Sunday, June 02, 2019

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 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.


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.

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.

31 comments:

Mary said...

Thank you for touching on this subject. A good reminder about footwear, but most of all, addressing the modesty issue.

magnoliasntea said...

Thank you for gently reminding us to cover ourselves from the harmful elements and (wandering) eyes. This is excellent advice!

Lydia said...

Magnolia, Mary: it’s a simple thing that has become a triggered subject. Writing about it is like starting a fire!

Emmarinda said...

I foolishly wore sandals to the supermarket and really banged up my little toe on the wheel of the cart. I won't be doing that again!

Songsparrowgarden said...

Beautifully spoken Lydia. . as always. Also love the pics you place with your thoughts. . so very 'ladylike' uncommon in these times. Terrible to say but sometimes I cannot tell if the person I'm looking at is a man or a woman. . its not just a question of exposure. . they themselves don't know who or what they are. Its all very sad. Thank you for your beautiful posts. Always know what you say / post / show will be intelligent, beautiful, well spoken, kind, gentle and honorable.

I say Lady Lydia for President. . . we need someone extraordinarily sane in that position.

Lydia said...

As I have so many agreeable comments, Mr. S. told me I am losing my debating skills haha and he's glad of it; I won't be trying to prove all my points all the time and can give him some peace. And yes, boots in the kitchen, even the ankle boots--ever been cut by a dropped fork or knife, some glass, or burned by hot tea slightly spilt out of the cup as you carry it ? Treat your feet nice!! I'll be putting up a post and video about behaving like royalty and treating your body and mind like royalty if you are a homemaker. So important to be the servant that prepares the home for the person that lives in it--and that's two roles for one person!! Its nice to wear the boots that protect your royal feet!!! NT says those who follow Christ are a royal priesthood. Let's behave as royalty and in the way we dress in public, the Royals have learned a lot. They don't wear clothing that flys away, it stays close to the body and they've learned their lessons from former errors and so you much pretend you've got the media following you and watch what you wear!!!! If you are young and daring, years later you'll regret the photos!!!! Especially if you take on a more serious role in life.

Lydia said...

fEMININE bELLE, i HOPE YOU KEEP ADDRESSING THIS SUBJECT ON YOUR BLOG TOO. eXCUSE THE CAPS.

Moderate Mouse said...

What if you live in an area where shoes in the home are not okay or your husband says no to shoes in the home?

Lydia said...

Dear Mouse,

Please give the reason the housing area will not allow shoes, or the husband? Is it to protect a carpet?

Most homes in the US no longer have carpet, opting for wood flooring or other kinds of flooring that is weather proof and boot proof and in general very tough, so that shoes can be worn.

Also since you live in such an area that does not allow shoes in the home, how are you doing with that? What do you do? Are you careful? You probably have the answer to that.

And, when all is said and done, the protection of children's feet from injury in the home is more important than protecting a floor or a carpet. There are excellent shoes for covering the sweet toes of children these days.Ask any medical professional about foot injuries and they will say a lot of them occur in the home and that they are the hardest injury to recover from.

Anonymous said...

Any pictures of good footwear that looks okay with a skirt?
In Canada, we wear indoor slippers inside, no shoes. But you can purchase shoes just for indoors and avoid wearing them outside. We live in the country so my outdoor shoes as not clean enough to wear indoors.

AAC14 said...

Dear Lady Lydia, thank you for writing about this important topic! Another thing I would like to add is the importance of dressing appropriately for the occasion. I was disappointed (yet sadly, not too shocked) to see an extended family member at Easter, wearing a mini skirt, go-go boots, and a tight tank top. At another recent event, a bridal shower, a guest was wearing those "destroyed" jeans (knees blown out and rips throughout), cropped tee, jeans jacket, and combat boots. Where has basic common sense and respect gone?!!!

Lydia said...

I agree: buy shoes that you wear ONLY indoors; regular shoes! Just park them by the door and put them on when you come in. No problem. Slippers may not be sturdy enough to support the feet when doing housework, lifting things, moving things, etc. and they sometimes catch on things. But everyone must find their own way, and I'm not dictating. But its just for safety sake and health of the foot I mention these boots, which look good with long skirts. And, a foot injury is seriously painful.

Lydia said...

Feminine Belle, very good observation about the connection between being covered and being intelligent. Remember how the man in one of the gospels was just kind of a lunatic running around without clothes but when he believed in Christ he was healed of his malady and found "fully clothed and in his right mind." Half dressed, bare legs and bare chest, etc. --well what can I conclude? Its either just innocent ignorance or some lack of knowledge. If you are fully dressed you are probably trying to cover some parts of you that you don't want shown to the public. I know some of us have less than attractive arms that aren't great for anyone to look at, upper arms, flabby, etc. so we like sleeves!!! Some people cover their legs for that reason too. But there are other reasons, including dignity, a sense of propriety, etc.

