has become, with clothing.  When at one time, clothing was a matter of covering the body, now it is a matter of being "in style" so that women can "fit in."  Clothing is now such a trigger subject, you can't say anything about it. People get very militant over their right to immodest, undignified clothing. It is for this reason we should create our own individual style that works with home and farm living. 

A Reason to Cover Up

If you have grown accustomed to bare skin being exposed all around you by women of all ages, and bareness of the most inappropriate areas of the body, this post may challenge you to change the way you dress or the way you think about clothing.

One of the elementary purposes of clothing is to cover and protect the body, not only from the harsh elements but also to protect skin from injuries.

Protecting the Feet

 I have often reminded homemakers to avoid wearing flip flops or sandals in the workplace and instead opt for shoes or boots that cover toes, ankles and heels, protecting from spills in the kitchen or protection from getting hurt on furniture or other things.

Further down the page are some pictures of short boots that are soft, comfortable and protective of the feet in all seasons. 

The same principle applies to the rest of the body. You must protect yourself from insects, animals and a myriad of things you might not even think about.

If you want your skin to be injury free, avoid sunburn and windburns by covering yourself in clothing. 

Protecting Your Privacy

From personal property to internet, people are obsessed with privacy, and yet,  their mode of dress completely contradictory to obsession with privacy.

Perhaps if we put a "password" to clothing,  such as "weak", "medium" or "strong" in relation to the coverage and the amount of fabric; a "privacy rating",  people would be more on board about covering themselves better. 

Just as winter coats in the cold climates are sold with a "temperature rating" (above zero, below zero, 20 below, etc.), you need to view clothing with a privacy rating: exposed, partial, or  protected. 

Maybe a label would read: "Protection level: 1= no protection, 2=low to no privacy, 3= almost no privacy, 4= some privacy, 5= full privacy,  etc.  

 This is a kind of self discipline you can develop in determining how much privacy the clothing will afford you. Perhaps we could think of the movie ratings: Restricted, General, Parental Guidance, when it comes to how much flesh you want to reveal to the public, when choosing clothing.

In the last few years I felt for the young women, especially teens, who could not find anything adequate to wear, and had to wear layers of things in order to cover gaps in the clothing. One shirt would cover the belly but not the chest, so another shirt which revealed the tummy could be worn over that one, and then there were shirts worn over that to cover upper arms and shoulders. It was a dilemma requiring many separates, which are always less simple to organize in a closet or drawer compared to the time and proven one-piece garment called a dress.

That being said, the dress is by no means the answer just by being a dress, and often it will require separate pieces to go over it to cover different bare areas. These were also stretch knits, synthetics and tight clothing which add up to  possibly getting overheated. I don't think it was a healthy way of dressing.  Loose wovens moderate body heat better. A dress is one-piece and can, if designed properly, cover everything adequately.

Modesty

With clothing, protecting your privacy from other people's eyes, is also called modesty. Not every part of the body is open to the public. Clothing is supposed to cover the body areas that are private and not for everyone to see.

More on Footwear

I know some of you use the FlyLady housekeeping coach , and she recommends daily wearing lace-up shoes as opposed to slip-ons, so that you don't start being lazy and lounging about; the lace-up intended to make you feel put together and seriously at work.

 I do not recommend lace up shoes for the kitchen or anywhere you are working, especially for a busy person who is on her feet a lot at home.

Although it is thought that being able to slip shoes off and on easily inhibits your ability to take your job seriously, and also has the problem of being more relaxed, I object to the lace ups for other reasons, one being that laces do come loose and can be a safety problem. Today with velcro and zippers, we don't need laces.

Lace  up sports shoes are incredibly heavy for some feet and hard to walk in, plus not pretty! These zip boots are just perfect, and also slip-on, with no laces. You can also trip over straggly laces that come undone unawares.

Eventually I will post a

 picture of  my own "boot wardrobe" --all three pairs, and show you which ones I wear at home for good foot protection. 

Some good footwear I have found comfortable and non-fussy; durable for homemaking and looks great with long dresses and long skirts.

