Female Discerners, Answer Me This

[franciscanheart]

Hey ladies!

I have a very worldly question for y'all - errr, more like three or four.

1. What is your typical (day to day) attire?
2. Have you always dressed this way?
3. Did discernment change the way you viewed your dress?
4. How many of you wear pantaloons?

I'm looking for more floor-length skirts. Though some of my friends would be quite shocked, I actually own a fair number of skirts, but most of them are knee-length. I have a couple floor length skirts I really love (including one I sewed myself for my first visit with the CFRs some five or six years ago) but would love to have more to choose from. I don't know that I'll ever ditch my jeans completely but then, I've done crazier things.

That reminds me of a silly story: During my first visit to the CFRs, I was rooming with a gal from Ireland. She was very kind, very funny, and all-around a fun girl. She of course wore floor-length skirts during her visit but on the morning of her departure, she put on (tight) jeans. I was taken aback. I don't think I would call it scandalous, just very strange to see. I always laugh when I think of how shocked I was to see her in jeans.

eta: If you do wear floor-length skirts, where do you get them? Do you make them yourself? What stores have proven resourceful for you? I have found many of my favorite skirts at some popular mainstream places but I'm not opposed to ordering online if sizing guides are reliable.

[Chamomile]

[quote name='franciscanheart' timestamp='1300473186' post='2221559']
4. How many of you wear pantaloons?

[/quote]



You mean like these?

[img]http://www.storiedthreads.com/Womens%20Clothes/Pantaloons%20Resize.jpg[/img]


I think everyone on VS has a pair.

I might answer your questions seriously later. After I go to the park and frolic in my pantaloons [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/nun2.gif[/img]

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='Chamomile' timestamp='1300474998' post='2221562']
You mean like these?

[img]http://www.storiedthreads.com/Womens%20Clothes/Pantaloons%20Resize.jpg[/img]


I think everyone on VS has a pair.

I might answer your questions seriously later. After I go to the park and frolic in my pantaloons [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/nun2.gif[/img]
[/quote]



Wait for me!

[HopefulBride]

[b]1. What is your typical (day to day) attire?[/b]
My typical attire is usually business casual because I spend most of my day at work. From work I will throw on some jeans or shorts (and I will admit some of my jeans are tight)
[b]
2. Have you always dressed this way?[/b]
Yes, I have always dressed this way. I actually brought that up to my spiritual director because my sister and I often disagree on what I should wear. She thinks I shouldn't wear such high heels (I'm only 5'1" and my pantaloons are long) that and I am very comfortable in heels. I was being pressured by my sister and some close friends to dress a certain way because I guess they have their expectations of how a discerning young woman should dress. I don't dress immodest but I will admit to being a fashionista in my pre-discernment days. I didn't feel like I should get rid of those things because I am discerning - My sister and my friends can't wait for the day they can raid my closet. LOL

My SD knew me pre-discernment and he and I both agree that there is no need to change who I am and how I dress because of the fact that I am entering a religious community. I enjoy wearing high-heeled boots and stuff. To the dismay of my sister, I still wear make up sometimes.
[b]
3. Did discernment change the way you viewed your dress?[/b]
Not really. I don't wear pantaloons as much though (which is very hard for me because I prefer to have my legs covered) I find that floor length skirts aren't as neutral as say a pair of black/brown pantaloons.

[b]4. How many of you wear pantaloons? [/b]
I do.

eta: [b]If you do wear floor-length skirts, where do you get them? Do you make them yourself?[/b]
I do wear them but the ones I have came as gifts from my sister and my brothers.

Edited March 18, 2011 by HopefulBride

[juchu]

okay, I am looking for excuses not to study, so here I go...

[b]1. What is your typical (day to day) attire?[/b]
Depends.
Today I am actually wearing a bottom long skirt in bordeaux-red, a black long sleeve shirt and a grey jacket. But I also wear jeans and shorter (over the knee) skirts. In summer it is quite normal for most people to wear a skirt, but sometimes during winter people look at me, maybe thinking I am a hippie-save-the-world-person

[b]2. Have you always dressed this way[/b]?

When I was younger I cared far more about clothes and showed off more.

[b]3. Did discernment change the way you viewed your dress?[/b]

It is becoming less important. As a new years resolution I decided not to buy any more clothes, because - God wanting - I will enter february 2012, so I really do not need to spend money on clothes. Up to know I have been successfull in not buying anything!