Lydia said...

i just added some boot pictures for you!

Lydia said...

AAC14, Great points, and all of us have seen it!!! Sometimes we have to look at the floor during a wedding when the bridesmaids walk past--they look awful; what can be done? We are "corporately dressed" because we buy "off the rack" and assume it is "style" --tons of that trash sold in clothing stores; so how is a woman to know what to do? Go into the past and get some ideas and then make or choose clothing that is era-inspired, so to speak. I don't wear actual Victorian clothing but I dress Victorian-inspired.

The only solution I have is to go into schools and show a power point program of how to dress. I'm sure they will laugh at us but it would be exposing them to something else, at least. They have the web, and they can come to modest sites, but sometimes the modest sites lack beauty or propriety. Can you help me form a plan of action on this blog to expose people to the right stuff to wear to what? I'm sorry Ivanka trump showed up in Japan in an AWFUL outfit--good grief, what an insult to the Japanese culture!! Also many of the conservative women I listen to on youtube do not dress modestly!!! Candace Owns and Diamond and Silk need some lessons--even Sarah Huckabee!!!! Long is elegant and covered is beautiful, as the more cloth there is, the more you can style it!!!

Tammy said...

B/c of neuropathy in my feet/toes, there is no way I can wear any narrow toe shoe, or even cute sandals, without pain. So sport shoes it is. Not a choice, a necessity. And at home, I do wear slippers, as I'm tired of the sport shoes from being at work 6 hours a day. It works for me.

I do agree with modest dressing. The things I see at work, from people coming in! It's all I can do not roll my eyes, sometimes, lol.

Moderate Mouse said...

It was a hypothetical question I had asked. A "no shoes in the house rule" would be detrimental to me as the primary caregiver of the home for psychological reasons. Plus it wouldn't be practical for how much I go in and out to take out trash, get clothing on/off the line, check mail, and various other things that need done.

Lydia said...

As they say , necessity is the mother of invention. Being in a no-shoe house will help you come up with a viable solution to the footwear. This isn’t a debate but just about safety and health for the feet. It’s nit safe to wear sandals around a construction site and a kitchen can be hazardous if anything had ever stubbed your toe.

Lydia said...

Mrs. Mouse I understood the question was what to do if no shoes were allowed. It’s not a good policy And no hospital or even the most gentle or refined place of work forbids shoes unless you are in ancient Japan or maybe Japan today

Outdoors said...

To improve Mrs. Sherman's debating skills, I must disagree with the shoe policy and suggest you do not wear shoes inside. Main reason people get bunions and hammer toes and such is that the muscles of your foot weaken because of too sturdy shoes. One should be barefoot (or only wear socks or some barefoot shoes) as much as possible. Also your feet wont be so sweaty if you do not wear shoes...

I only wear (wool)socks inside, or if the floors are really cold, sheepskin slippers. Only accidents I have had so far are: 1. Stepping on a bumble bee -it did not even sting me. 2. Stepping on a tick that was full of our dogs blood. That was traumatizing and messy. :)

Otherwise great post. It is ironic how we are supposed to wear tons of potentially very harmful sunscreens to protect our skin and the obvious answer "put some clothes on" is like the last afterthought in those articles.

Lydia said...

Outdoors, no shoes are great if you aren’t doing any hard work but feet need support and protection during hard housework, load bearing chores, even carrying a child. As busy as we women are, and around heavy equipment like vacuumed and kitchen appliances, pits and pans etc , these boots are protection from the occasional accident of dropping things, as I explained in previous comments housework is like camping in many ways and feet need protection. These boots come in wide sizes and so do shoes, your comment is puzzling in that it assumes that EVERYONE suffers from shoes too small but these days that’s not true. It’s harmful to those tiny bones in thee feet to stand on a hard floor for many hours without protective shoes.

This was not intended to be a debate. But yes you are right about the sunscreen. It has PABA which is more harmful than the sun , but wearing clothing on that delicate skin would be much easier than using gobs of that goo.

Dawn said...

Tammy, maybe Alegria brand shoes would work for you. They have a wide toe-box and lots of cute styles including sandals. I think Zappos.com has free shipping and free return shipping on returns so that would be a no-risk way to try them for sizing and comfort.

Lady Lydia, shoes in the house are a must for me. I can't tell you how many times a frozen boulder of meat fell out of the freezer and either hit my foot or narrowly missed it. I suppose it would behoove me to figure out a better way of organizing my freezer. haha

Lydia said...

