Pastor J. wants some advice! He writes,
Hi Victoria,
I’m a [Protestant] pastor, age XX, down in Florida, south of XX. I’m planning on hitting the streets this summer in an area that is low education and low income … we might consider inner city. I would like to look professional. Can I wear a collar with shorts and sandals? Remember it is beastly hot here! Also I’m wondering about a hat. Father Sarducci always wore one! I know you don’t do men’s fashion, but i don’t know anyone to ask who might have some fashion sense! Any advise would be appreciated … and I understand if you’re busy or just plain stumped by the question!Blessings, J.
Dear J.,
Watch out for ‘GATORS! They’re HUGE down there. I’ve seen them with my own eyes. Do not — I repeat — do NOT attempt to evangelize the alligators.
Now, whattya mean, I don’t “do” men’s fashion? Of course I do! Not nearly as often as I advise women clergy, but there’s a whole bunch of archives for my fellas! Just go to the pull-down menu of categories and feast your eyes on my Tips for the Menfolk of the Cloth.
Now for your question.
Yes, I think it’s okay to wear shorts in the climate you’re describing, if not ideal. If you go that route, make sure to get walking shorts in khaki or black and wear them with black clericals. The key to looking professional in shorts is to be very well groomed. This means a good hair-cut, legs and feet that aren’t scaly and dry, and shorts that aren’t flappy and wrinkled but that look respectable (and worn with shirt tucked in and a nice belt). Do consider that men who live in very hot climates do NOT wear shorts, but loose cotton trousers, and consider researching some of those options. I think you could look really great in white cotton or linen pants and huaraches, with a Panama hat, but I’ve never seen you and I don’t know your style.
Here’s a really helpful article about dressing for hot weather. This guy makes a lot of good points.
Let’s look at some garments and discuss. Click on the images to enlarge:
This is a clean and handsome look, but not very professional to my eye. See how the shorts are too sporty and boyish? They seem just a bit too short. Again, very handsome, but not priestly.
Please do not wear cargo shorts on the job. They’re great for all the pockets, but they’re a mess of wrinkles and floppiness once you have them on.
A lot of men in hot climates wear drawstring pants. I don’t think they’d work with clericals but certainly for the times you’re not in your collar, a crisp pair of white cotton drawstring pants and a linen shirt with huaraches can keep you cool and presentable.
These are huaraches, in case you were wondering:
And this is the aforementioned Panama hat:
This is actually a really nice look for a casual day of walking around. You’ve got the black walking shorts, a great pair of classic canvass sneaks, and your clericals. Get a nice pair of sunglasses and you’d be sharp!
This is a look that makes me tremble with fear and horror. It’s all business upstairs, all Dorks Galore downstairs.
THOU SHALT NOT WEAR SOCKS WITH THY SHORTS.
And again, just to give you the full force of how very irredeemable this is:
I’d really recommend that you try to find some nice linen twill chinos. Also, try to be as handsome as this male model, as it will greatly enhance your ability to bring the gospel to Floridians. Just kidding, J! Thanks for writing and send me some photos of yourself in full Rev. City Gator Mode.
My eyes. The plaid guys look like they’ve forgotten their trousers and are running amok in their boxer shorts.
(I grew up on the gulf coast and remember many a long, hot summer through which the gentlemen of a certain age, who would not dream of wearing shorts outdoors for anything more civilized than mowing the lawn, would usually be seen in seersucker or linen trousers – white, pale blue, or the lightest shade of khaki. For church, a jacket of the same; in the afternoons, a polo type shirt. And always, always a big straw hat that brooked no arguments from us whippersnappers…)
As a priest now in Florida who has worked in the inner city, my advice is to wear lightweight trousers and shoes. Most of my male colleagues wear black pants and shoes in the summer, but belted khaki twill chinos are also acceptable with either low quarters or boat shoes. You do not want to wear either sandals or lightweight sneakers in the inner city; it’s dangerous. Yes, it’s beastly hot, but the answer to that is lightweight fabric, not more skin. In my experience, shorts are acceptable only if you’re part of the God Squad Beach Patrol. In that case, wear khaki with white athletic shoes and no socks.
The huaraches look like they would be cooler than boat shoes, and the Panama hat is great! Definitely wear the Panama hat.
Thanks for the great, informed advice, C. and Pat. I hope J. reads them!
“Beastly hot” or not, for me shorts, sandals and a clerical collar presents a decidedly mixed sartorial message: clergy from the waist up, cool dude from the waist down. Sorta like what they say about the mullet haircut: business in the front, party in the back. I say stick with long pants that keep you cool (temp wise if not also style wise) and still present a professional image. [Hear, hear! Glad to get support in this! I cave to shorts pressure but I shouldn’t. Shorts are NEVER dignified.- PB]
I wear slacks in the summer though I occasionally wear shorts when outside grilling in my backyard. I truly find slacks to be more comfortable. For one thing the legs are more protected when one might sit on a sun-warmed metal bench. Hat is a must for all of us. That reminds me…I might need to buy a new straw hat this year.
Those dress socks with the madras shorts! Egads! That image is seared into my retinas.
I have a good male friend who wears linen pants from josbank.com in the summer. For a while, every time I would see him in them, I would ask him where he got them so I could encourage my husband in that direction (didn’t see him often, and short memory!). Very nice, casual, cool, looks good on a variety of male shapes. Not cheap, but actually on sale right now…$125 for the 1st, 25 for the 2nd, third pair is free. Which is about $50 each. Not too bad for good, quality men’s pants. I love linen. Wash it enough, and you don’t have to iron it, it stops creasing after a while. [Great suggestion! Thank you! – PB]
A comment on socks with shorts. There are people who have to wear support stockings for medical reasons (edema due to circulatory problems), no matter how hot it may be. This is often the case with older men who are seen wearing knee socks. It is not a fashion choice and should not be an object of ridicule. [Mark. That’s kind of you, but in most cases it’s just a terrible fashion choice. I think most of us are capable of seeing the difference between a sloppy, badly dressed healthy man and a fragile elder in support socks. – PB]
Actually, having an uncle who lived and worked in Bermuda for many years, I learned that the long shorts and high socks (exemplified in that second to last picture) are actually considered standard work/dress attire in the summer…
Just something to keep in mind in case you score a call on the island… 🙂
[Yes! I have an Episcopal priest friend who worked in Bermuda for a summer, the lucky duck. He looked so cute in his shorts and socks. All he needed was a iittle pith helmet. – PB]