When there are no practical issues at play, I say wear what suits your fancy.  Some women look better in pants, some better in a skirt.  I think we should all dress modestly and wear something flattering. 

And then there is the practical issues, which in made quite obvious by your current experience, most of us need to own at least one pair of pants!  I braved 3 Michigan winters in my day, and I would not have done so in a skirt!  So go buy yourself a pair of warm pants and save those skirts for when the temp goes above freezing!

I live in an area that has a high concentration of Orthodox Jews.  They wear skirts and wigs & hats when out in public.  (In the colder months, they wear long wool skirts and black tights and boots).  So for me, to copy this form of dress would be somewhat silly.  We have our liturgy, they only have their customs to follow.  That’s it.  During the summer months, I will wear skirts if it’s really hot out.  I’m 43 now so I dress my age.  But I don’t think it has anything to do with holiness or piety.

Ohh, have I had some spirited discussions about this one!  Hallie, I think your approach is great in that you are doing what you feel called to do, but you don’t oppose other women choosing to do differently.  For myself, I don’t feel that skirts and dresses are inherently better than pants, because either can be worn modestly and be flattering to a particular woman’s figure.  I think you should do whatever is most comfortable!  For those who think pants are androgynous or male, I think it’s pretty clear there are women’s and men’s styles of pants and they are very distinct.  And for those who think skirts are more modest and less suggestive, well, at least to my husband I think he’d tell you he finds those *more* appealing and suggestive by their nature!  So I think it’s all in how you wear it.

Finally, as a practical thing, I don’t much like pantyhose and I don’t really have a large shoe collection   So for me, all my business professional suits are nicely fitted pantsuits and my dresses and skirts are limited to summer (when my one or two pairs of sandals work for pretty much everything) or special events (ditto).  Jeans are so much more comfortable and less *stressful* to me!

I will say I find the topic intriguing, though, and whenever people link to Shabby Apple and the like, I do find the styles quite appealing overall

While I wear pants most of the time- because of ease of wear and warmth for my Canadian cold climate- I do love to put on a skirt every once in a while. I don’t have too many skirts- so when I do put one on, its usually because I’m going to a special event and want to look and feel especially womanly and pretty. With every skirt I wear leggings, tights, nylons or spandex shorts to help with the thigh issue.

I wear primarily skirts when I go out but I can, on occassion, be caught at Target or the soccer fields in jeans or even (gasp!) sweatpants.    For me skirts work better for a few reasons, 1. you are always dressed to go pretty much anywhere, 2. I feel more feminine and 3. I am more aware of my role as a wife and mother. 

For winter I wear heavy duty tights under my skirts and I bought some warm Clarkes “Mary Janes” in brown and black.  I also have one pair of brown and one pair of black riding boots.  In the summer I often wear Spanx under my skirts for the above mentioned thigh issue. 

Like with all issues it is important to keep in mind that we are not all called to the same things.  While wearing skirts helps me on my own road to holiness one of the most holy women I know who is the model of Catholic motherhood wears jeans and pants.  While being a SAHM helps me raise my children for Heaven St. Gianna didn’t need to be so called to SAH in order to become a Saint.

Hey Hals!

I do think one can wear pants modestly and in a feminine way (I do!), but the fact is, skirts and dresses are distinctly feminine. We don’t see men strolling the day away in a pencil skirt and heels (cross-dressers excepted). So though a frock is not better or worse than pants, it is distinctly more feminine. I have felt a similar calling in the last year or so, mostly through your inspiration, Hallie!

To me, this conversation is similar to the debate that goes on about traditionally built cathedrals and more contemporary churches. Can the mass be said in both? Can one grow his or her Catholic faith in both? Absolutely! But there is a structure that is DISTINCT to the Church. You could walk in blindly and be able to say, “Oh! This is a Catholic Church!” And there is purpose to a traditional structure. Same with skirts and dresses.. You could look at someone from far away and say, “Ah, that person in a dress is a woman!” Does it define the person? No. But it helps accentuate and celebrate the gifts of the woman!

I find SPANX tights to be THE BEST for under-skirt-garments! They are comfy and have such a variety of sizes that you can find the perfect pair that don’t slide down, roll over or constrict! I could wear mine all day, everyday! Here’s a link to SPANX.com but I get all mine at TJMaxx! They’re usually around $12-16.

http://www.spanx.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2992560&cp=2992042

I used to never wear skirts unless forced to, but that has changed and I now wear them 2-3x per week. This has been gradual though and one of the biggest hindrances is what a certain unscrupulous young man told me about why he prefers skirts. That was years ago, but for a while I was uneasy wearing them. Now I’m only comfortable wearing them if I have biker shorts/leggings or something else on under the skirt.

