The following letter is in answer to a woman who asked about the
wearing of dresses and why does it matter what women wear, anyway?
She thought that pants are actually much more modest and was concerned
about young girls in dresses.
So I entitled my reply to her: Cross dressers.
You'll see why the title.............
Our friends have a friendship with a man who is blind and from time to
time he is a guest in their home... we're pretty sure he knows when a
woman enters the room... and can tell what kind of woman she is...
amazing. Our dress must be carefully thought out and carefully chosen.
---Y'all have heard me say a few times before... our clothing must
always pertain specifically to women... the test for me here is that it
mustn't be something my husband or one of our sons would wear. This
analogy breaks down a tiny bit in some areas, but even the cross over
areas (turtlenecks, socks, long underwear) can be of a distinguishable
feminine nature. It oughtta be just as ridiculous for you to grab
something of your husband's or son's and wear it, as it would be for one
of them to grab something of yours and wear it! We mock men cross
dressers, don't we? We think it's disgusting behaviour, don't we?
---I have suggested before that when you are sewing a dress or jumper...
buy a little extra fabric and make pantaloons for the outfit. Sometimes
the pantaloons are a tad bit longer than the dress and I add a ruffle
around the hem... and if the dress ever 'flies up' then the same fabric
covers the leg and panties, etc. Our daughters just do everything a
child in pants would do... and we're treated a little sweeter on the
baseball field! ;-) ---I only wear longer dresses in navy blue---solids,
prints, checks, plaids... and I have a navy half slip that hangs pretty
close so that if my dress should ever blow in the wind, the same length
navy slip underneath doesn't fly around. Additionally, I always wear
navy tights under so there's no embarrassment there... The same thing
goes for my daughters... except they do own other colours of clothing
besides navy, crème and white. ;-)
---If our daughters are playing outside... they wear their play
bloomers or pantaloons under their dresses and that all works out just
fine.
---For the larger sizes, there are beautiful dresses and jumpers as
well. I made up the pattern I use for our jumpers and have been able to
adapt it to just about any size woman or child. The neat thing about
sewing your own, is that you can add width to one area without having to
add it all over depending on your shape, whereas some 'ready to wear'
dresses are not correctly proportioned and the top is too large and
doesn't look well. I'd suggest making a muslin one first and adjust it
and then make a few from your pattern. If you cut a bunch of them out on
one day, you can sew the bunch on another day... it's great to have that
job done!
---If you feel chilly in your dresses, then like some have suggested,
you can wear leggings or thermals. Another warm idea is to wear a
flannel slip underneath. If your dresses are long enough, and you are
wearing tights and socks with your boots, you should be plenty warm...if
not, go inside, drink a cup of tea and forget going outside!
sincerely, pamela spurling