Traditional Attire?

[Dymphna82]

Being plus sized, the industry already wants to cover us up, it seems. Hmm, well, the clothing stores in my area are Lane Bryant, The Avenue and Ashley Stewart. I’ve also heard of a new store called Woman Within, that seems to have some modest summerwear that goes up to size 44 womens.I was given a promo discount code in my email that I don’t plan on using. WW57995. They also seem to have a sale online as well.

womanwithin.com/

Avenue, special sizes section:
avenue.com/Plus-Size-Special-Sizes.aspx?DeptId=19991

Ashley Stewart extended sizes:
ashleystewart.com/catalog/V9K/all_ExtendedSizing

I checked and Lane Bryant only goes up to 28, so it’ll be a bit of a hit and miss.
lanebryant.com/

There should be some modest length dresses and skirts there. If the sleeves are too short, I’m sure you can wear a shawl. Hard to find long sleeves in the heat.

ETA: Oh! I bought some nice dresses years ago from this seller on Ebay called holyclothing.com
clothing.shop.ebay.com/Dresses-/63861/i.html?Size%2520Type=Plus&_catref=1&_dcat=11450&_fln=1&_ipg=&_ssn=holyclothing.com&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

The clothing is kind of renaissance but not so much that you’re going to look like you’re at a fair. They go up to 7x.

 

[gatewood1988]

I can’t stand plunging necklines on plus size clothing lol. I think I will stick with my original idea of getting a traditional Abaya from a Muslim store that has plus sizes so I can have that Mary-like modesty. eastessence.com/products/Amatullah_Abaya-605-9.html

 

[Will_S]

The vast majority of men at my FSSP parish where a suit and tie, but I have just been unable to bring myself to do the same even though I do like “dressing up.” My father’s strong views on this had just impacted to such a degree that it feels wrong to do so, even though I know its not.

Anyway I don’t show up to church wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but just wear what I usually do which I guess you would call business-casual. No one has ever said anything. There is one parishioner who does usually show up wearing shorts and a t-shirt and people seem fine with it.

A suit and tie is still the best option I think, but since society is moving men away from suit and tie anywhere at all, and a lot of men, even well paid professionals, wear khakis and a button-down, as everyday officewear, a lot of men at traditional chapels wear that instead of a suit and tie, and I, at least, don’t have any complaint with it.

As for your shorts and a t-shirt wearer, I am sure that a lot of people don’t like it, and are secretly hoping that the person will figure it out sooner or later. Most people in traditional chapels are very tolerant of that sort of clothing for a while. But if the person keeps coming every week then sooner or later, someone will probably say something, and rightly so. Certainly some decent jeans and a golf shirt aren’t too much to hope for.

 

[Dymphna82]

Oh, I think only half of the dresses I linked to have plunging necklines, but I’m fairly flat chested for a plus sized woman, so it’s never an issue for me. And Abaya works too.

I’m currently making myself a snood for my hair. Even though I’m Roman Catholic, I feel a need for modesty. If you crochet, you can try the pattern for yourself.

2yarnobsessed.blogspot.com/2010/06/divas-slouching-posie.html

 

[Joannm]

I can’t stand plunging necklines on plus size clothing lol. I think I will stick with my original idea of getting a traditional Abaya from a Muslim store that has plus sizes so I can have that Mary-like modesty. eastessence.com/products/Amatullah_Abaya-605-9.html

I don’t know where people get the idea that being a traditional Catholic in dress means to cover from head to toe. In the days before Vatican II women wore whatever was in fashion. They wore short sleeves, knee length dresses, and yes, necklines that went below two finger below your throat. They wore hats that they bought in millenary stores that were all the fashion rage. For many homemakers, going to church was the only place they had to really dress fashionably. This idea of dressing “Mary like” is going a bit too far. Mary dressed wearing what women wore everyday. The nuns throughout the centuries wore what women wore, only they wore it in black or brown. I had a sister friend who went to France and they went to a museum where there was an exhibit of French fashions throughout the centuries. There on exhibit was there habit, only in a color, including the coronet.

If dressing like a Muslim makes someone feel comfortable then wear it for that reason, but they should not say they are dressing “traditional” because they are not. It is their personal preference, that’s all.