Now, for those of you who have tender ankles, easily injured, boots cover that area well, and protect from getting hurt. Many of us walk through the house and yard quickly and are more likely to get hurt, particularly in the country where I live. Also, there are some of us with less flesh on our ankles, and need some extra protection for the little bones on our scrawny feet ;-)

The  other thing to consider is that the lace-up sport shoes for women look no different than the men's Nike's or what ever brand it is. They aren't feminine or dignified, and women, no matter what their size or foot shape, should at least try to bring pretty back into their footwear and at least try to dress differently than the men, even with footwear.

These boots can be ordered online at WalMart.com and some are available in stores.

Dignity

Now let me bring up the topic from the title of this post---dressing with dignity.

Dignity is an old word that has many meanings, all pointing to being worthy of respect, not disgusting the onlooker, not bringing dishonor to yourself, not giving the impression of crudeness, low or base elements in people, or inviting attention to  things that will not bring a person to a higher code of living.

I have stated this all before, and some people began to shriek and cast dust in the air just like they did in the book of Acts after hearing the truth.  I must tell you, time is not on our side, when it comes to spreading the influence of dressing for respect. 

Please look up the word "dignity" and leave a comment about what it really is.

I feel that some of the conservative women  who broadcast on youtube or the news, although claiming to be conservative in opinion, do not dress with dignity. Their clothing reveals more bare areas of the skin than revealing the cloth, and if you measured it, covers less than half the body. While these women speak about family values, their mode of dress is far less conservative. Granted, they do wear dresses, and I will use that as an example of how the word "dress" can be misleading. 

Just Because it is a Dress Does Not Make it Appropriate

Just because it is a dress does not mean it is right for you.  Dresses can be too short, too tight, have too many holes and revealing cut-outs.  Recently,  prominent women have worn dresses too revealing for honorable occasions, even to visit the Queen of England. The dresses did not hide the women's privacy and the dresses gaped open in places where, the Queen, who is much shorter than her guests, was at eye-level with some of the most undignified clothing.  I'm not criticizing the person, mind you, but the designer of the dress wasn't using the principle of dignity.

On camera, the eye is drawn quickly to the barest parts of the body and that's the way it is  for you and me when we go out to the grocery store.  No one is going to look into your eyes and  detect your personality, because their eyes are going to be covering the barest parts of your body. That is one reason I emphasize your hair and face and the way clothing can bring the eye of the beholder up to your face. The face and the voice and the eyes---this is what you minister from. Your clothing is also a great influence, so make sure it is a good influence. The style, the coverage, the length, the color, print, type of fabric---all this has a bearing in how you feel about yourself, how dignified you are..

Read about the man that was "fully clothed and in his right mind" in Luke chapter 8.

See what you can analyze regarding the mind in relation to clothing.

Where to Find Dignified Clothing

The following is a list of online catalogs with fairly decent clothing. You can also request a catalog by mail, and after that you'll receive them seasonally or as the sales occur.  As you browse each site, click on "dresses" to see the selection.

I thought this April Cornell design was similar to the one I made the other day with the matching cotton coat. I'm making another floral dress like this with an aqua coat and a pink coat.   April Cornell has a big selection of dresses. 

April Cornell (site can be transferred for Canadian orders) 

Clothing is usually made of cotton or rayon and can be easily worn at home.

April Cornell

April Cornell is by far the most expensive in this lot of catalogs, as every dress is $100 or more, and sometimes on sale, only a few dollars below that. However they are the dresses most like the ones many young women wore in the 1980's. At that time, these type of dresses were worn by women of all ages, and youth didn't have their own category. However, these types of dresses were favored by the youth, as well as the aged. 

Vermont Country Store

Vermont Country Store has a  "Lanz of Salzburg" collection, which was often featured in the original Victoria Magazines of the 1980s/90's. The one above, is Lanz.

Most of their clothing is cotton, woven or knit. I prefer longer sleeves.

