{Click the button above to read all the posts in the series.}
When I emailed Caroline begging for help, I told her the first thing I wanted was a list of what I would need to own if I was going to wear more skirts. I was looking for a list of the essentials.
Today we are going to talk about that list.
First, I want to give a very simple, take-it-to-the-store, kind of list, then I’ll let Caroline elaborate a bit more along with pictures and bonus video of the skirts I purchased following Caroline’s guidelines and Caroline’s own closet!
{note: all of the pictures below are clickable and will take you to the store site}
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Skirts – 3
1 Black
1 Brown
1 Denim
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Nice Blouses – 3 for each season
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Everyday Shirts – 3 for each season
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Shoes
Sandals
Mary Janes
Boots
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OK, now that we have the basics, Caroline gives us a more in-depth explanation of these essentials:
Trying to decide what you need in your closet can be overwhelming. I’m sure most would agree, your personality influences your wardrobe. Some women like to have a lot of variety in life and their closet reflects that. Other women prefer not do as much laundry, and want only the basics. Whatever your preference, I’ve compiled a basic list to help you know what you need in your closet.
Skirts-
3 Skirts are a must. Obviously if you wear skirts/dresses every day you might want more, but I think everyone should have at least three.
*A black skirt for dressy occasions and church. I prefer to have a poly blend material for my black skirt, as I’m usually holding little ones on my lap at church or events, and my skirt is bound to get wrinkled.
*A khaki or brown skirt for everyday and errands. I love how a khaki skirt can be dressed up with a nice blouse, but also looks great with a knit shirt for everyday!
Brown A-line skirt from themodestmom.com
*A denim skirt for everyday. If you don’t wear jeans, having a denim skirt is a must. You can wear a button up blouse or a knit shirt during the summer. I have a solid black sweater I wear with my denim skirt in the winter time if I need to dress it up a bit. There are so many different shirt styles that look great with this one skirt. If you are shopping at the thrift store, I find a lot of really old looking skirts. Try to find one that is a bit more up to date (and cute). Here are some examples.
Dark wash denim skirt from junees.com
Denim ruffle skirt from themodestmom.com
To ensure your skirts are modest:
Try them on in front of the mirror and move around.
Is it skin tight?
Thin and form fitting?
Can you see the outline of your underwear?
Try sitting down on the floor and playing with your children.
Can you actually do that, or are you distracted by tugging on your skirt?
Hint: A skirt that comes right at the knee will be too short to sit down on the floor modestly.
Dresses-
A dress is not a required item in a wardrobe, as you could get by with just skirts and tops. It is a nice item though, and if your budget can afford it I would get one. Don’t rule out the sleeveless dresses that are commonly found in the stores, as you could easily couple it with a short sleeve shrug or sweater to make it modest.
Tops-
3 per season
*3 blouses would be a good start. I would aim for 3 short sleeve for spring and summer, and 3 long sleeve for winter months (if you live where it gets cold enough). A white blouse is a must, as it would go with your black skirt well. The other two you could get solid colors that look good on you, or some nice prints or stripes. You can use these blouses for church and other social events.
Here are some examples of blouses that are modest:
Sateen Blouse
Poplin Blouse
{Amy here: I did not purchase blouses like this as they do not fit “my” style. We’ll talk in a subsequent post about following modest guidelines and still coming out looking uniquely you!}
*I would also suggest several everyday tops. If you are a mom of little ones, chances are you go through seasons of spit up and messes from babies. Sometimes a change of clothes are required throughout the day. Some basic knit tops work well for everyday. To be modest though, you may very well have to buy one size bigger, depending on the store brand. Certain knit tops can be very clingy. You don’t want the whole outline of your undergarments showing.
When trying tops on, bend over in front of a mirror. What you see is what everyone else will see (including men) when you bend over to pick up your child. I end up putting back about 80-90% of the shirts I try on because of the cut. V-neck shirts are commonly cut pretty low, making it hard to bend over in. Some woman have deeper necklines than others, and can handle a little bit lower of a shirt. Just please be considerate of what you are showing. My undergarments are not up for display!
Shoes-
*Mary Jane type shoes look adorable with skirts. Sandals are great also. There are many fashionable boots that are cute for winter time.
Mary Jane shoe from amazon.com
How much is this going to cost?!?
By now you are probably looking at this list and picturing how expensive it is going to be to purchase all these items. Take heart, it doesn’t have to blow your budget! Here are some tips:
*Go through your closet and get rid of any items that are stained, ripped, worn out, or you just aren’t comfortable wearing anymore.
*Take an inventory of what is left. Match up your outfits to see if your shirts really even go with the skirts you have. Write down on a piece of paper exactly what you need to be purchasing. The same goes for your undergarments.
*Head to the thrift store or your local consignment shop! Make sure that you go to a thrift store that has a dressing room, as not all of them do. I normally bring a huge stack of items with me to the fitting room, and return about 90% of them. It’s not always a guarantee that you will find something. Most of the time the prices are worth the hunt though.