As for wearing them in the winter, I have thick leggings I can wear with ankle length skirts, but I’ve only worn a skirt once since Thanksgiving and that was to a new years party. I can’t seem to bring myself to put one on in the freezing morning, even though with the layers it would be just as warm (if not warmer) than my pants.

I think immodest pants and skirts can be found, as well as modest versions. I’d much rather a woman dress modestly than try to tell her what works best for her. When I was a tomboy people telling me to wear skirts more only made me want to wear them less.

Interesting topic. While, I would love to wear nothing but skirts practical reasons dictate otherwise. I have a very active toddler and a husband, who is in the military and therefore isn’t always around to help and with as active a toddler as mine is sometimes skirts aren’t the most practical things to wear. Also, my family and I hike a lot in very wooded/dense areas and jeans are a must.

I like skirts and dresses but find it hard to find something stylish but modest that fits well.  Department stores seem to sell few skirts except in summer.  I have begun looking at Goodwill and thrift stores for skirts for myself and my 12yo dd.  The other issue I have is that I have a strong aversion to panty hose/tights and like warm feet.  I think I’m getting old.  I’m a little vain too and won’t wear anything that makes me look/feel frumpy/fat/old….  At 45yo and with 8 kids I still enjoy looking my best.  So finding skirts/shirts that are modest, flattering and comfortable seems hard at times - especially for cold months.  I never know what to put on my feet especially!  vanity, vanity….

I am among the whatever suits your fancy crowd. I personally live in jeans and even wear colored single stitch pants to church. I do own one dress pants suit and a few summer dresses for weddings, funerals, or other such cases ( My husband was involved in an automobile accident a few years back and I bought the pants suite when I accompanied him on the many times that he was subpoenaed as a witness to court)
I do not think that dresses are more feminine or modest than pants because honestly, I have seen more women in dresses and skirts showing way more immodestly than I have ever seen women in pants show.

I reserve skirts for formal occasions, because I just don’t find them comfortable for wearing during my normal daily routine.  In the summer I hate for my thighs to rub together (I’m not obese, but my thighs do touch), and in the winter I find them cold.  And I don’t love pantyhose.  However, I always dress modestly, and no one would ever accuse me of looking masculine.

I can not afford dresses costing $64 - $98.  I can get two pair slacks and two tops for approximately the same cost as the one dress for $64.  Before I gained weight I had a equal number of dresses and dress/skirt suits and slacks that I could wear but at this time and weight I am more comfortable wearing slacks.  And yes I go to thrift stores but that is a hit and miss and I seem to mostly miss as I find very little that I like in my size.

I find skirts more feminine, and while I think femininity and modesty are related, we shouldn’t necessarily conflate the two. I’m really enjoying reading everyone else’s opinions on skirts!

Personally, I’ve been trying to transition to more skirts in my wardrobe, but have also been frustrated by the cold lately! I desperately want to wear some new skirts I’ve purchased, but have to keep going back to my pants (with long underwear underneath!).

I’m right there with you on the “feeling” aspect of this discussion.  I feel more gentle, move more slowly, and am less “driven” in a skirt.  In pants, I’m aggressive, oriented toward productivity, and expect this of others.  It’s like I’m off to the races!  It’s odd.  Anyway, now that I’ve seen all the glowing recommendations for Spanx, I’ll check them out.  A new year, a gentler me!  How exciting!

I am a moderate on this issue and like many here wear both. I do want to mention that my mother, who grew up in the fifties, has photos of her classmates standing outside of their school in frigid weather wearing jeans under their dresses, because they absolutely weren’t allowed to wear pants. She said she was always cold and resentful of the rule. I think common sense should always guide our choices, and we should never be slaves to fashion.

I am too much of a fashionista to put aside a huge chunk of clothing options for purely modest or feminine reasons.  I also think that your clothing options have to work for your life and your work.  I am a stay at home suburban mom who lives in the Northeast.  Wearing skirts in the winter isn’t all that practical.  I do have some wool/cashmere sweater dresses from JCrew that work nicely with tights and riding boots.  But I wear these dresses usually when I feel a little chunky and need a little camoflage.  I’ve learned a lot about modest dressing by observing the Japanese moms at my kids’ school.  It helps that they are rather petite and slim, but they manage to pull off a look that is modest, fashionable and functionable at the same time.  Now my daily uniform is dark skinny jeans (and yes, they are flattering even if you have athletic thighs like mine) and boots.  It’s a nice clean line.  JCrew and Ann Taylor Loft have some cute skirts that I will wear in the summer when it’s really hot out.  But to not wear any pants at all just to be modest?  Not for me.

