When Modesty Is the Better Part of Valor

Lest anyone accuse me of just picking on the men, I'll share some of my personal fashion tips for the ladies.  Today's lesson: skirt length.

If there's one fashion concern for women that gets a lot of attention in Catholic circles, it's modesty.  That word usually conjures up images of jumpers and t-shirt dresses, but one doesn't have to go to extremes of frumpiness to be socially modest.  In many cases the more conservative choice actually looks better.  They say less is more, and that can also apply to skin.

Last Sunday, we heard a priest share an amusing quote.  "A sermon should be like a woman's skirt," he said; "long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to be interesting."  Let's examine some examples.

Forgetting the moral argument for a moment, the dress on the left isn't terribly flattering.  She isn't bad-looking, but that flouncy little skirt isn't doing anything good for those skinny legs.  It makes her look more like a stork than a supermodel, or perhaps she's borrowing clothes from her baby sister.  It might look cute with a pair of capris, but she seems to have left her pants at home.  Don't leave home without your pants.  The dress on the right is, I think, a sophisticated alternative.  

Here we have much the same problem, along with the "bath towel" look.  Not only is it not flattering, it's in poor taste.  Don't show up to a party wearing something that implies you just stepped out of the shower and might "bare it all" any minute.  And girls, your knees are not always your best asset.  Shrunken dresses can cheapen your natural beauty and make you look like a stripper or a floozie.  Don't dress like a floozie.  There are alternatives.

Try something like this.  It makes you look like a grown woman with a mature mind and better things to do than throw herself at men.  Knee-length skirts also flatter a wide range of body types.  Radiate self-respect, and you just might get some respect in return.