*Hit the clearance racks! Places like JCPenny and Kohls (the latter being my favorite for tops) always seem to have clearance racks. More importantly, try to get into a routine of shopping at the end of the season. Last summer I purchased 6 tops and a skirt at Kohls on clearance for around $50.00. The skirt was the most expensive item, and the shirts were around $3-7 each. That price is better than some thrift stores I’ve been to, and the clothes are brand new! They sat in a tub all winter, and this spring I’ve been thrilled to pull out some blouses that are brand new with the tags on them to wear.
*Shop with coupons! A lot of department stores will offer coupons for $10 off your purchase of $25 or $50. Take advantage of those sales. Also, places online will offer coupon codes or sales. Currently at The Modest Mom {Caroline’s shop!} every skirt is on sale for a Mothers Day Special!
*Lastly, don’t feel like you have to have a huge wardrobe to start with. If you are content with a simple wardrobe, then you can slowly add to it as the money allows. I love receiving gift cards for my Birthday or Christmas for places that I can shop and buy clothes at. I only get to buy new clothes a few times a year as it is somewhat of a luxury.
Over at The Modest Mom blog I have posted a vlog where I show you my closet and what it looks like. I hope this will encourage you that wearing skirts does not have to be a burden.
I have found that wearing skirts is enjoyable, beautiful and perhaps most importantly, modest.
Amy again…
I hope we haven’t left you too overwhelmed or in information overload! I want to leave you with a video of my purchases to show it really is easy and inexpensive! I went to ONE thrift store. I spent less than $20. Here’s what I got:
So, what do you think? Not so scary, huh? Wearing skirts really can be beautiful, inexpensive, and easy!
She Wears Skirts series:
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Love this article! However, all the Kohl’s links don’t work anymore. Could you show some similar items elsewhere? I need visuals! Thanks so much!
Jennifer,
I tried to remember the links that Caroline had there and added them back in. Hope that helps. Don’t know why they suddenly didn’t work! Sorry about that!
I am just devouring this series! I keep coming back and re-reading it!
While I don’t think skirts (even long ones) are always more modest than pants, nor do I feel it’s more Biblical to wear skirts, I read something somewhere a while back where a young girl told her mother she wanted only skirts because she noticed that it’s mostly Christians that wore skirts out on a daily basis…that was a way the child wanted to witness to others, was through wearing skirts daily.
Wearing more skirts/dresses is something I’ve been contemplating for a while. This series inspired me to buy skits/dresses only instead of shorts/pants on my last trip to the thrift store.
I’ve read many of the comments here and one thing I wanted to bring up was shorter (but still modest) dresses/skirts. I bought a dress on my shopping trip yesterday that is shorter than I normally wear (I prefer ankle length but bought a below the knee dress) I bought it knowing I wouldn’t wear it daily or out and about with my my children, but thought, for $1.20 for an entire outfit….I can wear it if me and the hubby go out alone for dinner or something. While I wouldn’t need a ton of these in my closet, 1-2 are okay I think.
One big problem I have is the mindset. I grew up only wearing skirts to church (which we did not attend regularly) and on special occasions (weddings, funerals, etc) so no matter what I wear a dress makes me feel dressy. We wore our dresses/skirts to where ever then came home and changed. We never cleaned in a skirt or dress! Never played outside in a dress/skirt! I find this mindset is hard for me to overcome.
Even though I bought a skirt specifically for ‘around the house’ that would be okay to ‘mess up’ I still feel to dressy in it to comfortably clean in it. LOL
Anyone else have this problem?
Such a great list, you did an excellent job, enjoying the series.
how can I start wearing everday skirts/dresses?
I still wear shorts…not pants really anymore.
What do you “camp” in, do yard work, housework, ect.
I am a stay at home wife–and need a daily start.
I hate housework, clutter..so I have a clean cluttered house. BUT hub and I are attending a pentecostal church and many don’t watch tv..so what do the women do all day? seriously?
Well MOST women, who SAH, do laundry, dishes, cook, take care of the kids, some homeschool. A TRUE sahm does NOT sit around and watch tv all day. There’s no time for it.
Just wanted to share that a good site for modest clothing is Impel…there is a link on my blog…the skirts and dresses are longer, the camis are higher toward the neck, etc…lots of great…and modest clothing…twowild.blogspot.com! loving this series!
One thing I will NEVER understand, and maybe some of the ladies can explain this to me. I don’t jsut wear skirts and dresses, and I’m modest by my standards. (nothing too low cut, nothing to short, too tight) I have no problem w/wearing sleeveless, halter tops, or strapless dresses.
Many women who do the only dresses and skirts, do it because they feel the Bible says to not dress like men. Okay, I got that. Yet, they wear button down tops. They are MEN’S tops. My husband wears one everyday for his job. They are SLIGHT differences in button down tops for men and women. the cut is a bit different, the buttons button on the other side. but basically they are men’s tops. So how are they justifying that? They are wearing men’s clothes.
