What do you wear on a typical (non-Sunday) day of work?

I usually wear pants, except in the summer. Then it is skirts or tailored capris. On top it is a long sleeved shirt or nice T-shirt, plus always some jacket/cardigan. In summer I sub a nice shell-like tank top. (I find cardigans I like and buy them in several colors. This spring's edition I have in green, lilac, white, and brown.) We are fairly casual here. If I showed up in a suit, folks would wonder where I was interviewing!

Open toed shoes: gifts from God or an abomination? (Pedicures assumed, of course. We are not animals, after all.)

The open shoes come out when it hits 65 degrees (or like this year, 90 degrees). I have a very nice pair of low-heeled black dressy sandals, not too strappy, not too much skin showing, which are my summer preaching shoes. I keep the toenails pale except when I'm on vacation or study leave.

The right to bare arms: do we have it?

Thanks to my gym membership my arms are okay. Not whatsherbucket in Terminator fabulous, but okay. I wear sleeveless a lot in summer, but I always have a jacket or sweater handy.

It's 90 degrees with 90% humidity in the Snow Belt in late May. Quick--robe or no robe?

I have struggled with this one most of all. You can read about it here. I am re-thinking my position from last year, though.

Would you ever wear jeans or casual pants to church on a non-Sunday?

Yup. Especially when I have dirty work to do, and no meetings scheduled. Like I said, we're casual here!

Has your congregation ever expressed wardrobe expectations beyond "Geez, just don't show up naked."?

They really haven't, and it seems as if your congregations haven't either. Nobody has even mentioned my penchant for dangly earrings. Or my toe rings.


I asked these questions because I noticed such a wide range of wardrobe choices among clergy women at our Presbytery meeting last week. There are a few who wear suits--the tall steeple pastors--but the majority of us don't. I typically dress on the nicer side of my weekday work wear for these meetings, like I did this time. (Especially since I was presenting a report for the first time.) But deep down, I'll bet nobody else who was there is this curious about this. The men in the room probably wouldn't notice me unless my hair was on fire.