I really need help. I have dreamed about wearing beautiful long flowing skirts all winter and yesterday I tried one on and I looked TERRIBLE! I guess I haven't lost as much weight as I feel like I have. Or maybe something's wrong with our mirror.
Or maybe, and this is probably it...I need some new clothes. My skirts are pretty, but I need some better shirts to go with them. It's so hard. I don't really like a lot of what is being sold in stores today.
Here's my real dilemma: there are modest clothes to be had. There are beautiful, modest skirts and dresses to be had, but so much of what I see when I shop online is way too fancy for my life.
It's like Stacy and Clinton. Their "weekend outfits" they come up with for people make me crack up! If I wore one of their weekend outfits to Wednesday night Bible study people would wonder why I was so dressed up! My life is either just far too casual, or clothes are just far too dressy.
Or maybe it's that there is no middle ground. There is either really, really casual stuff and I don't want to spend my summer or my life being that casual because I believe my husband deserves better, in spite of his comment on my last post, than seeing his wife slop around in jeans and t-shirt every single day. Or, there are beautiful clothes which I cannot even imagine wearing around. More and more I feel out of place in a skirt at church. Skirts are definitely the minority. And I want to wear more beautiful clothes on a daily basis---but what?
ACK!!!!
Don't even get me started on swimwear, OK? I'm not willing to swathe myself and my daughters in yards and yards of fabric. I appreciate the modest swimwear I find online. I really do. I agree that it makes no sense to insist that my daughters' shorts are long and their skirts aren't too short and they don't wear spaghetti strap tank tops.....and then go out in a swimsuit that shows everything we've been covering up! I mean, I do choose modest swimsuits for the girls--as far as swimwear that is offered in the stores today I pick what's modest. But really, it doesn't make much sense.
And as for myself? Oh it's a fine line between modest and Granny swimsuit. No offense to any grannies out there, but I'm 38 and husband would rather not see me looking 70 until I AM 70, you know? I want modest...not frumpy.
So I need help for summer. I need links. I need advice. I'm ready.
Here I thought you were going to have answers for us!! Modesty is harder in the summer, for sure. I wonder if you started wearing casual skirts, if after a time you wouldn't feel so out of place in them. People would get used to seeing you in them and you would start to feel more and more comfortable in them. Perhaps after a while, if you went to Wednesday night Bible study in jeans and a cotton top, people would wonder why you were so dressed down!
ReplyDeleteAlright, give me time. I might come up with something, a link or two.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with you about having all kinds of "rules" for your daughters and then anything goes for swimsuits (even with the most modest choices.) It's hard. I am having the same problem.
And, I think I am with Johanna. We should wear what we want to wear, regardless of what others will think-- modest choices, of course. I am in the same boat. If I showed up anywhere in a skirt, people would ask me what special occasion I was heading to. But, that is something I need to get past. I am dressing to honor God and my husband, no one else. So as much as I care what other people will think, I need to stop when it comes to my dress. (Oh, and this doesn't mean I dress immodestly. I am very modest. And plain. And casual. I just want a cute skirt!!)
I see we are all on the same page as far as the swimsuits go!
ReplyDeleteI try to find nice, long, stylish denim skirts and tailored short sleeved or 3/4 quarter length blouses. I'm cool, covered up, and feminine without being over dressed. A good denim skirt goes a long way.
Oh, and I still love my jeans and capri's too. The right pair of sandals (I love a heel, not everyone does though) and even that can look cute and feminine.
Well I like the swimsuits from Lands End. They are modest...but they are pricey too (compared to Target).
ReplyDeleteKathy
Hey, Lands End has good choices for girls' swimsuits. Old Navy has board shorts for girls too.
ReplyDeleteBoth have some sales going on right now.
I agree with the above posters- it will feel a little weird at first to wear dressier clothes on an everyday basis, but you'll get used to it. I personally find most skirts- particularly the long, flow-y sort- more comfortable than most jeans. If people comment on it, just tell them that you enjoy wearing beautiful things. I used to lament the fact that no one dressed up anymore and then I realized that I was spending 95% of my time in jeans and tshirts. So I started collecting pretty skirts and dresses from thrift stores. I've even sewn a few- there is nothing easier to sew than a skirt!
ReplyDelete-TK
I'm posting what we did for our girls at the beach this year. I think it's a good choice. Modest, and prevents sun exposure.
ReplyDeleteI wear skirts often. Not every day, but often. And my girls do too. They like to. And I'm with Terry- I still like capris and things, but not t-shirts. I'm too top heavy for those. I still layer.
And I've found that if I just do what is best for me without worrying what other people think, I'm SO much more comfortable.
Not only in my clothes, but in my spirit.
Yes, Brenda, it's time for new clothes! I discuss one idea in my FF post.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myshape.com/ is also a really cool option. And I know you have all those measurements handy from last week!
Swimsuits have always been a problem area for me as well. My husband absolutely refused to let me get a suit with a skirt last time, saying I'm not a grandma. But I feel so uncomfortable in something that is roughly equivalent to my bra and panties in public. Isn't that supposed to be the stuff of nightmares? You know, when you're giving a speech and suddenly realize you forgot to put clothes on??
Sorry I'm a day late, but better late than never? LOL
ReplyDeleteAh swimsuits, yes, I definitely see your dilemma. It is a bit of a double standard, isn't it.