 

[MissRose73]

I am plus sized myself, and find it hard to find shirts without plunging necklines.

I wear shawls and wraps to Mass to cover my shirts that show cleavage no matter the amount.

Thank you for the additional links for clothes too.

 

[Dymphna82]

I have a big neck and a broad back so if they’re not at least a standard v-neck, I look like I’m being choked. LOL.

 

[adstrinity]

I’m going to tell you what somebody else on this forum told me: www.holyclothing.com The dresses can be low-cut, so, I wear a tank top or t-shirt underneath them and also pin them if they run big.

I’ve not been to a Cato store, but, I’ve heard they carry plus-size items, not sure how modest it is.

Do not support Muslims. How long have you been going to the FSSP in Tulsa? Were you there in the winter when the Assistant Pastor mentioned what is modest for women?: Skirt or dress that covers the knees when sitting and standing, neckline no more than two finger-breadths below the pit of the neck, and at least 1/4 sleeves. …That is the bare minimum, covering up more is fine and many women do.

 

[gatewood1988]

I’m going to tell you what somebody else on this forum told me: www.holyclothing.com The dresses can be low-cut, so, I wear a tank top or t-shirt underneath them and also pin them if they run big.

I’ve not been to a Cato store, but, I’ve heard they carry plus-size items, not sure how modest it is.

Do not support Muslims. How long have you been going to the FSSP in Tulsa? Were you there in the winter when the Assistant Pastor mentioned what is modest for women?: Skirt or dress that covers the knees when sitting and standing, neckline no more than two finger-breadths below the pit of the neck, and at least 1/4 sleeves. …That is the bare minimum, covering up more is fine and many women do.

I have only been going for a week. However I have been wanting to dress more modestly and it is very difficult for me to find anything here in town. I was used to the eastern clothes because I know how to wrap a traditional indian saree thats why I liked the muslim dress, if only I could find something like that in my size in a ross or something.

 

[Stavros]

Just FYI, I’m a big girl, and I am still able to dress conservatively for mass. A great option for modest plus-sized clothes is Catherines.com. During the week, when I go to Daily Mass, I wear the slacks and tops I wear to work, but on the weekends I wear skirts and tops from here. I buy all of my career and church clothes at this store. There’s two Catherine’s in Tulsa, OK, so I’d highly recommend going by there to check out their tops and skirts.

Here’s the parts to a sample mass outfit, which I will be wearing tomorrow at the solumn high mass at my parish:

Kenya Jacket (don’t worry - in person it does NOT look like animal print)

Bella Satin Touch Tank - Cream

Slimming Skirt - Brown (It’s more of a “Carmel” brown than the camel brown on the website)

I’ll be wearing that with a pair of dressy heels, a nice set of faux pearls, and my Ivory chapel veil. By the way, that “Slimming Skirt” is long enough to wear knee highs and not be flashing the tops at people when kneeling.

Also?

40% off tomorrow in stores!! Or 40% off line today! Enter code FRIENDS40CA at checkout! I want to get this white skirt to go with my fave green top, or maybe with my fave blue top as long as I wear a white lace scarf to make it a bit more modest around the neckline. The more casual skirt outfits I wear on Saturdays when I’m working with the other ladies to do the flowers for the altar. I tend to get a bit warm, so I wear sandals and casual tops with my skirts.

 

[utah_rose]

I don’t know where people get the idea that being a traditional Catholic in dress means to cover from head to toe. In the days before Vatican II women wore whatever was in fashion. They wore short sleeves, knee length dresses, and yes, necklines that went below two finger below your throat. They wore hats that they bought in millenary stores that were all the fashion rage. For many homemakers, going to church was the only place they had to really dress fashionably. This idea of dressing “Mary like” is going a bit too far. Mary dressed wearing what women wore everyday. The nuns throughout the centuries wore what women wore, only they wore it in black or brown. I had a sister friend who went to France and they went to a museum where there was an exhibit of French fashions throughout the centuries. There on exhibit was there habit, only in a color, including the coronet.

If dressing like a Muslim makes someone feel comfortable then wear it for that reason, but they should not say they are dressing “traditional” because they are not. It is their personal preference, that’s all.

I wouldn’t want to dress like a Muslim either, but at our parish church pre Vatican II if the women didn’t dress “correctly” they were told about it. During the summer, no sleeveless dresses or sundresses, and certainly no short dresses either.