The times when I feel like "dressing up" decrease, but that also may have to do that I spend my main time studying in front of my books and nobody else then my friends I am living with, sees me.

I always cared quite a lot about how I look, I still do care too much. But Gods grace hopefully will transform that as well
I would say that I dress "more modest" then when I was younger, but maybe that is also simply something of maturing and does not necessarily have to do with discerning.

I have increased wearing skirts, but not out of "dogmatic" reasons, but just because I like them and I feel more woman-like.
I do. And jeans. I love them And actually in my going to be community, the postulants just wear normal clothes. So you just take the clothes with you that you have. So do the aspirants. So when I am there, I normally where just jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt.
You still use your old civil clothes when you do really dirty work, e.g. in the garden and so on even as a sister. So it is quite funny to look at the clothes of the sisters who entered 25 years ago while working in the garden.... They are still fine, but in the style of the 80s

[b]
4. How many of you wear pantaloons? [/b]

I have two pairs, and I wear them in the summer when I am walking quite a long way with a skirt. Otherwise I just try to be careful about how I sit.
In the winter I wear tights when I wear skirts. But actually I do not like pantaloons that much.



About where to buy long skirts? I actually bought two of mine at a buddhist monastery in Brazil and another one in Argentina, so that is not a big help... But if there is a Buddhist temple near you, you could check their store out. Mine are beuatiful, made of linnen.


edit: Just want to add that I am trying that outward-things become less important for me, including clothes. So worrying a lot about how I look can also occupey me in the way that I care too much about "modest" clothes or going shopping to find that skirt and so on....So I just prefer to wear what I have and not spend time or money on the subject. (expect for answering this question here )

Edited March 18, 2011 by juchu

[OnlySunshine]

1. [b]What is your typical (day to day) attire?
[/b]

I typically wear a regular shirt with an undershirt and some knit pantaloons. I HATE jeans and always have ever since they stopped making my favorite Rider jeans for my size. Other jeans are so uncomfortable because of the way I'm proportioned.

2. [b]Have you always dressed this way?[/b]

Not always. It did change when I got to my teens, especially when I started experiencing depression and I would wear overalls all the time as a comfort thing. I don't know why, but they helped. But since I turned 22 or so, I stopped wearing overalls altogether and now I just wear knit pantaloons.

3. [b]Did discernment change the way you viewed your dress?[/b]

I would have to say 'yes' because I started dressing more modestly since I reverted to the Church around the same time I started discerning. That's when I added the undershirt to my garb. I read a pamphlet online on how one who wants to imitate Our Lady should dress and I thought it would be a good idea to wear one. I feel funny when I don't because I feel like I'm missing something, especially when I'm wearing a white shirt and people can see my bra through it.

4. [b]How many of you wear pantaloons[/b]?

If you mean regular pantaloons, I do. If you mean pettipants (like a slip), I do under skirts and dresses. Before L_C left, we discussed those and where you could buy them. They are the only slips I wear since my grandmother purchased some for me when I was about 11 years old.

The slip looks like this:

[img]http://cache.jcpenney.com/storeimages/large/0900631b8115ae70L.jpg[/img]
[b]
If you do wear floor-length skirts, where do you get them? Do you make them yourself? What stores have proven resourceful for you?[/b]

I have the hardest time finding skirts that fit because I am so short and I have a short torso. Most of the skirts I find are too long or uncomfortable. I did, however, find a nice jean jumper dress at a thrift store that I love to wear to Church. It's really comfy. I'd wear it everyday if I could (probably because it makes me look like a postulant when I wear it with a white poplin shirt ). I also have a brown floor-length skirt that I bought from Cato. It's made out of a comfy rayon material that isn't too heavy. I also have a dress that I bought from Sears that I made into a jumper dress by wearing a shirt under it. It was meant to be a tank dress, but I don't like bare arms because my arms are rather fat on the top. Other than that, I usually wear a below-knee length dress to Church or dress pantaloons (if it's too cold or I don't feel like wearing a dress).

Edited March 18, 2011 by MaterMisericordiae

[Lisa]

[b]1. What is your typical (day to day) attire?
[/b]Jeans and t-shirts/plain shirts. Almost every day. Sometimes skirts, but they're usually knee length (I just don't have anything longer and haven't really gone out shopping for them).

[b]2. Have you always dressed this way[/b]?

