Rev. Gidget wants to know,
Here’s a Deep Shoe Query:
Your shoe lust tends to inspire my own shoe lust, which is whomped up by checking out the Naturalizer, Dansko Outlet and Easy Spirit websites (just to let you know how generally tame my taste is!) The question that just struck me is thus: On Sunday morning, do you plan your shoes for your suit/outfit underneath the robe, or is your primary consideration matching the robe? I wear my black academic robe most Sundays of the year. Typically, I wear a simple black pump with a 2″ heel, which looks elegant with this robe. During my personal shoe experience now, I saw a fetching pair of tan suede pumps that would be lovely with my favorite suit and other things I wear on Sunday. But wouldn’t it look dorky with the robe?
Inquiring minds want to know…
Dear Gidge,
I think it’s a matter of your own style. I get dressed on Sunday mornings for my outfit, not for my robe. THAT SAID, my Sunday morning outfits are always chosen with consideration for the fact that I’ll be in a preaching robe and stole most of the morning.
I wear all sorts of funky shoes with my robe but it depends on your setting and your preference. I mean, I certainly wouldn’t wear scuffed casual shoes or anything canvass or mesh or velcro-related. I wouldn’t wear my Merrill mocassins or suede snow boots. When I say “funky” I mean a proper leather shoe or sandal, something dressy, something polished. Usually a boot in the chilly months and usually a Mary Jane or wedge sandal in warmer months (although I believe in a closed toe shoe for church).
If I am wearing a casual shoe with my outfit because my feet hurt or I have lots of meetings that day, I pop on a pair of black pumps I keep in the office for the service. They are a Very Respectable Lady Pump with a silver buckle and it’s simple enough to slip into them for 10-11 AM and change back as I am getting out of my robe before fellowship hour.
I see great benefit to having a Sensible Shoe on hand at the office to put on right before one heads to the sanctuary. You know you’ll be comfortable, you’ll know you match the robe, you keep the shoes polished, they’ll never be wet or muddy, and they can frankly be pretty ugly and you’re not stuck in them all day.
Hope that helps. xoxo
Basically, I plan my shoes for comfort; all that standing is just too hard otherwise.
Except for a few particular Sundays, when I like to celebrate the liturgical calendar by wearing shoes that match the color of the season. I always wear red pumps on Pentecost and Reformation Sunday (and they KILL my feet, but I don’t care!)
It is tradition in our church, and I agree, that black is best. Black polished shoes only will do. But then we always wear vestments (white alb and stole and chasuble) which as you know, make us anonymous. The whole point being that people are not distracted, especially when receiving communion, by footwear. Oh I don’t like those! Oh I’m not sure that that size of heel is appropriate for church! Oh I’d never wear red shoes in church. If you wear plain black shoes then you become the priest and no distractions.
I’ve come to the opinion that for me, anything but a plain black pump under a cassock or alb is distracting and were i in a parish I’d keep a pair of them with my vestments. I know a priest who is very fashionable–known for her shoe collection–who does this too. My toes may look great, but when everything else is covered up they look overexposed if they show. Some people preach barefoot and if that is suitable to your context, go for it, but that wouldn’t work for me right now.
I think I’m with Madgebaby on this. My context is fairly high church compared to most UU congregations, though they dig my brilliant royal blue robe every once in awhile, and I will sometimes wear a cream Women’s Spirit cassock. However, when I’m doing the standard Geneva, which is most of the time, the plain black pumps seem best. I’m also not in coffee hour more than 45 minutes, and only occasionally teach or have a meeting afterward. I know how lucky that makes me among my brethren and sistren! I was just getting a wee bit bored…
When I was in seminary, our mantra was “no shirt, no black shoes, no service.” I was pretty thoroughly brainwashed. I say, keep your church shoes in your office, and change afterwards. And make sure your church shoes are comfortable so you don’t have to run and pop ibuprofen at the Peace.
I have wondered about whether open-toed shoes are appropriate for Sunday morning. PB, you say they are not…can you elaborate?
I keep a pair of black leather ballet flats with a rubber sole in the vestry which I wear for services. they don’t make a clompy sound as I walk down the aisle (a pet hate of mine) and as they are flat I won’t fall off them at an inopportune moment. (And I have been known to disappear at the beginning of the service with the muttered words “wrong shoes” and chcange them quickly – my associate has been known to ask if I an wearing the right ones ever since that time!)
I too hate to see open shoes worn with robes, or very high or stiletto heels. Not a good look with a cassock alb or choir dress. I think it looks tacky, if your pedi isn’t up to scratch it looks yukky and I don’t want to know what colour your paint your toenails as I am kneeling to recieve communion…
to Elaine: preach it, sister. I was thinking, open toes, aren’t we being oldfashioned here? but the image of toenails at the communion rail got me squarely back in the land of Proper Dress.
(it was black socks/stockins as well as black shoes if you were at the altar in my seminary experience)
Black. Black. Black
Black gown.
Black pants or skirt underneath.
Black, closed shoes. As comfy as possible.
Judith–we all had our black “sanctuary slippers” and long black socks, so we could roll up our jeans out of sight and fake out the eagle eyes of Marion Hatchett. My service shoes were black suede Keds.
Such wonderful, practical advice! My favorite joke about comfortable shoes is “Happy feet, happy face”.
In one of the previous congregations I served, our lead pastor kept her pair of “sensible preaching shoes” in the office that she would put on with her vestments before service, then take off afterwards when she de-vested. They were comfortable, simple, closed toed black pumps with a small heel that matched all of her robes. Seems like a good, practical idea to me.
oh baby. CLOSED TOE. no other way. no compromises on this. Black is better, too. I also have a ‘clicking heel’ thing… on Wednesdays when our congregation is small and there is no ‘cover music’ during communion, I make sure to wear soft soled/heeled shoes so I don’t tap dance my way down the altar rail and around the chancel.
And, did I mention…
CLOSED TOE. Always. no one wants to see this week’s choice of toenail polish.
One of the first things students were told in the ministry college (Church of England) I worked at in my last job was that it was always BLACK SHOES if you were part of the liturgical party.
Not every church here adheres to that (especially if a female priest wants to get cute), but if I guest preach, it’s always black–never offends.
After coffee hour last Sunday, I had to admit that my sensible black pumps, though they look great, have a shorter expiration date on comfort than I would like. I found I was having trouble listening to people – “I’m just going to stand here smiling until I can make a break for it and ditch these damn shoes” is not a pastoral posture. I’m going to start looking for the super-comfy black shoes to keep in my office.
I only have an alb right now…which I really prefer to a block robe…as I am just at my first appointment. It sounds like most of you wear black shoes because you wear a black (or dark) robe. Black shoes with an alb???
I am older (actually a lot older) so I do comfort over heels. When I served as a chaplain, we were literally moving furniture so I wore black soft shoes with my black slacks and various colored collars.
Shoe suggestions for an alb or is black okay? [Sure! I mean, a lovely taupe is always nice but black is fine. And because an alb has that nice Jesus-y feel, I don’t think a heel is even appropriate. Simple, comfortable flats (not ballet flats) will do nicely. – PB]
I used to wear closed toe shoes all the time for church. But I’ve been in this church a long time now . . . and I figure if my toenails are a distraction, somebody needs to concentrate on Jesus more.
Teri, yes–alb, cassock and surplice, preaching robe–whatever you’re wearing in the Church of England, male or female, black is the always-acceptable.
I’d love to see nominations for the most comfortable but stylin’ black shoes to wear with a Geneva gown that falls mid-calf. Anyone?