However, I do remember when “straight skirts” were in fashion, and although they covered the knee, if they were tight, they also exposed your body.

I attend a TLM Mass and wear mostly loose pants and tops. I don’t look good in a dress, and I feel as long as it is clean and modest and not low cut, it will do.

There are women though that wear a long skirt, but are “curvy” and I think show more of their bodies then some in casual pants, but not tight fitting jeans.

Also, in pre Vatican II era, hats, gloves, and heels were the norm. But I attended a co-ed parochial high school, and although we wore uniforms I remember we’d hike up the skirts to just touch our knees if we could get away with it.

 

[Dymphna82]

I’m going to tell you what somebody else on this forum told me: www.holyclothing.com The dresses can be low-cut, so, I wear a tank top or t-shirt underneath them and also pin them if they run big.

I referenced holyclothing.com as an Ebay seller above, but I had no idea they have a website too. This is most excellent news. Thank you!

 

[Tepeyac]

Wearing a chapel veil is far from traditional in this country. She probably picked it up in one of her extensive travels. The custom is only about 40-50 years old.

That’s not quite true. In the Southwest the mantilla is traditional. As someone else wrote, it depends on your region and your ethnic background. That said, I think hats are cool and they deserve a comeback for women and men (for guys outside of Mass, of course).

 

[Thomas_Casey]

I’ve brought this thread back, but I’m going to ask that we are careful with the links. Please keep an eye on anyone that may use this as an opportunity to market a business.

It’s OK to share resources. That’s not a problem. It’s not OK to market one’s business or market for someone else.

Thank You

 

[amsjj]

Mantillas were worn in my neck of the woods, Southern California; I remember them being worn even up to the late 1970s/early 1980s.

For myself, I wear a black scarf. During the summer, it’s a little toasty, but that’s OK; I offer it up!

take care,
amsjj

+++
Jesus, God and man,
imprisoned by love in Thy most holy Sacrament,
have mercy upon us.
– Blessed John Henry Newman, December 22, 1851

Tú y yo sabemos por la fe que oculto en las especies sacramentales está Cristo,
ese Cristo con su Cuerpo, con su Sangre, con su Alma, y con su Divinidad,
prisonero de amor.
– San Josemaria Escriva, 1 junio 1974

 

[Ohiomom]

Hello everyone, I am in a bit of a pickle. I am trying to find modest dresses and or skirt sets in my size that I can wear to the FSSP parish for Mass. I am size 28-30 as far as I know. I cannot find much here in Tulsa to wear at the local stores. Are there any really good websites you would recommend?

I personally have an issue with clothing from Islamic sites, partially because they cover for a different reason than do modest Christian women.

I would recommend Ringger clothing. You can order plus clothing up to size 30/32 and they can modify based on your measurments. If you sign up to get their e-mails they send out promotions about every week, often giving opportunities to get free items of clothing if you order certain items. You can get plus size skirts, blouses/tops, jumpers and dressses.

ringgerclothing.com/shop.php?g=PS

 

[Monica4316]

Question for the ladies here (though guys can answer too)

What would you say is a modest length for skirts or dresses?

I went to the mall and was looking for a skirt, and of course I couldn’t find anything even below the knees, unless it’s really expensive, or not something I’d wear. Then I went to another store around here, and found a good skirt that is around 16 or so centimeters below the knee. It covers the knee when I’m sitting down too so I thought it’s a good choice. It looks modest but is still modern. I also like the really long skirts (right to the ankle) that are sort of in style right now.

My skirt is sort of this length: media.redcatsusa.com/is/image/avenue/mm/0326_04571_mm.jpg

What is your opinion on this??

 

[Anna_jane]

I don’t think you even need to go that long. Even traditional churches only expect skirts to go to the knee, and then only for Mass. A lot of this question of “how long does it have to be” depends on your body type, really.

 

[beth40n2]

The skirt you chose is great!

I feel more comforable when the skirt is below the knee, and less chance of anything showing that shouldn’t when I sit down.

 

[TrueLight]

I like for it to at least cover my knees when I sit down.

The shortest skirt I’ll wear is something this length.

Anything shorter, and I get too much attention.