YOU HAVE BEEN REPORTED.
Grab a glass of iced coffee, pigeons, and sit down with Auntie PeaceBang. Because you have been TATTLED ON, and we need to talk.
There is a hideous, ugly rumor that has been whispered into PeaceBang’s ear that seminarians showed up to a recent graduation ceremony wearing choir robes (because, you know, they were singing in a choir) with T-shirts and sneakers underneath.
You know, if I have to have plastic surgery to remove the prune lines from around my mouth from pursing my lips in expressions of extreme disapproval, I will send the bill to you, O Criminally Sloppy Ones.
What is this?
Do any of us really labor under the misapprehension that what we wear under robes doesn’t matter?
Haven’t I taught you BETTER THAN THAT?
Do you not know that, if you can’t be bothered to wear a tie, gentlemen, you should at LEAST have a proper collared shirt under your robe, even if you’re “just” singing in the choir? If you are a seminarian, you should own at least one properly collared shirt and no excuses.
Sneakers, sandals and other extremely casual footwear are also an absolute no-no for wearing with robes of any kind, and especially at a commencement. Have some respect. Just because you’re not the one graduating does not mean that you show up to the festivities dressed for gardening.
Make it a personal rule and keep it simple: “If I am wearing a robe, I wear a proper shirt. If I am wearing a robe for any reason, I do not wear kicks. I wear proper shoes. If I am attending a formal event, I dress formally. Anything that involves a rite of passage is a formal event. Period.”
Got it, newbies?
Good. Now go out there and make us proud.
Are high-heeled strappy sandals acceptable with one’s own graduation wear? That ship has sailed, I’m just curious. [You graduated from LAW SCHOOL, girl! Which actually does change things, as the graduation exercise is not religious but a formal occasion. To which I should think strappy sandals are perfectly acceptable. Newly-graduated lawyers are not obligated to wear business professional for their graduation, but newly-minted divines need to lean more in that direction. – PB]
Besides, I bet those high-heel strappy sandals looked more fabulous than crocs or tevas….!
Extreme underdressing is one of my pet peeves. It shows an utter lack of respect for oneself and for the occasion. I once had a boss who wore jeans and sneakers (sometimes with holes in them) to the office. He was the manager of a small satellite office and his boss was at the company HQ in another state, so I’m sure he thought that gave him leave to dress however he darn well pleased. His wardrobe choices undermined his authority and I’m sure helped to foster an atmosphere of disrespect. I know I would have respected him more if he had bothered to wear kakhis and polos and real shoes.
Hoping the post gets taken to heart at my old church the priest wore shoes under his robe but the other people wore sneakers & flipflops. We are living in a world gone too informal when I got divorced (1996) someone turned up in jeans & curlers!
Although if you were a seminarian serving in the summer at the Sewanee chapel before it was air- conditioned, it was okay to wear a t-shirt and shorts under your cassock-alb as long as you wore black shoes (and black socks if you were a guy), and as long as you didn’t flop your vestment open to let the air in when you were sitting in the front.
I wonder if there is a line between appropriate dress (and the advice thereof) and vanity.
I’ve met and heard pretty terrible preachers who were dressed very stylishly. I’ve also met and heard wonderful preachers who were wearing sandals, a white tee shirt, and a pair of shorts under their albs.
[Cody, we all know that. This site is about clergy image and understanding how to be responsible for your own. We don’t really need a finger-wagging from up on high. Which leads me to proffer more advice on your image: “Don’t insult your peers by stating the obvious in such a manner that insinuates you were the first to think of it.” – PB]
Many years ago, I confess I did a very small wedding with what could be now called a slipdress underneath. Okey, it was a slip. My excuse was it was 98 in the historic house in Virginia, 97% humidity and I was wearing my heavy duty Geneva gown. I would have worn a cooler white robe, but the bride wanted to impress upon her family that despite my gender, I was a real minister. Thus, the Geneva gown. Yes, the bride knew and approved and once her family left, I quickly changed back into a lovely much cooler dress.