Dressing for the Outdoors

If you are in a part of the world that is now hosting the summer seasons, please do not abandon feminine dress for the so-called "fashions" perpetrated upon the public by manufacturers and featured in most clothing stores for the purpose of monetary gain. These days, designers and manufacturers do not care what looks good on a woman; they care about making the most amount of money in the least amount of time. Do not waste your money on this trash. No one is saying that you must dress in the Victorian fashion you see in the painting at right, but doesn't it compliment the scene? There is nothing contradictory about the beauty. Both the scenery and the lady go together! What artist or photographer could resist recording such a pretty sight? Although these clothes are not in stores today, women can get ideas from them in developing more feminine dress. Allow me to pass along some fashion manners for the season.

Weekend in the Country Alan Maley You May Order This Art Print through AllPosters.com

Young Woman on the Beach Philip Wilson Steer You May Order This Art Print through AllPosters.com

Outdoor clothing: Now that the heat is on, in some parts of the world, women will think it is permissible to wear the barest minimum on their bodies. The warmer weather is no excuse. You are less likely to be burned, develop skin cancer or be followed around by dangerous people if you wear clothing that covers you. Be sensible about this. Dark colors attract the heat, and light colors reflect it and keep the body cool. The looser the weave of fabric, the more the sun gets to your skin, so keep that in mind when choosing thinner fabrics for summer. Synthetics are not good in summer, as they can trap the heat and cause skin problems. Pure linen is cool, lightweight and comfortable for summer wear, since it is very "breatheable." Linen is also a good choice if you decide to make yourself a bathing dress for swimming, because it doesn't pull you down in the water and dries quickly in the sun. Other good fabrics for summer wear include seersucker, 100% cotton, lawn, organdy, batiste and voile. The sheer fabrics can be lined with linen or muslin for modesty. Note the young lady at left, wearing her hat to protect her eyes and face from the sun. Hats are a fantastic accessory all year 'round because they are so feminine and flattering, but they are also vital if you want to protect the delicate skin of your face from the effects of the summer sun. More and more dermatologists are now recommending hats to help prevent skin cancer and damage from overexposure to the sun.

A school newspaper in the 1960s contained this account of the boys' pet peeves about the way the girls dressed. Here are some of the details from the article the boys wrote:

Much of what we see in girls has disgusted and repulsed us. All we are asking is that girls again become feminine in their thoughts, words and deeds, because they should be different than boys. We are tired of constantly being forced to look at girls' underwear. For example: skirts not long enough to cover underwear during normal activities such as sitting, stooping, reaching up or running. Boys do not like the carelessness girls display when sitting with legs apart or lying on floors, grass, benches and retaining walls, constantly making others look at their underwear. This is just obnoxious. We find girls draped in boys' or men's clothing unattractive and unfeminine. Many are wearing sailor's pea-jackets, boys' shirts with tails hanging out...and other items of male clothing. Wear your own clothes and let us wear ours. We have been badly frightened too many times by girls who use makeup with little or no skill or even good sense. It is hideous! Use only a little makeup and learn to apply it properly.

We are concerned about girls choice of vocabulary in both spoken and written communication. We take a dim view of girls using both profane and obscene language in their conversation with each other and with us. We are concerned with girls who practice boy-like behavior. Girls who greet us by pushing us, hitting us, pounding us on the back, chasing us or mussing up our hair or clothing, leave us absolutely cold. Girls who smoke and drink are respected by none of us.

This little school newspaper story became well known to young women in that decade, as it was read in girls' classes where girls were being taught to be more feminine. Today, this article is hardly heard of, but many women were made aware of what men thought of the way they dressed, at that time. We need another group of young men to send out an official notice like this for the young (and old) women.

Timeless Moments Mark Arian You May Order This Art Print through AllPosters.com This is a more contemporary painting, but it portrays the kind of femininity that men really want in women. It is in sharp contrast to masculine clothing.

Would women like to attract the kind of attention that causes men to think less than noble thoughts about them, and perhaps make crude, suggestive remarks, or would they rather have a man politely tip his hat and compliment her with "You look nice today, ma'am'? Which is better: to cause an accident because a woman was so scantily dressed that someone was distracted and stumbled or drove his car into a post, or to cause a man to think of heaven because she was so carefully and finely clothed? There may not be a group of boys who will publish such an article today, but they do still have their pet peeves about the way women dress and behave. They are tired of going to the grocery store in the summer and being startled in every aisle by women who are dressed in what could only be described as underwear. Men today are disgusted at the bare-midriff look and body piercing on women. They feel that women don't respect them anymore. They are upset at the way women walk, as if they are doing a belly dance to entice them. Men say that they are made for something more noble than the baser instincts, yet women try to attract only those coarser qualities in men. Men today, contrary to what women believe, do not like having their senses assaulted by constant bare skin in public. Look at the photographs of the 19th and early 20th centuries below (all but the picnic photo are clickable thumbnails). The women were clothed beautifully and still participated in many sports and outdoor activities, including sailing and even vigorous outdoor games.

A group of women having a picnic, ca. 1899. Note the hats and other lovely accessories!

This young lady appears to be on an automobile outing with her cute puppies. She wears a lovely tailored visiting suit and big hat and looks completely relaxed and lovely in this setting.

Here are two different camping scenes. The one on the left was taken in the 1910s, while the one on the right was snapped in 1908 in New York. The women in both scenes are wearing skirts and blouses and have arranged their campsites so they can cook and carry on daily activities in the wilderness even while "roughing it."

These ladies and their children are enjoying a marshmallow roast right on the beach!

A beautiful group of ladies taking a break from a walk on some steps. This photograph was taken circa 1899.

Two Girls Fishing by John Singer Sargent
This beautiful painting shows two young ladies fishing in a stream. Many moderns insist that paintings of this era were highly idealized (and, of course, some were), but you can see from the photographs above that this painting fits right into reality!

Here is a 19th century painting called "Fragrant Fields." It gives us another glimpse into what women wore out of doors. Will the phrase in Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, "Like ladies' skirts across the grass" ever be a poetic reality for our children? Surely children today do not understand the line of the poem, because they do not hear the sound of ladies' skirts swishing across the grass (see the poetry section).

Fragrant Fields You May Order This Art Print through AllPosters.com

Here are some things that are not feminine:

1. Clothing with holes in it revealing parts of the skin;
2. Mannish clothing and accessories;
3. Styles intended to shock others;
4. Always wearing black (it has its place);
5. Short, tight clothing;
6. Loose, sloppy clothing;
7. Unclean, unpressed clothing;
8. Colors that don't flatter your complexion;
9. Hair that has been sprayed different colors;
10. Spiked, stiff hair, or hair with too much gel and other products on it;
11. Unclean body;
12. Body odor;
13. Too much makeup;
14. Exaggerated, heavy footwear with extremely thick soles (these are also dangerous);
15. Long nails, decorated in garish colors.

Le Printemps
James Tissot
You May Order This Art Print through AllPosters.com

Summer may be here in your part of the world, but please use it as a reason to dress like a summer's day, with fabrics and styles that compliment the Creation and glorify the One who made you women!