I used to be really concerned about how I dressed and would wear more revealing shirts, tighter jeans, etc.

[b]3. Did discernment change the way you viewed your dress?[/b]

I have looked a little more critically at some of the things I wear- shirts that dip a little lower, etc. On the other hand, I'm just removing some things from my wardrobe, and trying not to buy more stuff.

[b]4. How many of you wear pantaloons?[/b]
Pantaloons (as in pant.s) yes. As in slightly puffy, frilled, or lacy things that go under skirts, not so much.

Skirts are super easy to make and shouldn't take long. You can find patterns at JoAnns for 99 cents.

Edited March 18, 2011 by Lisa

[emilier98]

[color="#595959"][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"][b]1. What is your typical (day to day) attire?[/b][/size][/font][/color]
[color="#595959"][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"]I typically wear jeans and a shirt. If I wear a short sleeve shirt I tend to wear a long sleeve shirt under it, but that is for work. I dress fairly modestly, no low cut tops, no skinny jeans, no super tight jeans. I hate shoes so I typically wear flip flops or sandals or crocs and then when I get to school, if it's nice, I ditch the shoe type things. I have never really cared about fashion and I have never worn make-up. I have always been a jeans and t-shirt type of girl. I don't even use product in my hair. I usually put it up in a clip or pony tail and go.[/size][/font][/color]
[color="#595959"][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"][b]
2. Have you always dressed this way?[/b][/size][/font][/color]
[color="#595959"][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"]Outside of work or school yes I have. Like I said I have never really cared about fashion, I just want to be comfortable.[/size][/font][/color]
[color="#595959"][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"][b]
3. Did discernment change the way you viewed your dress?[/b][/size][/font][/color]
[font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"][color="#595959"][size="4"]I dress slightly more modestly. I don't wear shirts that are as tight fitting, I don't wear my low cut shirts or sweaters. I go to a small Catholic university and most people know I am discerning and that I am going to visit this summer so I am more conscious of other people's perceptions of how I should dress so at school I try to make sure that I look what they think a female who is discerning should. I still won't wear the floor length skirts, I just don't find them practical and I am not comfortable in them. What has changed me from being really casual is that in my discernment and my realization that I want to be a sister is I have started helping out in the church on campus more. I have become a sacristan and I am starting training to be an altar server and a Eucharistic Minister. I also help out at the priory on campus and spend more time there and so I try and dress with respect to the Dominican friars there.[/size][/color][/size][/font]
[font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"][color="#595959"] [/color][/size][/font]
[font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"][color="#595959"][size="4"][b]4. How many of you wear pantaloons?[/b][/size][/color][/size][/font]
[font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"][size="4"][color="#595959"][size="4"]I don't wear pantaloons, but I don't really wear skirts either so there ya go.[/size][/color][/size][/font]
[color="#595959"][font="arial, verdana, sans-serif"] [/font][/color]

Edited March 18, 2011 by emilier98

[Cherie]

Ok, maybe I shouldn't answer, seeing as I'm not really discerning any longer, but maybe you want someone's perspective of what I have been wearing [i]post convent.[/i]

[b]1. What is your typical (day to day) attire?[/b]
Usually it was a skirt and a nice shirt - something that I would feel fine wearing if I wanted to stop in church during the day or attend daily Mass. Maybe not my Sunday best, but something fairly nice. Post-pregnancy, since I'm not able to fit into many of my pre-pregnancy clothes anymore, I have been wearing more pant.s, (and especially since we just emerged from winter time, when I wear jeans/pant.s more often) but if I had more skirts that fit me well I would wear those instead.
[b]
2. Have you always dressed this way?[/b]
No, it was when I started seriously discerning that I went back to wearing skirts more often than pant.s, and started to take modesty and courtesy into consideration, because I believe it's important to look "nice" not from a vanity perspective (because that's going too far, and sinful!) but out of courtesy and respect for others, and to show that you respect the Temple of the Holy Spirit that is your body.