Ice falling from a tray or the ice maker on your fridge —not nice to bare feet and can cause severe injuries. Socks , slippers , sandals are not supporting for load bearing work, such as carrying basket of wet laundry to the line — lets be careful. When we rest our feet by going bare for a time , it’s not the same as work, which requires protection,

Lydia said...

Let's change the subject to clothing. You can argue til the cows come home about footwear but it doesn't matter if you have the best footwear for your purposes if you are not dressed modestly or with dignity. Dignity has a lot of meanings and I hope you will look the meaning up and get a wealth of information about it, and be able to apply it to clothing. Never think it doesn't matter what you wear at home, because there is the base of your greatest influence, if you only knew it, and also the place where you give yourself dignity as soon as you get ready for the day.

Lydia said...

Dear Lydia,

Lydia,

I tried to submit a comment, but I didn’t understand how to go about it, so I’m emailing you instead.


Your post about dressing with dignity is superb! I am new to your blog, having discovered it via The Thinking Housewife. It is delightful, so upbeat and encouraging.

It is so discouraging to go clothes shopping. Could you make some suggestions? Where to look??? My sewing days are over – I could never alter patterns to fit well, and I ended up wasting a lot of fabric.

I agree with everything you wrote in your post. This summer it seems to me that women look even more dreadful; more and more of them are covered with awful tattoos that the skimpy clothing reveals.

I am determined to rework my wardrobe to dress with dignity (although I am on a tight budget). Many thanks in advance for guidance as to where to look.

My best wishes to you, and my gratitude for your lovely website. May God bless you!
Katharine

Lydia said...

Katherine, After I read your request, I added some links to clothing sites that I have seen, which send catalogs I sometimes use, and have dignified clothing that looks good on any age woman and most of them look good on any body type or size.

Lydia said...

Moderate Mouse: I notice from clicking your name that you have several blogs but they aren't up to date. Maybe you could post some of your opinions about this subject on one of those blogs.

LunaMothly said...

Hello, Lydia!

Your words are part of my encouragement as well. Forgive me, as it's kind of off-topic, but I really want to email you about how much I like reading your posts, but I thought that this is a good start--It is my first time commenting here, despite reading your posts for years. I am a quiet fan of yours, but I hope to get more vocal as I get more comfortable. Your posts are inspirational and inspiring, as they give me a new perspective on my wardrobe and state of character in appearance. Overall, it has provided positive results, even to the point of inspiring a couple of women. I used to be a blue jean girl, but now I am more of a dresses/skirts woman. I now prefer floral, lighter, more feminine patterns and cuts (but those are hard to find, unless you are in a thrift store--Which is better because you are saving money and getting better quality clothing, not to mention giving old clothes a second chance).

I could tell you my endeavor to how I came to the conclusion to become more feminine, more non-gynocentric (gynocentric means female-centered, which is what feminism is at its core among other things), and more ladylike, but it would be lengthy here, and I prefer to email you personally (I really would love to talk about it to you). I never really give much thought of the state of society today until I was 25; I realized that I was getting increasingly disappointed over how things are deteriorating, from manners to guidance. It is a 'do as you will' kind of world today, with no direction, rules, or consequences--and as a result, almost all are suffering, whether they deny it or not. I have looked into anti-feminism (especially men's/fathers' rights), traditionalism, conservatism, and other means to find solutions to our problems in our society, civilization, and country/-ies. They have worked for centuries, and all failing civilizations reset to these kinds of ideas/movements. Not only that, people with your mindset are gaining popularity, and I think in the next few decades, it will become commonplace again--hopefully.

It's hard to find ladies or women who want to be ladies, let alone feminine (as in 'beautiful,' not 'hot/sexy' {Should I say that?}). I wish I could find more women like you to befriend/accompany. You are a great influence, and I look up to you. Your posts are appreciated and a breath of fresh air.

Thank you for reading this if you get a chance!

*(I had to delete it because I made an error on my grammar. It is now corrected.)

Josephine's Girl said...

You're preaching to the choir, dear Lydia. I have difficulty finding clothing I love that fits so I have begun making my own (plus sized and very short waisted). The designs are simple from 100 Acts of Sewing. I have had to lengthen the skirt as I found the just below the knee length quite uncomfortable to wear (no modest woman wants to expose that 😉). I like simple clothing made from natural fibers. I am a child of the 80s and the wearer of Laura Ashley dresses -- including my wedding gown. Love your encouragement!

laura said...

Has men's dress remain dignified? I usually see men in gym shorts and t-shirts with obnoxious sayings.

Diana said...

Hello, Lady Lydia. This article is so helpful and a reminder to me. I have drifted away from skirts and dresses because my new job has a casual/jeans dress code. I’ve tried to feminize the ‘uniform’ but am now thinking about abandoning the pants/jeans altogether.