These are a couple dresses from Aunt Abigail's Attic, a Spring and Summer 1987 catalog put out by J. Jill LTD. I always thought they had some very feminine clothing styles that were made out of natural fibers. These were of cotton. The various types of sleeves and bodices enhanced the pretty and soft flowing lines. I would tend to call these almost classic. The bodices are slightly fitted using the princess lines or a little blouson with no darts, some are jewel necklines others have lace collars, sleeves are gathered or plain, skirts are slightly gathered to full, mid-calf to above ankle hemlines.
We have come so far from styles like these. Many of the dresses now are quite stark. They do not exhibit the softness of a woman and perhaps because the fashion mood is rather harsh. The frills that are used mostly resemble the present underwear or lingerie faddism. The modern look evokes shallowness of character, especially body language--what you seek is what you get!
What one wears (or doesn't wear) speaks so loudly that our minds and thoughts have been so debased and degraded by blatant exposure that we have become dull in our senses and do not become appalled at very much. I do prefer the winter season to go about shopping with the family because most females tend to put on more clothes then.
Christian women do have great opportunities to be an "unspoken voice" in wearing modest clothing. What's wrong with wearing a dress? This last century (and perhaps the next) was the most manly-styled century of women's clothing. Research on women's clothing styles shows that there has been exposure of body parts down through the ages and along with that, Christians writers who have spoken out against such immodesty. One definitely can't make a horse drink water, but if he is thirsty, he will drink. How can we apply that to dressing modestly? I don't think it will work because the clothing worn in suggestive ways ( purposely or not) will always represent the "call" to a man. The only way a gal can make a difference is to dress in a way that shows she is keeping her body for her husband in body, mind and spirit. Therefore, she dresses with care, not tight nor baggy, but yet one can tell she is a woman of God by her demeanor and style of dress which should be feminine and pleasant. This would apply to girls, young ladies, mothers, and mature women. If men are more gallant towards this kind of lady, then hopefully it would encourage other women to check it out. My view for now.
1 comment:
In response to the lament that Aunt Abigail's Attic styles are gone, and modern ones are stark or revealing, I mostly concur. My perspective is not a Christian one, nor even a concern about revealing the human body (which is one of nature's most marvelous), but of esthetics and comfort. Modern clothes are uninteresting! And if they reveal, they do it blatantly, mostly provocatively, and not in a simple and beautiful way. Those old flowing and gathered styles in multi-patterned prints were practical (cool in hot weather; warm in winter with layers), pretty, diverse, comfortably soft, and very (modestly, yes!) flattering to a woman's body. I sure miss them!
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