The Preaching Negligee

“Honey, come to bed. I’ll be in as soon as I finish administering the sacraments. And I won’t even have to change clothes, you big hunk of he-man.”

From Bride of Christ (who seem to be taking the “bride” thing way too literally). Yuck.
Alternately, one might go from baptizing a baby to hosting a fondue party with great ease.

20 Replies to “The Preaching Negligee”

  1. It is definitely a new “take” on the cassock. Has a somewhat Asian influence — I think it would look better in red or black. Seriously I think if women want to wear something clerical besides an alb or chasuble – they look great in a cassock (as do men) – although the buttons are a lot of trouble.

  2. It’s probably a bad idea for a vestment to make the congregation think “Hey…she looks like an Easter Egg.”

  3. All I see is, “I really wanted to be a Barbie, but I guess being a minister will do. I still get to dress up, right?”

    Although I do agree with Ann that it might be more acceptable in a (very) different color.

  4. As a negligee, it’s hot, and could ignite some creative ideas about what a sacrament can be.

  5. This would be appropriate attire in a large bedroom suite in an old Hollywood mansion in a movie that Hitchcock directed.

  6. I checked out the website – and I was moved by the site’s owner’s testimony of the Lord’s word to her to ‘dress the Brides of Christ.’ Each robe is prayed over. I think that’s nice. Maybe I wouldn’t want a pink robe, but I wish my tradition would celebrate with more brocade sometimes. We loved Bishop Vashti’s portrait, didn’t we? This little shop is celebrating the validity and value of all women of any color who are ‘anointed’ to preach.

  7. Somehow there’s a fine line between being fashionably attractive ourselves and wearing fashionable vestments…even male colleagues complain about there being three genders, male, female and clergy, and I think that somehow that taps into a basic understanding of the priestly role – that the sacred is beyond gender identification and those who are serving as a representative of the sacred must bridge that gap as well. Which is why even some of us who are “low church” and don’t always wear clerical garb still don’t want to be too hoochy mama or slick gigolo. I appreciate the effort of the designer, but it is way too “fashion” to be appropriate. And besides, what happens when leg o’mutton sleeves come in next year and butterflies are out?

  8. oh my!
    For the woman who wants to be a priest in the bedroom as well as in the chancel.
    Need we remember the large wall sized line we draw between ourselves and Ba’alism?

  9. I checked out all of the models, though not all of the colors in each. I thought the Rebecca would be really great as a cassock, with the piping done in black or removed.

    I’ve read many complaints here about how hard it is to find cassocks and albs to fit a woman with a normal, womanly figure. It looks like the designer here tailors each robe to her customer’s measurements. This business could be a great resource for customers who are willing to explain their needs and the guidelines of their church for vestments.

    As for the pink robe … I am pretty sure that some priests will save their money for years to own a set of Rose vestments to be used, at most, on two Sundays of the year. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

  10. I have a robe from Bride of Christ (in black, in black – settle down people). LOVE the fancy sleeves and hem thingy and my congregation loves to see me in it – always get many compliments when I wear it instead of the white one I have from woman spirit.

    Two concerns and they are pretty major are:

    the cloth is heavy and very polyester-y and so needs to be cleaned pretty often or it gets stinky. I do not have this problem with my other robe, so I’m pretty confident that it’s the robe and not, you know, the wearer.

    AND it came with NO POCKETS, which I find completely baffling. (kleenex? coughdrops? keys? notes? MICROPHONE?? Where is all that stuff supposed to go?) Someone more skilled than I ended up adding them – the pockets, I mean, not all the stuff that goes in the pockets….

  11. “For what denomination do they think this would be a useable option?!”

    Good question.

    I wouldn’t go for the pink either because I detest pink. Still, there are some denominations, African Methodist Episcopal (AME) African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME), Baptist (National mostly) and lots of other black churches where you might find more than one or two of the robes featured at this website. Maybe not so much on a regular Sunday morning, but for an anniversary service or something.

    Another company I’ve seen at black church conferences is http://jocephusoriginals.com/joe-cephus-wade.html. A little over the top? Maybe for some. For some it’s standard. It might be something to keep in mind should one find themselves in an ecumenical service.

    Can’t afford but would wear if I could,

    Kym

  12. And I do mean the styles mostly. The majority of these robes are sold in the appropriate ministerial colors.

    Ok. That’s all!

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