[b]3. Did discernment change the way you viewed your dress?[/b]
Yes. And post-religious life, I [i]really[/i] changed my perspective. Modesty is super important to me, and after wearing the most modest dress a woman could ever clothe herself in (a religious habit!) I definitely felt like I should be wearing things that were not remotely the cultural norm, which is very [i]immodest! [/i]

I don't believe wearing pant.s is "wrong" -- certainly not from a femininity perspective (because try putting women's pant.s on a man! Ha! They are [i]tailored[/i] for women now) but not even from a modesty perspective, which is a big reason why some people dislike women wearing pant.s. Tight jeans, etc. are definitely not an option for me. But there are many cuts of pant.s or jeans that look fine on a woman, and they are quite modest according to my definition of modesty. There are some activities in which it would not be becoming [i]nor[/i] modest for a woman to wear skirts (horseback riding, anyone?) and in the winter time, it makes sense for women to cover their legs like that. But I don't have a problem with women wearing skirts all the time, either. If I had more and could currently fit into my own better, I'd probably wear them all the time myself. I just like them better, and I feel better wearing skirts.

[b]4. How many of you wear pantaloons? [/b]
Do you mean, like, bloomers, or just pant.s? Because no, I definitely don't wear bloomers!!! But yes, sometimes I do wear pant.s, and more often now that I'm a new mom. Hopefully within the next few weeks I'll be able to fit back into my old clothes, hehe (Pregnancy weight can be a lot harder to get off than you'd realize!)

It's been hard for me to find good, long skirts at a reasonable price. I look at the department stores sometimes, but I never see anything that I particularly like. They either aren't modest, have some newfangled thing about it that looks stupid, or are too expensive/made from too delicate a fabric. I like something I can wear everyday. If I find any websites I like or any good deals at well-known stores, I will let you know! (My husband is taking me skirt-shopping this weekend. Rule for buying skirts for a woman who hopes to have many children? Get elastic waists! lol)

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='CherieMadame' timestamp='1300480257' post='2221580']
Do you mean, like, bloomers, or just pant.s? Because no, I definitely don't wear bloomers!!! But yes, sometimes I do wear pant.s, and more often now that I'm a new mom. Hopefully within the next few weeks I'll be able to fit back into my old clothes, hehe (Pregnancy weight can be a lot harder to get off than you'd realize!)
[/quote]
I meant pantaloons like jeans or slacks or linen bottoms (that aren't skirts). I don't wear bloomers either.

[quote name='CherieMadame' timestamp='1300480257' post='2221580']
It's been hard for me to find good, long skirts at a reasonable price. I look at the department stores sometimes, but I never see anything that I particularly like. They either aren't modest, have some newfangled thing about it that looks stupid, or are too expensive/made from too delicate a fabric. I like something I can wear everyday. If I find any websites I like or any good deals at well-known stores, I will let you know!
[/quote]
Same and thanks!

[emilier98]

[quote name='franciscanheart' timestamp='1300481499' post='2221588']
I meant pantaloons like jeans or slacks or linen bottoms (that aren't skirts). I don't wear bloomers either.

[/quote]

I like linen bottoms sometimes. Also if you look at places that sell like hemp clothing and hippie type stores you can find floor length skirts. I know most of the girls where I go to school make their skirts or their moms do.

You might try [url="http://www.hippieclothes.com/category_22/Skirts.htm"]this[/url] site.

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='emilier98' timestamp='1300481783' post='2221591']
I like linen bottoms sometimes. Also if you look at places that sell like hemp clothing and hippie type stores you can find floor length skirts. I know most of the girls where I go to school make their skirts or their moms do.

You might try [url="http://www.hippieclothes.com/category_22/Skirts.htm"]this[/url] site.
[/quote]
I'm in great like with that site! THANKS!!

[franciscanheart]

I like this:
[img]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5538463252_564d3ea0f7_z.jpg[/img]

but (because something like that costs $100) am usually in something like this:
[img]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5051/5538468408_33a7c7e41a.jpg[/img]

[Chamomile]

I like long skirts, hippie skirts especially. You can find them at thrift stores usually

I also wear jeans when I'm doing active stuff. Or if it's too cold for skirts.

I had some slightly immodest clothes before I converted/started discerning (happened around the same time).

I actually think Muslim women dress pretty (not the black burka, but the long, flowy things).

I have secretly wanted to wear my own type of habit/robe-type thing for a long time.

[vee]

[quote name='Chamomile' timestamp='1300474998' post='2221562']
You mean like these?

[img]http://www.storiedthreads.com/Womens%20Clothes/Pantaloons%20Resize.jpg[/img]


I think everyone on VS has a pair.

I might answer your questions seriously later. After I go to the park and frolic in my pantaloons [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/nun2.gif[/img]
[/quote]