We live in a multi-cultural world where the boundaries of culture and ethnicity are not hard-and-fast. Styles of clothes flow between cultures through time and in the US get all mixed and matched. I think it would be silly for most contemporary Americans to only dress in traditional styles associated with their ethnic heritage(s). But it’s also often silly when they (we) wear other cultures’ clothes to look “exotic.”

Another thought I had is connected to cultural appropriation. Some American ethnic communities, especially some immigrant communities, preserve a distinctive way of dressing which expresses their identity. If people of other ethinicities start appropriating their styles of clothing, it risks taking away some of the special feelings that the original wearers get from their distinctive clothes. A piece of identity gets obscured. I noticed this at a wedding when a friend of Indian descent wore a sari–and sitting a few pews over from her were two white women who wore saris to the event “for fun”–because it was something exotic to do. My friend was not pleased.

Another thought: There’s a role for the minister (especially a white minister) in looking approachable and welcoming to people of many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. I don’t think dressing like a multicultural mannequin is the best way to do this, but I also don’t think that wearing only Northern European clothes is the answer, either. Perhaps the key is to wear clothes that are reflective of our selves, our ministry, and the congregations we are trying to create? Tall order.

My oh my, clothes do communicate a lot. Good thing PeaceBang is here helping us out with all this.

Thanks for the fine post. As someone who has more ties to kilts than anything resembling a kaftan, I love to look at cultural dress. I enjoy absorbing the visual richness and wondering about how that form of dress evolved in that society. I figure if I can’t claim direct experience or at least understanding, I should not risk looking like I do. It is all too easy to fail miserably.

I’ve been thinking about this with regards to stoles as well. While the kente cloth stoles in the catalogs and on many colleagues look great, I know I am way too white girl to begin to feel comfortable in them.

I find this can translate to clerical dress, too. Some years ago, I noticed a trend in the Guatemalan stoles - many people gave them as gifts because they are pretty and fairly inexpensive for their strong visual impact, as well as having a certain “Look at my cultural diversity” factor. I have at least one such stole - which was a gift from another colleague - but on some gut level, I hesitate to wear it for church.

I don’t think any of the potential for wearable assimilation is a hard and fast rule - outside of the very important question of does an item help you look and serve your best. Gifts should have various degrees of dispensation.

But, I do love Eddie Bauer.