I wear both.  I have trouble finding skirts that I like.  I live in Southern CA on the High Desert.  What does that mean?  It means that it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  We get down in the 20s at night.  So, I wear jeans and exercise pants during the winter.  I really don’t like wearing pantyhose, so if I am going to be wearing a skirt, I make sure my legs are shaven and toenails are done.  I feel that I am called to wear modest clothing.  I don’t flaunt my body.  I dress it nicely.

I wore pants last week to go play in the 18-inch deep snow with my girls and the 3 year old commented on it. I’m not sure if she remembers seeing me in pants before. It’s funny because I used to be a jeans and t-shirt on most days kind of girl, though I have always loved wearing skirts and dresses both to church and for the heck of it.

Some time ago I became convinced that I should make a concerted effort to dress modestly for Mass and I began wearing only skirts or dresses to church. Then after reading several online conversations like this one, I decided that I liked the idea of wearing skirts as my standard everyday wear.

I’m not sure I’d have gone through with it except that I kept getting pregnant and we ran into financial difficulties. It made so much more sense to buy skirts with elastic waists that I can wear while pregnant and then after the baby is born. Maternity jeans that I bought in my first pregnancy didn’t fit for the second one and I got very sick of the one pair of maternity jeans and one pair of maternity corduroys that I had.

I live in cold Massachusetts and so in winter I wear leggings under my skirts. I’ve got a couple pairs of stretchy yoga pants that have a low profile under the skirts and keep my legs nice and toasty. Actually this is much warmer than jeans since I have two layers on my legs rather than one. I do favor longer skirts, my favorite is ankle-length but everything I wear at least hits mid-calf. When I wear tall boots and tuck my yoga pants into them, no one can tell I’ve got anything on under my skirt at all.

I don’t think pants are inherently immodest but I do think skirts are more distinctively feminine and I prefer to look at women in skirts. It sort of makes me sad to be the only woman in a skirt on Sundays, when most other women are wearing jeans or sweats.

Put on tights.  They are great under skirts!

Started wearing skirts about 2 years ago…I felt a calling from the Holy Spirit, but sometimes second guess myself too.  When I attempt to put on jeans all I have to do is take a look at my Miraculous Medal and remember Mary’s words to Jacinta about certain fashions that will be introduced that will offend God..that pretty much does the trick and I hang up my jeans and put on a skirt.  Leggings, thermal long underwear or tights keep me nice and warm in the winter.

I have to agree on the warmth aspect of skirts!!!  So much warmer when you figure out how to do the layering!  Warm cotton tights and leggings and boots are a must for the winter and make you so much toastier than a pair of pants.  Dress pants (back when I used to work) do nothing for ya walking through the winter wind!  Sometimes when it is quite cold I have 4 layers on my lower half and I am sure it is so much warmer and more comfortable than pants.  And I completely agree with the comments above, that wearing skirts reminds me to be gentle and reminds me of my vocation as wife and mother. I thought that I was thoroughly aware of these roles back in my pants wearing days as well, but there is something about having a skirt on that reminds me even more.  And the elastic (or partial elastic) waistbands are wonderful for my ever changing waist size

Wish I had more time for a more “in-depth” comment, but I do not. 

I am trying to rid my closet of pants, period.  I love my jeans, and I don’t know that I will be able to toss them any time soon, but I hope I will eventually.  I love wearing a skirt and feeling like a woman; jeans do not do that for me.  I love the respect I get when out of the house when I am wearing a skirt (treated much more like a lady).  In a society that continues to blur gender lines (and not in a positive way), I love to see women and girls in modest skirts. 

I am a thin person, and get cold very easily.  And it is during these winter months that you are more likely to see me in pants rather than a skirt.  I am working on that.

I do not believe there is anything inherently wrong with women wearing pants, but I do believe there is something beautiful about a woman in a skirt.

I love this article and all the comments.  I would love to wear skirts, but I am 67, 5’2” and about 171 lbs so sometimes I feel like I’m not the type to wear skirts.  But when I do, I do feel good—may not look good, but feel good.  What are some of your comments as to what type of skirts should I wear, where to purchase or maybe some good easy patterns to sew ~ or should people my age stick with pants…thanks, Patty