Shopping for missionary clothes?
I've noticed that several of the popular blogs out there by future (sister) missionaries have stated that you should wait until you have received your temple endowment (and have started wearing the temple garment) before you start shopping for clothes or "you'll regret it" because you "can't tell what (mission) clothes will work with your garments." Sorry ladies, I have to disagree!
These opinions about missionary clothing and modesty are my own personal views (as is everything on this blog and my other LDS-related blogs). I'm not an expert, but I am a returned missionary, a temple endowed adult, a mom of a future missionary, and a long-time ward young women president... So I am somewhat familiar with modesty as it relates to clothes, temple covenants, and missionary clothing requirements.
Yes, future sister missionaries- you absolutely can "tell" if clothes will be modest enough to wear as a missionary, which will also mean that they will be modest enough to wear after you are endowed in the temple. If it's modest enough to wear as a missionary, it will be modest enough to wear as an endowed adult who has made covenants that require a higher standard of modesty. If you're looking at a shirt or a dress, and you're not sure if a sort of shortish sleeve or a pretty low-cut neckline will "work" with garments, guess what? - it probably won't! I sometimes hear people say that they had to buy new all clothes because they needed to dress more modestly after receiving their temple endowment. If you are already carefully following the clothing standards contained in "For The Strength of Youth," you will probably already be dressing in a way that will cover your "garments," or at least pretty close. Some people are more strict about this than others...Let me explain...
As I list the requirements for modesty for LDS missionaries (below), you may notice that these same (or very similar) standards are given in FTSOY. However, often younger people and adults who haven't received their temple endowments are not strict about these guidelines as others are, because the FTSOY guidelines are "standards" instead of "commandments"...meaning, the modesty standards in FTSOY are suggestions instead of requirements - UNTIL you receive your temple endowment (and begin to wear the accompanying temple garment), because then you will be under covenant to dress in a specific way that will keep the temple garment sacred. Since the FTSOY says not to wear "short skirts," but does not specify how short a "short" skirt is, you may have a different opinion than another sister does about what qualifies as a "short" skirt... But after you have been endowed in the temple, that gray area becomes very black and white. I can tell if a sleeve is too short for me to wear or if a pair of shorts is too short for me, just by looking at them.
My point is, you might have been wearing lower-cut shirts, shirts that don't cover your shoulder & upper arm (like tank-tops or cap-sleeves), or above the knee skirts & shorts before your mission because you still could "get away with it"...but choosing to dress that way will require you to make changes (in wardrobe) in order to be able to keep your temple covenants when you make them.
It's possible that you aren't very familiar with the level of "coverage" that will be required because of the temple garments (special sacred underclothing first received in the temple on the day of your "endowment" ordinance, but thereafter worn at all times under your regular clothes). Not everyone grows up in the Church with active parents who are temple-worthy. You might be a convert to the Church or your parents are not active, so they might not have been able to help you understand the level of clothing modesty that will be required of you as an endowed member (and missionary). Don't worry - a careful reading of the LDS missionary clothing standards (which ARE required) provided by the official church website missionary.lds.org will explain what clothing will need to be like in order to be modest enough to wear as a missionary (who will of course also be a temple-endowed adult).
Please note - although approved missionary clothing is also appropriate for all temple endowed members, you don't have to wear the missionary standard clothing your whole life after you are endowed. Some of the requirements for missionaries (like wearing skirts/dresses to work) are required for missionaries, but not regular church members who are not currently missionaries.
For example, missionaries must wear clothing that is not see-through, which covers their stomach and back, shoulders/upper-arms, legs down to below the knees, and is not low-cut at the neckline. These are also the same standards that any temple-endowed adult will need to adhere to at all times (whether you serve a mission or not).
If you have been wearing clothes that don't provide the level of coverage that will be required of someone who has been endowed in the temple, it would be a good idea to start making the transition (to wearing clothes that will be appropriate after receiving your endowment) sooner, rather than later! This doesn't mean that you have to throw away all of your clothes - you can probably continue to wear most of what you already have by layering, using skirt-extenders, etc. If you need to start supplementing your wardrobe with more modest pieces in order to start dressing more modestly, you can do this over time (maybe even start shopping for items now that you could use as a missionary? Two birds with one stone!)
If you carefully read and understand the missionary clothing guidelines, you will know what clothing will appropriately cover your temple garment as missionary. Here are the basics:
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ALL MISSIONARY CLOTHING:
- "Is neither too tight nor too loose.
- Is not transparent or revealing in any way.
- Does not draw attention to any part of the body.
- Is not casual, wrinkled, sloppy, or faddish"
SHIRTS/BLOUSES:
"If leaving your shirt untucked, ensure that the bottom of the shirt presents a tailored, professional appearance. You may layer shirts under blouses and tops to increase modesty; however, undershirts should not be noticeably longer than the top layer. Avoid sloppy, tight, or casual styles. Do not wear T-shirts, sweatshirts, golf-style shirts, casual shirts, or shirts with low necklines. Sleeves should fully cover the shoulder and the upper portion of the arm, including the underarm, to cover the garment" (missionary.lds.org)
Shirts are probably the most difficult item of clothing when it comes to being able to tell if it will be modest IF you can't try it on first (i.e., purchasing online or buying without trying on), because we are all built differently. A shirt that is low-cut on me might be just fine on you, because of our varying body shapes and heights. This makes looking at an online photo of a shirt on a model (or even in person on a mannequin) not super helpful unless it is obviously a very high neckline or other features that would indicate modesty on pretty much anyone.
