What is appropriate clothing to wear at Mass if you're a female?

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My oh my, it’s quite obvious you have spent some time thinking about this and I wonder why? As long as your own clothing selections for mass suit your conscience then you should feel comfortable and at ease. It is not our pervue to tell others how to dress or what tatoo to cover or not.
 
There is no official teaching. Some particular churches have a posted dress code addressing things like skirt length. Normally it’s considered good to dress like the majority of other attendees. What would be considered fine at a Newman Center would probably get the fisheye at a Solemn High EF Mass.
 
In general, clothing should be modest, clean, and neat.

There are always exceptions. For example, I know that around here when the steel mills were booming, there would be masses at hours that would accomodate the mill shifts. At the parish I attended for daily mass near Wall Street, we would have construction workers come in for 12 pm mass, so there was a mix of people in suits and jeans.
 
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This is what I was speaking to. No working man should be shamed for attending Mass, especially Daily Mass, in well-worn, work-dirtied clothes. No woman, either.

There’s much to be said for custody of the eyes that doesn’t simply extend to salacious dress, but to things that you find displeasing in your taste and view of what should be acceptable. The people with stricter rules than the Vatican can go pound sand.
 
I agree except no jeans for men. Jeans can look nice but unless you are poor and literally cannot afford something more formal, they aren’t really appropriate for mass.
 
Xanthippe_Voorhees said:
That makes sense. Typically farming is in your own, home farm. Many of the people around where I am are day-laborers. A large number are Hispanic construction workers. They live outside the city because that’s all they can afford and work in the city on roads, buildings, and bridges. They are often filthy, but they brush off the best they can and attend Daily Mass.
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Yeah, that’s where I’ve been (for Sunday Mass no less!). I was working overnight into Sunday morning, and I literally walked from work to Sunday Mass. Probably smelled like floor stripper half the time too, but that couldn’t be much helped.
 
DarkLight said:
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Xanthippe_Voorhees:
That makes sense. Typically farming is in your own, home farm. Many of the people around where I am are day-laborers. A large number are Hispanic construction workers. They live outside the city because that’s all they can afford and work in the city on roads, buildings, and bridges. They are often filthy, but they brush off the best they can and attend Daily Mass.
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Yeah, that’s where I’ve been (for Sunday Mass no less!). I was working overnight into Sunday morning, and I literally walked from work to Sunday Mass. Probably smelled like floor stripper half the time too, but that couldn’t be much helped.
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Me, too. The worst was when I was in college and I worked in the Cafeteria. I was lucky to go to a Catholic Uni and we had Mass on campus. I had a wonderful, wonderful supervisor who would let me skip out of my shift a few minutes early so I could book it to Mass. I ran there. I stank of fries, grease, and pizza. It was not pleasant for even me. But I was able to make it and still have enough money to feed myself.
 
I think the moral of the story is that people sometimes dress the way they do, not because they want to slob out or are disrespecting the Liturgy. It’s out of circumstance. We shouldn’t be quick to judge.
 
I think what people are saying is don’t worry so much about it. Wear something decent. In most parishes I’ve been in the standard has been either clean jeans or slacks, and a nice top. Sometimes skirts/dresses for ladies, especially in summer. If the church lacks air conditioning perhaps nice knee-length shorts for men.
 
It is God’s house, so just remember that when choosing clothes for mass. Most importantly, you are dressing for God, not others.
 
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I was tempted to judgement once when a woman was at church in her active wear - yoga leggings and a bra top. I still don’t think it was appropriate, wouldn’t wear it myself in that setting, and wouldn’t advise anyone else to either.

But I believe the Holy Spirit nudged me to keep my eyes on the tabernacle rather than on the sartorial choices of fellow worshippers. She was a complete stranger and I do not know her story or why she came to be in church that day, so I kept my counsel.

What I’m trying get across is that we must personally wear what we feel is spiritually and culturally appropriate, but should hold back on the supercilious judgement of others.
 
I don’t think it’s appropriate either, but maybe she found out some bad news that day and felt compelled to go to church. We never know the battles someone is fighting.
 
Xanthippe_Voorhees said:
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1ke:
Clean, neat, and modest are the predominant criteria for both men and women. From there, it’s up to you.
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Actually 1ke, I wouldn’t even say “clean/neat” The church is fine with a day laborer coming to Mass after work, even with no time to change. That said, if we’re painting our house it would be prudent to put on nice clothes before Mass.
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I agree with you. Though for myself, I try to consider the circumstances. If I’m catching a mass right after work or while traveling, I won’t let my state of dress or cleanliness stop me, and it shouldn’t. As at least personal preference, if I wake up on a normal Sunday morning going to my normal 11 AM mass, I do hold myself to a higher standard (and nothing super special, generally slacks and a polo) than I would while traveling or in non-ordinary circumstances, and I don’t judge the circumstances of others, either.

Oh, and to be clear, I also understand that not everyone has the luxury of Sunday off like I do, or a 9 to 5 shift on other days. For some the norm has to be to come straight from work. If that means work clothes, that’s what it is.
 
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Says who? And what makes jeans “less appropriate” than any other form of pant?
 
Our culture. The same as who says the phrase ‘says who’ means what it does. To be sure jeans are becoming more acceptable where I live. But, you still won’t see them at a wedding or an office job interview. They actually do seem somewhat acceptable at some Masses because the culture of the Mass allows it. What I mean is they wouldn’t be appropriate for the Protestant church I went to but Mass seems to be much more casual.
 
Maybe where you live, but jeans are the “go to” bottoms for most people I know. Even in casual office settings, jeans are becoming normal.

I have been to many weddings where some of the guests wore jeans. I know many Protestants who wear jeans to Church.
So, again, where/who “officially” does it say they are not acceptable?
 
Is there any dress that is unacceptable? What about no dress? Is nudity unacceptable? If so who says so?

What is acceptable or unacceptable is worked out by a culture the same as lots of other things. We seem to really like doing whatever we feel like these days but such an attitude becomes pretty unlivable quickly. I mean why should I drive on the right side of the road (I live in the US)? Because the government says so? Who are they to tell me where I can or can’t drive?
 
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