Enamored with Skirts

My recent fascination with skirts started when I began researching issues surrounding modesty, biblical womanhood, and feminine dress. I've delved pretty deeply in the last few months into all of these issues, and feel like I have finally reached a view that is balanced.

The Bible calls women to dress femininely (Deut. 22: 5): This means that women are not to dress in a way that makes her appear like a man. In previous times that meant that women did not wear pants. However, in our current society a woman who wears pants would not be considered to be cross-dressing. If you are dressing femininely that means that it is obvious by what you wear that you enjoy and honor your womanhood. For some women that means lace and ribbons while for others it means chunky fun earrings in bright colors. The heart attitude is a major key in this area.

The Bible calls women to dress appropriately (1 Timothy 2:9-10): These verses admonish women to dress modestly with propriety and moderation as befits a godly woman. The way in which we dress should glorify our Heavenly Father, not the latest fashion fad. The way in which we dress says a lot about what our heart treasures. Revive Our Hearts has a great article to check your own heart attitude about style and modesty. Here are the guidelines for appropriate:

• When you put the garment on, what part of your body are you most concerned with? For example, if it is pants you most likely are concerned with how it makes your rump look (let's be honest here.) Now, I am not saying you should buy clothes that are baggy or do not fit, however if you wear pants they should not (contrary to worldly wisdom) highlight you rear end (that wouldn't be very modest would it?) Women should be more concerned with this as a nicely highlighted rear end can be very stumbling for men.
  
• When you wear the garment, what will people notice first about it? If you are dressing modestly and appropriately they will notice how beautiful you look in general, instead of noticing your nice body parts, or the fact that your clothes are too tight etc.
  
• Why did you purchase the garment? If you are dressing to glorify the Lord, you most likely purchased the garment because it was both practical, functional, and beautiful. If you purchased something because you liked the way it shows off a certain body part, or because it is the latest trend, you might want to reconsider if it was a God glorifying purchase.
  

As I explored this topic, read, and prayed about it, I realized that some aspects of my own personal wardrobe were not God glorifying. I highly recommend reading Modeling Modesty by Mary Mohler if you want to challenge yourself. In my wardrobe, I discovered pants that were a bit too tight, shirts that were too low cut for bending over etc. Not that I was ever trying to be immodest at all, however I had let the world influence my wardrobe more than I let the Lord influence it.

As a result, this summer I began to appreciate the practicality and beauty of skirts. Skirts are easier to fit that shorts, they are often more modest than shorts, they are cooler than shorts. Also, it is easy to find nice skirts at thrift stores because they are less well worn than other clothing items. I recently purchased four almost brand new skirts at my two favorite thrift stores. Oh! I almost forgot--I was thrilled to discover Shade Clothing selling their shirts this week at Costco in a three-pack. Their baby-tee shirts match up perfectly with my skirts to create a casual feminine look. I love it!