If you are worried that the length of the sleeve might not be long enough, it probably won't be. If you're worried that the neckline might be too low, it probably will be. You do not want to spend all day tugging at your sleeves or neckline of your shirt because you're worried about it. It's better to go with a sure thing. You can also remedy some issues (like a lower neckline or sheer sleeves) by layering (see my post on layering for missionary modesty here)
If you're considering purchasing a shirt, but you can't see it in person (like if you are online shopping) or aren't able to try it on for some other reason, there are a few things that can give you clues as to whether it is going to be modest enough for an LDS missionary:
*A "complete" sleeve is a whole sleeve, meaning that the sleeve goes around the whole arm. A lot of times, "cap sleeves" are sleeves that just have a top part (nothing beneath the arm but an arm-hole), but if they do have an under part of the sleeve, it is much smaller than the part of the sleeve on the top of the arm. A complete sleeve is what I call a sleeve that covers the whole underside of the arm. For LDS Missionary standards, sleeves should cover not only the entire shoulder, but also the upper arm. A "cap sleeve" (as shown in the lds.org graphic below) should only be worn as a layering shirt (under an outer shirt) and never worn as a stand-alone shirt. For more information on how to use layering to make shirts/dresses/skirts more modest, see my blog post here
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| Graphic from the Missionary Clothing FAQ section of LDS.ORG |
**Shirts should not allow you to see-through to the skin underneath in any way (sheer fabrics, see-through lace, cut-outs). You will especially want to watch for sheer sleeves! Many times the main part (bodice) of a shirt will be one materials, but the sleeves will be sheer. You will need to make sure that the garment would not be visible through sheer fabric on the sleeves (or anywhere else). If the sleeves are sheer, you can still wear the shirt if you wear a layering undershirt underneath.
Based on the information in this Missionary Clothing section of LDS.ORG, here are some examples that I have found of shirts that would NOT be appropriate for LDS missionaries (IF worn as-is):
And here are a few more examples that are specifically focusing on the sleeves. I am showing some examples of shirts that won't work and some examples of shirts that will work (the missionary-appropriate examples on the right side of this graphic are from lds.org):
Please keep in mind that some of these shirts that aren't appropriate as shown COULD BE wearable as a missionary with some basic layering (i.e., wearing a layering tee underneath OR wearing a cardigan sweater or blazer over the shirt). Of course, a lot depends on where you will be serving (because if it is somewhere hot, you are not going to want to wear layers!)
SKIRTS:
"Skirts should fully cover the entire knee (front and back) when you are standing or sitting. Slits should not be above the knee when standing or sitting. If you serve in a mission where bicycles are used, choose skirts with sufficient fullness and length for comfort and modesty while biking" (missionary.lds.org)
***If you have a slit in a skirt (or dress) that reveals the knee area, this can often be remedied by sewing the slit closed using a matching colored thread. The general purpose of a slit is to make it easier to walk in a form-fitting skirt (which is why they are very common in pencil-skirt type skirts). If your skirt has a slit that is revealing, you can have it sewn closed (by your mom, yourself, or a tailor), especially if your skirt is not too tight. If your skirt is very tight, you might not be able to walk well in it with the slit sewn up. But since your skirt shouldn't be tight anyhow, hopefully this won't be a problem for you!
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| THIS GRAPHIC FROM LDS.ORG (THE MISSIONARY CLOTHING FAQ SECTION) SHOWS THE REQUIREMENT FOR SKIRT LENGTH |
Here are some examples of skirts that would not be appropriate for an LDS sister missionary and some examples of skirts that would be appropriate for an LDS sister missionary, based on the church's missionary clothing guidelines (the appropriate examples of the right side of the graphic are from lds.org).
Another possible option for skirts that are just a little bit too short is to wear a skirt-extender" (see my post about SKIRT EXTENDERS here) which is sort of an underskirt with extra material or lace on the end which lengthens the overall look of the outer skirt.
DRESSES:
Dresses will actually just follow the same guidelines as shirts and skirts:
Here are a few examples of dresses that would not be missionary appropriate and some examples of dresses that would be appropriate for missionaries (appropriate examples on the right side are from lds.org):
RECREATION CLOTHES (EXERCISE, P-DAY, SERVICE):
"Generally, on preparation day you should wear regular missionary clothing in public. However, if necessary for a specific activity, you may wear more casual clothing. You may bring one pair of modest jeans or pants, a few modest T-shirts, loose-fitting exercise clothing, a pair of gym shoes, and pajamas. Be sure to maintain a high standard of modesty in all activities—especially during activities that require you to stoop down or bend over—by avoiding low-rise jeans and shirts with revealing necklines" (missionary.lds.org)
The same standards of modestly and (YES!) professionalism still apply to the clothes you will bring for recreation. Yes, you can still be professional in casual clothes. The same modesty standards apply to the clothing you will wear for exercising, p-day activities, service projects, and sleeping.
Much of this has to do with modesty, but you will also need to be clean and neat (not sloppy) and not wear anything that could distract from your message.
The Missionary Dress and Grooming site missionary.lds.org does not show specific examples of appropriate pajamas, but as stated above, the same modesty standards are expected at all times, whether you are in public or in your missionary apartment. Pajamas will need to fit the same standards of modesty as your other clothes do. (PS - most Sisters that I was companions with wore t-shirts and pajama pants to bed. Only a few brought a full matching set of pajamas).
Remember: Part of preparing to go to the temple is learning to live a higher personal standard. Part of preparing to serve a mission is learning to sacrifice your personal wants in order to be an ambassador for the Lord. Instead of focusing on the "can'ts," try to focus on the joy that comes from being a representative of the Lord, whether you are a full-time missionary or a member missionary!
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