*Photos courtesy of Plainly Dressed
Plain Dress
Places to Purchase Plain Dress OnlineTraditional plain dress run quite a gamut, but in general the women wear long dresses, often with a cape or kerchief or other second layer to cover the bosom. Fabrics are usually solids or simple prints. Aprons are also common. Most distinctive is probably the headcovering, which falls into a fairly limited range of styles which are outlined on these pages. Black shoes and stockings are worn by the most conservative. Makeup and jewelry are avoided, per I Tim. 2: 9,10 "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold or pearls, or costly array. But that which becometh women professing godliness."
Women in the traditional plain churches are adhering to a community standard in dress that includes what headcovering to wear, the style of dress and the fabric colors. Plain dress styles are usually self-consciously anachronistic and have specifically symbolic items that are required. Modern plain dress has evolved from earlier styles, with some items being retained long after being abandoned in the mainstream, in particular bonnets, shawls and aprons. There are plain-dressing groups that I have no examples to share, including the Hutterites, the Shakers and smaller Amish-Mennonite groups like Holdeman Mennonites.
The Amish and Mennonites are the best resource for plain dress available today. Some costume historians believe the Mennonites modified their plain dress somewhat after coming to America in ways that were more Quaker-like, who were the predominant plain-dress observing group at that time. So, perhaps it is only fair that we switch it around the other way. I wear traditional plain dress. My goals have been to emulate historical Quaker plain dress without being slavishly historical, and to find a combination that works for me. Essentially, I want someone who is knowledgeable about the plain peoples to have to ask my background, so that I do not look too Amish or too Mennonite, but definitely plain. I met these goals by adopting a plain soft cap, solid-colored plain dress, a light tan shawl, and a neck-kerchief.
Some traditional plain dress resources I use:
Ready to wear and made to order (plain dress)- PrayerCoverings.com The first place I found the cap and bonnet I was looking for and one of my favorites. For more on traditional headcoverings.
- Plain dresses made to order by Dora Roth at Anabaptistbooks.com. I wear her dresses.
- GehmansCountryFabrics.com Gehman's offers both sewn-to-order in some standard sizes as well as made-to-order (thee has to purchase the making of the pattern) Conservative Mennonite cape dresses. Tabitha wear's their girl's modest dresses.
- Kidron Town & Country Has some interesting odds and ends for plain dressing, including men's clothes and hats and snuggies for ladies.
- Mennonite Maidens. I haven't ordered from them, but they offer a number of nice designs, cotton fabrics, and useful accessories like shawls.
- Rachels' Seamstress Services has a lovely apron-front plain dress. She also makes broadfalls for men.
- Gohn Brothers, "Amish and Plain Clothing" for over 100 years. Request a print catalog (no pictures in this catalog): PO Box 1110, 105 S. Main St., Middlebury IN 46540 Phone: (574) 825-2400. Toll-free: 800-595-0031
- For instructions on constructing one's own cape dress, consider Christian Light Publication's Home Economics II units called Preparing a Cape Dress Pattern and Making a Cape Dress. (They also have Sewing a Headship Veiling.)
- GehmansCountryFabrics.com Gehman's Country Fabrics offers made-to-thy-measurements patterns for Conservative Mennonite cape dresses.
- Friends Patterns I have made several of their items. They are definitely for the confident seamstress who knows her way around a pattern, but they have all worked out for me just fine.
- Candle on the Hill I have only made one of her patterns, a cap, and it was very well done. She offers what I categorize as both plain dress patterns and modest dress patterns.
Websites for historical re-enactors can be excellent resources for filling in gaps in a plain dress wardrobe. Shawls, shoes, capes, caps, aprons, kerchiefs. Find what problems you need to solve, and then find out how others have (historically) solved those problems.
- Jas Townsend & Son, Inc is a company I have ordered caps from and they have a decently-priced kerchief. Check out their accessories section for excellent glasses and shoes.
- Originals-by-Kay.com. She has a wonderfully enormous corded cotton sun-bonnet that really protects me from the sun (I am allergic to sunscreen) but easily folds back out of the way.
- A couple of resources for patterns for corded sun-bonnets: Galla Rock's Ladies' Corded work/Sun-bonnet Pattern and MillerŐs Millinery also has a pattern and will also make one: 1800s corded sunbonnet (scroll down)
- Kannik's Korner has some great cap and bonnet patterns, as well as a lovely cape pattern.
The Modest Clothes Directory has an ever-evolving list of links to websites offering ready-made, made-to-measurement and patterns for plain dress and headcoverings.
Shoes
I found shoes to be one of the most difficult issues to resolve in my quest for a traditional plain Quaker habit. The Gohn Brothers catalog has shoes (see catalog above), but no pictures, and I have tiny, tiny feet, so blind purchasing mail order shoes was a bit nerve-wracking. I did end up ordering a pair online from VeganEssentials.com and wearing three pairs of socks with them for going to Meeting. I use plain black Reebok athletic shoes with the brand name blacked out for every day.Recently, two people have contacted me with some interesting solutions to the plain shoe dilemma. Both solutions are actually boots, but are excellent ideas and so I am adding them. (1) from Abigail, a boot for Civil War re-enactors offered by BlockadeRunner.com. And (2) from Kathryn, the idea of wearing Paddock boots. A search of Google images for Paddock boots brings up a great many photos of plain-appropriate boots.