I like the youthfulness of these dresses, which can be worn by women of all ages and sizes,. Some of the sleeves are too short for my liking but you know how I like sleeves, and if you need to raise the necklines, there are creative ways of doing that to store-bought dresses.

Below, a peasant style dress.  If you  have difficulty finding appropriate clothing, the peasant style or "tiered" skirt is a good purchase. I like the sleeve length.

You can wear this at home, and still feel confident wearing it to town for all your errands.

The Paragon

This is obviously formal but it might be good to have something like this. I like the sleeve length.  The Paragon also comes in the mail and is an interesting catalog. I get some of my sewing ideas from this catalog.

You may remember a sewing post I did which featured bold red roses with a gray/black background. I just noticed The Paragon sells something similar. And I thought it was my idea! I like the sleeve length.

 Below, another Paragon dressy-dress. Most of their garments are from natural woven fibres but some are synthetic, so be sure read the description carefully before ordering and get what you like.  

Would love to have a pattern like this! Sleeve length is nice but I prefer maxi hem length on the skirt, and that is why I sew. Where I live, ladies who want to lengthen the skirt on a dress, will just wear another skirt under it, as though it were a slip, making it longer, and it looks quite nice.

Old Pueblo Traders

Suit is nice, long and slimming but needs a modesty piece in the front.

The Old Pueblo Traders catalog is a very old company. I remember it from the 50's, but it has great contemporary clothing, most of it modest. Although the dresses category seems to be very dressy or formal, they do sell denim and cotton skirts that are great for wearing at home.

This is a great dress for a homemaker. With an apron, it can be kept clean in the kitchen and doing housework, and to go out, just remove the apron and you are all dressed up. I would say the above dress is very modest, although I'd like more length in the sleeves. If you have skinny arms, this would look good on you.

As I said, these are probably too dressy for every day wear at home but this is a great style and very feminine for more formal occasions. It is always good to have one formal outfit on hand to prevent the panic of finding a dress at the last minute, for something more formal.  I don't care for the v-neck line combined with the shape of the jacket. If I had sewn this, the dress neckline would have been rounded or straight across, not conflicting with the shape of the jacket neckline. 

Blair Catalog

Blair has a collection of dresses this year but most of them are sleeveless. You could always wear a blouse underneath and turn it into what we call a jumper or over-dress. These three dresses are the only ones I could see that might be worn at home, and the sleeves don't look too tight.

It is always a good idea to look at some of the photographs and paintings of the past eras to see how women were dressed . Compare pictures of summer visitors on Coney Island and other places in the world, on the beaches, etc. to what they look like today, and get an idea of how ladies dressed with dignity.  Back in the 1960's people changed the meanings of words like "dignity" and "righteous", to mean something else. Once the language changed, the women's clothing designs took a similar path.

I must say, though, the men's clothing has remained more dignified, and that could be why women want to wear it, rather than the kinds of choices they have today in women's clothing.  But hopefully through posts like this, we can shine the light on dignified clothing for ladies that is available today. I find it interesting how the scripture, "With every temptation, God provides an escape," and we see that in every era, no matter how crazy the women's clothing designs are, there will be dignified styles available. It just requires looking a little harder. Even in the 1960's with the prominence of the mini-skirt, a company provided an alternative, called the maxi skirt.  

Since I sew my clothes most of the time, I don't have to agonize over the crazy bare styles for women, but I realize a lot of you are not able to sew, and that is why I looked up all these catalogs for you.

Painting by Charles Warren Mundy, 1945

Can you imagine walking on the beach in this dress today?  It seems to glorify the surroundings, doesn't it?  Some of the get-ups women wear to walk on the beach today just don't "go with" the lovely surroundings.

I have often said that if such paintings were sold as posters in all the shops, the women would be more influenced to dress in lovely clothing, even for the beach, and think of themselves, in a sense, as  part of a natural scene.

Generally people wear what they feel comfortable in, and if we can train ourselves to get used to something different, we will feel comfortable in that. That is one reason it is important to dress our children well, in dignified clothing. Later, the grown up will prefer that kind of clothing that covers and feels dignified.