Putting On Your Sunday Best

[PhuturePriest]

I go to Saturday evening Mass, and I usually wear jeans. Why? Because I can't afford anything nicer, I only have three jeans in total (The only other [i]p[/i]ants I have are two workout shorts, and I have had to live on three jeans for my daily wardrobe for a year), and plus, they are relatively nice, being Lee's. They were $30 each and they look acceptable-ish for Mass. For shirts this depends on what I have to wear, really. I only have about five shirts at a time, the majority of them being T-shirts, so if I do not have anything else by the time Saturday comes I will just wear a plain brown T-shirt, but I prefer wearing long-sleeve button down shirts for Mass. I do not think you should be [i]required [/i]to wear something nice for Mass per say, but I would wear a suit every week if I could afford one.

[MissyP89]

I tend to always dress the same way, regardless of whether I'm going to church, work, or hanging out with friends. After all, God is always present in the world and in me ... so I should always look my best to honor Him and honor my body, whether I'm going to church or not.

That means that I wear nice capris or pantz (denim on the weekends) with a polo/dressy blouse/cami/button down/etc. and either sandals or proper shoes. If I'm going to take a walk after work, I'll wear sneakers.

I just about always wear jeans to Mass. That probably makes me a bad Catholic, but my outfit as a whole is very reverent and classy. I never go to Mass looking like a bum, and I think that's key.

Edited August 19, 2012 by MissyP89

[MissyP89]

Afterthought:

It's also worth noting that I try to tailor my dress to what the cultural norm is at that parish.

For example, my friend lives in a very affluent area and attends a very conservative parish. Many of the women there wear dresses, and maybe six people in the whole church will have jeans on. In that situation, I go digging in the back of my closet for something super elegant. If I don't do that, then I'll stick out.

At my home parish, mostly everyone dresses nicely (blouses and polos), and there's an even mix of jeans and dress pantaloons. No one looks at me twice if I wear jeans. However, when I'm doing music ministry, I'll make sure to wear an outfit that's more formal.

Edited August 19, 2012 by MissyP89

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1345398366' post='2470166']
I find it an interesting commentary that a man will wear a suit and tie to work, but comes to church in jorts and a hawaiian shirt. It shows where his priorities lie.

When I attend mass or church services as a musician, I will wear the garb suitable for my office. When I am attending to worship, I will wear a tie and jacket. I do not, however, have clothes which are appropriated solely for Sundays.
[/quote]

I agree. Thankfully I will not be seen in jeans and shirts for much longer as my spiritual director is going to teach me how to be an altar server. I know it is acceptable in my case to wear jeans and shirts since I can't afford anything else, but I sometimes wish I could be in something more suitable. I wonder if Men's Wearhouse will mind if I never return the tux I am wearing for my sister's wedding?

[Groo the Wanderer]

I usually wear business casual to Mass: khakis of some type + button-down or polo shirt. If I am reading or if its a special Mass like for Our Lady or Confirmation, I wear a suit. If its Mass at a retreat, I usually wear jeans and the youth shirt.

[Annie12]

I wear dresses to Mass in the warmer days and I wear slacks and a nice sweater in the cooler days. It always looks classy!

But sometimes For daily mass I might wear jeans (when I have to do laundry and such). I Never wear Short shorts to Mass. When I see people wearing short shorts to Mass I'm like... . I'm the conservative type...

[MissyP89]

[quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1345404349' post='2470207']
But sometimes For daily mass I might wear jeans (when I have to do laundry and such). I Never wear Short shorts to Mass. When I see people wearing short shorts to Mass I'm like... . I'm the conservative type...
[/quote]

I had to do this once when we didn't have power for 8 days. Sometimes it happens ... try to remember that you never know [i]why [/i]they're wearing what they are. Thankfully no one is turned away! God bless you.

[jazzytakara]

I usually aim to wear nice clothing to church, but sometimes said nice clothing gets dirty and their is no time to wash them. In times such as the above, I aim to ensure I am dressed appropriately, nothing revealing or offensive so to speak.

[Slappo]

[quote name='MissyP89' timestamp='1345402766' post='2470191']
Afterthought:

It's also worth noting that I try to tailor my dress to what the cultural norm is at that parish.

For example, my friend lives in a very affluent area and attends a very conservative parish. Many of the women there wear dresses, and maybe six people in the whole church will have jeans on. In that situation, I go digging in the back of my closet for something super elegant. If I don't do that, then I'll stick out.

At my home parish, mostly everyone dresses nicely (blouses and polos), and there's an even mix of jeans and dress pantaloons. No one looks at me twice if I wear jeans. However, when I'm doing music ministry, I'll make sure to wear an outfit that's more formal.
[/quote]

This. When I was in the mid-west I almost always wore shirt and tie, now it's polo and nice jeans typically. I won't do ratty jeans or a t-shirt or sweatshirt..., but if I wore shirt and tie in my city I'd get looked at funny.

[carmenchristi]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1345397000' post='2470162']
In case anyone wants to know, this week I'm feeling rather whimsical, so to Mass today I am wearing the legendary Raritie!

[img]http://cache0.bigcartel.com/product_images/67294117/300.jpg[/img]

You wouldn't call it a great quality tie, but for a novelty tie it's entirely acceptable. A little bit thin for my tastes, but with my suit jacket buttoned that becomes less noticeable. It doesn't have quite as much body as my better ties, so a full Windsor looks a bit silly, but I've found that a half Windsor looks pretty much like a four-in-hand on a better quality tie. That reminds me that I need to learn the Shelby knot for comparison, because that could be interesting.
I've got an ivory tie clip too. It's rather small so I usually opt for my shiny chrome-ish one that's significantly longer, but on a small tie like this, and in these colours, this ivory clip is just perfect.
[/quote]

Wow! That was a really in-depth explanation! I like the tie though

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='carmenchristi' timestamp='1345497133' post='2470791']
Wow! That was a really in-depth explanation! I like the tie though
[/quote]

I like ties. ^_^

[Ice_nine]

look at my avatar.




But seriously, I don't dress up. I wore a dress yesterday because I was coming back from a baby shower and didn't have time to change because I wasn't in control of transportation, and that felt weird. I typically wear the best clothes I have, which I'm sure to other people looks like poo, but oh well. When going to Mass I don't choose my dress according to the capricious fashion dictates of the people there, although they might judge me idrc. In antiquity (and perhaps poorer places in the world today) I'm sure the dress was mostly homogenous and didn't have to deal with all the anxiety that comes with the myriad of choices and ever-changing social rules for what fashion is considered appropriate for the given time and occasion.

And I hate when people say "but you dress up for x, y, and z but not for mass?!?!" because I have an aversion to dressing up for anything, but acquiesce on account of people's hyper-sensitivity to appearances and such (weddings, funerals etc).

At my funeral, wear whatever the hell makes you feel dandy.

[add]

[quote name='Ice_nine' timestamp='1345499461' post='2470823']
At my funeral, wear whatever the hell makes you feel dandy.
[/quote]
I will wear something nice for you, if you will for me

[tinytherese]

What really needs to happen is dressing modestly (as in not wearing revealing clothing) at mass.

[Nihil Obstat]

My priest mentioned before his homily today the standards of modesty that he expects for Mass. I was very impressed; he's the only priest I've heard personally who's willing to address such subjects. He's a very good priest; I'm extremely lucky to have him available to me.