The Delicate Art of the Perfect Church Outfit
By Holly Scheer
Picking an outfit that is just right for church can be complicated. Or not. Here at the Sisters of Katie Luther, we’ve got your back and our authors have worked long and hard (and made mistakes so you don’t have to) to help you pick out something just right. *
In no particular order, here are our best tips to reduce stress when planning out what to wear.
- Same way I pick work clothes–it’s clean and isn’t jeans or shorts
- I make sure my shoes allow me to sprint after my toddler when he runs off (again)
- How hard will it be to receive the Sacrament past the brim of my hat?
- How easy would it be for my toddler to lift this skirt up and show the congregation my underwear?
- Can I make it standing through the Athanasian Creed in heels this high?
- Will I show pastor my bra if I bow at the altar?
- If I’m wearing a long skirt, is it going to create a problem with a child standing on it when we visit a church with kneelers?
- I think I think about clothes too much!
- No words on the shirts
- Is my waistband secure enough that no children can pull my pants down?
- Will a child pulling in this shirt expose me to the world? Or lose a matchbox car down there?
- Can I nurse the baby in the pew without showing too much or without using my cover?
- And have I shaved recently? If I have a clean dress available, i have to take this into consideration, because who has time to shave before the 8am service when you have to get three kids out the door.
- I also wonder if I dress the kids cutely enough if it makes up for what I’m wearing.
- Ha! I let the 5 year old dress himself bc he knows what his church clothes are. The 3 year old wants anything that makes her look like a princess. And the baby gets whatever… The one thing that NEVER crosses my mind is whether we all clash
- After some helpful comments from the people who sit behind me I’m now extremely concerned with whether or not some of my tattoos show when I bend over.
- I’m pretty sure my church blasts the AC during the summer to force the women to cover up with cardigans.
- How do I make my nose ring and/or pink and purple hair less noticeable?
- And how likely is my baby going to pull on these earrings? Love my Luther rose ones, but they’re big and dangly and enticing for baby.
- We should have our kids style us one Sunday!!! What could go wrong?
How do you pick your Sunday outfit? Any tips or tricks on avoiding wardrobe mishaps?
9 Comments
Laura
I use some of the same criteria, but often go with jeans because all the kid- and nursing-related criteria make the rest of my wardrobe (i.e. dresses) impossible. “Is it clean? Is it appropriate? Have I shaved this week? Can I nurse in this?” These end up being my main questions.
Maranda
@Laura #1
Mine exactly, Laura! Jeans happen often.
Patty
My dress for church is giving God my best. I do not wear jeans or shorts to church. There are proper rooms for nursing babies and it is not in the pews.
Kris Brown
My 7 year old has a strong opinion on what she wears. I usually choose 2 options and let her pick which one she wants to wear the night before. We do this almost every day of the week, it makes the morning much easier. Very few times does she get dressed wearing something different than what was planned. She also knows which dresses are for church and other special occasions versus everyday play clothing.
Elizabeth Knaus
After checking weather.com, I ask myself: does it still fit well or does it belong in the “give it to a Bethesda Thrift Store” box?
Sharlene
As a grandmother, let me say that no one should be offended if a young mother is discreetly nursing her baby in the pew. There are times when she may be the only one there with an infant and other children and to drag all of them off to another room while she nurses isn’t realistic.
Michele
Thank you Sharlene!! I’m always in the pew with my kids alone (hubby is the pastor so he can’t sit with us). Most people can’t even tell if I’m nursing or not. It CAN be done discreetly.
And I never wear Jeans or shorts to Sunday morning service. Though maybe shorts under my skirts would be a good precaution as my toddler likes tugging on my skirts…
helen
Tattoos used to be associated with pirates, nautical men in general and scars (as a coverup). It makes me sad to see girls/women with clear skin marring it that way.
Maxine (the comic) remarked, “Just think that in 40 years, old women with wrinkles will be decorated like that.”
LOL!…they are now.
Monica
I struggle with this because I am a nursing mother. When I saw that you nursed in the pew I was jealous! It is frowned upon in my church. There is one nursing chair in our ladies bathroom and we’re about to have 4 nursing moms. You can’t hear the sermon (or anything) in the bathroom. They built it that way because they thought hearing the service in the bathroom would be strange as someone would sit on the toilet. Talk about frustrating. When my husband has been sick I skip church because I have other children and a toddler and going away to nurse in the bathroom makes all this impossible.