Not exactly. Traditionally pants/trousers/jeans were only worn by men. It is a garment that men have been wearing LONG before women. In fact it was actually scandalous for woman to be seen wearing pants. It wasn’t until the 60s that pants became fashionable for women. A button down shirt however is something that has been worn by men and women and so it is not considered a male only clothing item. Just think back to little house on the prairie. Womens dresses/tops often had buttons going down the front. The same way a woman can wear gloves or a hat and no one would think she’s dressing like a man, is how she can wear a button down shirt. Some clothes are unisex. It just doesn’t have the same association as a man’s garment, the way pants/jeans do. Hope I explained that a bit for you. : )
I have a practical question on shoes – I have boots that I really like but they are only slightly above the ankle. Would they look right with a long skirt? What is the “rule of thumb” if you will, on boot height? Now please hear me here. I am not talking “rule” like religi-osity but fashion/common sense. What looks the best?
This is a new journey for me – the girl who from high school to age 31 wore one dress….on her wedding day. Then at 31 I wore dresses b/c being 8 months pregnant is august is no fun in pants.
thanks for your time!
In my mind, I wouldn’t wear short boots unless my skirt was quite long. Try it and have someone take pictures of you or look in a full length mirror and decide if it looks strange or seems to be a good match.
I’d like to add one more suggestion for checking to see if your skirts are modest. Bend over with your back to the mirror and look in the mirror. Or feel how far the gem comes up on the backs of your legs(or thighs?). Think child’s vision level here. What do your little boys see every time you bend over to pick something up? Yes we should be sqatting to do so (better for our backs, but do you?) This was something I always cringed about with my mom, who always dressed modestly but mostly wore skirts that came to just below the knee.
This information is so helpful, I keep coming back to the basic list, as the weather is changing and I went from summer maternity to post baby and winter coming. Not a lot of time to sew and even less to go shopping, how does a homeschooling mother with young children get time to sew or shop?
The weekends or evenings when your husband is home. Surely he can handle the children so you can sew or do some shopping.
I have recently found a great online shop ~
modest4me.com – - great cami’s to make most shirts modest, and nice dresses
I didn’t read through all 107 comments
But just in case someone has not recommended Style J skirts, I would highly recommend them!! Their website is http://www.denimskirts.com They are a little pricier than some, but they are made in small lots and have extreme attention to detail. I now own 4 of theirs and just adore them! Thanks for your wonderful website, what an uplifting experience!!
I just got my first Style J skirt! Love it! Thanks for sharing.
I’m thoroughly enjoying this series; this is actually the second time I’ve read through it.
It arrived at a particularly . . . fortuitous(?) time in my life, as wearing more skirts has been something I’ve been contemplating recently. Usually, I’m very much a jeans and t-shirt girl. I don’t think much about what I put on, other than does it fit reasonably well and cover my naked body, lol. But I’ve been considering what it means to be a woman, particularly a woman of God, and one thing I’ve always noticed about the rare act of wearing a dress is how it affects me, in mindset and behavior. I feel–and act–more like a lady when I’m dressed like one. And it was from this angle, rather than some belief (which I still don’t hold) that God dictates women should only wear dresses, that I approached the idea of adding more skirts/dresses to my wardrobe, not only for church or special occasions, but also for everyday wear. Then I stumbled upon your series through a blog-hop and random surfing. I think one of the posts was suggested at the end of the linked post, but I digress. I’ve been wearing skirts for four days now. Thank you very much. I now feel strange when I get dressed in the morning, no matter what I put on, lol. Though admittedly, I feel far less so now that I’ve made my own jean skirt (heavens, but I missed my pockets!) by following this tutorial, which I thought some of your other readers might benefit from. http://standbyfaith.com/2012/02/how-to-make-a-skirt-from-two-pair-of-jeans-tutorial/
Oh, side note. . . before undertaking this change, I polled my husband–which do you like better on me, pants or a dress? We’ve been married ten years. I fully expected that his answer would be that he did not care one way or the other. But, after some hedging, and clarification that no, this was not a test he had not studied for; I just wanted his honest opinion, he surprised me by saying he prefers a dress! Honestly, I wanted to make sure before I made this change that I wasn’t doing something he would personally find UNattractive, but what do you know? ~shrug~ Live and learn.
I NEED my jeans, in whatever form, and just cannot afford to pay $40-50 apiece for jean skirts. After a fervent, but fruitless, search of two towns, I bit the bullet and purchased a sewing machine (and several patterns, lol) and turned two pair of jeans into a perfectly lovely denim skirt. Let me reassure anyone who thinks she can’t possibly do this: This is my first sewing machine project since I had to take one semester of home ec in eighth grade. If I can do it, I’m certain most anyone can! So now I shall return to Goodwill, this time in search of jeans.
Hi Amy,
I just started reading your blogs and was interested when I saw your series on “she wears skirts”.
I was wondering where your video of your purchases is as it is not with your comment.
Thank you for taking the time to do this. I have not been convicted to wear skirts as of right now, I do wear them to church but not on a daily basis. I have recently heard a talk given by an older sister that she and her daughters wear skirts to make a statement of femininity; much like you stated. So, it is something that I am thinking/praying about. I completely agree that modesty is all a matter that begins in the heart. What good does it do if I am dressed modestly but my words, attitudes, behavior are not those of godly humility or a gentle and quiet spirit?
Anyhoo, if there is a way to see the video of your shopping trip, I would be grateful!
Blessings!
mary etta