It is so totally materialistic and region-centric to impose such ‘fashion’ rules for church. Honestly, we should be as respectful as our budgets allow. But there are so many reasons why your little rules don’t hold up.

First, how do you think my friend, totally blind, thinks about this? I can tell you he could care less what ‘color’ his shirt is or if his pants are denim or cotton. He wears pants. He wears a shirt with a collar, and a tie. He doesn’t care what he, or anyone else attending church ‘look’ like. Sometimes, I wish we were all blind.

Second, go to Hawaii, or Samoa, or Tonga or Fiji, and tell them flip-flops are not appropriate. Tell those men to wear pants. HA! (they wear skirts)

I own zero jewerly. One of my nicest shirts is a ‘tshirt’. I wear ponytails if my hair is long. I use a simple rubberband. I think its ridiculus to go buy a bunch of frivalous crap to ‘dress up’. It reminds me of the scriptures in the Bible talking about vain women who wear alot of jewelry. My favorite outfit for church is a denim skirt with a white tshirt and leather flip flops, which, incidently, are one of my nicest pairs of shoes. I think my renewing of convenants is just as valid and the Lord accepts my commitment in attending church just as much.

Why do you find yourself caring so much what people wear, including yourself? The Lord looks not at a persons appearance but on the heart. Women in our world have become very preoccupied with appearance and I think the only purpose it has served is putting our hearts more on the things of the world and putting Zion further and further from reality. If us women spent the amount of time building unity among sisters and spreading the gospel as we do worrying about and spending money on earrings, pantyhose, highheels and makeup than we would have long ago been lifted up.

As for these fashion faux pas, in spite of my probable over-love of fashion (and costume), I have in my mommy years regressed (or progressed, depending on your point of view) to the degree that I’ve had bare ghastly legs and/or knee highs peeking out of the back slit of my skirts, worn jumpers, and denim, tee-shirts, and bare (even unpolished) toes to church. I won’t do the tight white shirt thing, though, even though SIX other women in my ward did just yesterday. Here’s a general guideline. If you can tell which undergarment is on top, it’s too tight or transparent.

As clothing immodesties, those who see to the facilities have taken care of that in our building by turning the AC waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down. Sub-zero. I’ve been wearing 3/4 sleeves, jackets, long skirts, and nylons in spite of the dog days just to keep from freezing to death at church! I guess the guys (excuse me, Brethren) setting the thermostat are in suits, so it makes sense even if there is no ulterior modesty motive involved.

Edna: (burst of fire covers the suit) It can a withstand a temperature of over one thousand degrees! (machine guns start shooting it) Completely bulletproof and machine washable, darling. That’s a new feature!
Elastigirl: What in heaven’s name do you think the baby will be doing?!
Edna: Well, I’m sure I don’t know, darling. Luck favors the prepared. I didn’t know the baby’s powers, so I covered the basics.
Elastigirl: Jack-Jack doesn’t have any powers!
Edna: No? Well, he’ll look fabulous anyway.

Stop fighting your personal demons and give in to the dark side. Go and buy a nice dark grey or blue pin-stripe suit (don’t start out with an expensive one–just make sure you get it well tailored). Then buy a nice pinpoint oxford that fits well (Lands End overstock–cheap–don’t go for the monogram, that’s overreaching). Get a leather belt and some nice leather shoes (go to an outlet). Then get a nice silk tie sans Sponge Bob or Bugs. C’mon you know you want to. Just do it. Heck, go crazy and tie the tie the right length and in a moment of indulgence, that you can repent for later, shine those shoes.

Wear to church and how do you feel? Confident? Of course. Respecful? You bet. Proud and haughty? Unlikely. The Bishop will speak to you as an equal. Kids will call you Brother Evans rather than Matt. People will pay closer heed to your Sunday School comments. Your babies will be less likely to barf on you. You’ll walk a little taller; sing the hymns a little louder; and church will have seemed a little more significant.

Sure, it’s a slippery slope, and pretty soon you’ll be wanting to get those shirts custom tailored and you’ll be mocking the poor with every new cufflink you purchase, but a little bit closer to the edge won’t hurt you . . . after all Joseph’s (of many-colored coat fame) fashion sense may have got him in hot water with his siblings, but eventually led to being second in command of Egypt.

Actually Matt, most of the tips here are not “trendy” at all, but are tips regarding classic looks for those who care about dressing in their “Sunday best” to worship the Lord. But you are right that none of this should be taken too seriously. For example, Sunday was a nasty, hot day, and there were at least five bretheren who attended my ward wearing short sleeves and ties (one also wore a suit coat). Many were my good friends who simply don’t know or don’t care that they are making some fashion faux pas. It wasn’t a big deal. In fact, it was no deal at all.

But, c’mon. Your efforts to avoid appearing fashion conscious have crossed the line to looking down on those who might be interested in such things. To the point that you even suggest that caring about fashion correlates to poor temple attendance. Despite that you and others have condemned as judgmental those who care about fashion, it’s pretty clear who is doing all the judging in these posts.

It’s important to recognize that the fashion tips here are for those who want to look like affluent Mormons who follow fashion trends, and to remember that many temple-worthy members do not want to look like affluent Mormons who follow fashion trends. There’s nothing rude about some members deciding to preoccupy themselves with other things. From several years of experience at ward temple night, I can say that members of our ward who care less about following fashion trends are disproportionately likely to attend ward temple night.

I’m not sure of the intended tone of the remark, so I’m not sure whether this response will be productive. There are texts, and there are subtexts. Both are meaningful forms of communicating.

Ms. Lundell’s posts here have brought to my attention that the same seem true of communicating via fashions. I’m not at all convinced that there is only one message to be conveyed, any more than I am convinced that we should all be allowed to use only a single sentence. Even so, I understand Ms. Lundell’s ideas about what not to wear as the same sort of assistance that I got with English in grammar classes in grade school and with art invarious drawing classes — unless and until I understand the components and structures of language or art or fashion (for want of a better word regarding clothing) and how they relate to one another, I will be more limited in my ability to utilize that form of expression. And I’ll be more limited in my ability to perceive nuance. And I’ll be less aware of the extent of communication going on around me. I may be a particularly clueless sort of person, but I had no clue what Picasso was doing with cubism (or why) until I learned something of the context that preceded him. From my perspective, Ms. Lundell’s ideas provide some information about the palette, the brushes, the paints, the canvas, and basic ideas of composition.

If fashion communicates something, will some of that communication be unsavory? Surely. But I think that’s true of all forms of communication.

From my wife and I – Thank you!

It’s no big deal to wear pants to an event if you know that’s accepted, it is a big deal if you know it is not accepted. Then you whine because somebody objects. That’s not fashion. That’s a power struggle.

I’m an iconoclast, but it’s no skin off my neck to put on a dress to attend the temple if that’s what they are asking me to wear. If they change and let us wear nice pants, I will be glad, but in the meantime, I will respect their wishes and try to be courteous.

Hell, if they said we could wear pants to the temple, somebody would probably try to wear levis and we could downscale it indefinitely. Everybody should grow up.