I don't think you will find any docuмents that specifically state what should or should not be worn as the fabrics, cut, and fit of dress change over time and location.  

What is important is the principle of modesty and appropriateness.  Jeans to Mass for men?  Only if you cannot afford anything else or perhaps are on your way to work after daily Mass.  For women?  Never to Mass but otherwise I would think only if you're doing something like hoeing a field or climbing on the roof to clean the gutters.

Some folks always have time to micro-manage others  :sad:

Marsha

I agree Marsha.

The issue was prohibiting jeans entirely for men.  Not allowing jeans even to be worn to the grocery store.


I agree about Mass. If one does not have dress pants or is leaving from work.

You won't find any docuмents on this but that is to your advantage. It means jean is not prohibited either.

A fabric in and of itself is neutral, neither good nor bad. What we do with it is what lends a moral weight. Skinny jeans imo would always be sinful. Nobody needs to wear anything that tight, especially men, and I find it impossible that they can be considered modest by any standards. But that's what's done with the fabric, it is not the fabric itself that is immoral.

Skinny jeans are definitely immodest for anyone, I think.

When I say jeans I mean boot cut, traditional Levi (or whatever brand, not important, just what I hapoen to be wearing now) without holes or any strange style. I don't think they're immoral in any way.

While dressing up has no explicit influence on one's faith and morals, we must understand that what is socially tolerated is not necessarily to be positively encouraged.

Since the 50s especially, it is no doubt that we have lost a sense of order and form. Americans especially have the propensity to think anything with form and order is restrictive on their freedom.

In the 1930s, one could watch the Olympics without being scandalized. Not so in the 1960s. The same applied to going to a public beach.  

When we avoid form, order and degrees we are implicitly tolerating disorder, because that is what necessarily follows--no matter one's intention.

We must live in a society that encourages form and makes things for purpose and occasion. There must be a dress code in society for just about every event. I am especially impressed with the British (men) who at least know how to dress up for weddings and other formal occasions (morning coats and stripped trousers etc) or who play cricket and polo with attire that has not really changed over time. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for British football.

While one might wear jeans or track pants, such should not be the default. Even when driving to the gym, why must we all be subject to see gym attire outside the confines of the gym?

We are moving into a new age where we think certain rules do not apply, but history will judge us more as brutes.

All this having been said, I do think once we return to our senses-with the faith and its relation to society (government, music, arts, etc) we will see another swing back to order in clothing.

This post is not a judgement on traditional, but just an observance of the solemn protestation of today's people to conform a little bit to standards that will help promote respect of persons.

None of what I have written above is in any way encouraging pretentiousness or dismissing poverty.

I was probably imagining the Marlboro Man type of jeans style.

Quote from: BTNYC

Utterly moronic. I suppose these jackanapses till their earth and harvest their crops and slaughter their cattle in dress shirts and slacks.

Ask these hypocrites why they dress in such modern garb as trousers, collared shirts and crevats and not togas and tunics like the first Catholics did.

To the three down-thumbers: Do you do intense manual labor in dress shirts and slacks? Do you shun modern garb for tunics and togas?

Because what I was attacking in that post was not a level-headed critique of the modern tendency to dress slovenly and informally at all times for the sake of comfort (a critique with which I would agree), but rather the puritanical idiocy (described by the OP) that posit some intrinsic evil in jeans and t-shirts per se and pharisaically forbids the wearing of these items at any time and for any reason.

I agree.

I noticed there were a few "drive-by" down thumbers on this thread who had nothing to contribute to the discussion.

Quote from: Centroamerica

The heart of the issue is if wearing jeans is: against the submission to holy Mother Church regarding modesty.

Is wearing jeans considered immodest, for example when going to the neighborhood grocery store with your wife and more so does the Church teach this?

Does it mean you are not really a traditionalist if you choose to do so?

No, men wearing jeans is no sin against modesty.

You may wear your jeans to Mass if you work in them, or if that was all you owned.

The question of whether one is really a traditionalist if he chooses to wear jeans is sad.  I am sorry that some bully is trying to dominate whatever group you are in.  If this is tolerated by the rest of your group, I hope you will consider keeping an eye out lest it become yet another cult.

I heartily agree!

There is nothing wrong with regular or loose-fit jeans.

Jeans are a PRACTICAL fabric that last a long time, and allow a person to do lots of hard, dirty work. You know, the domain of men. Men need to be dressed and ready to work. Jean material is also rather thick and stiff, so the material does NOT respond well to every microscopic curve of one's anatomy.

Contrast jean material with, say, sweatpants. I won't go into graphic detail, but I think most of you know what I mean.

Let's just say if I was accidentally pushed into a young lady wearing a jean dress/skirt, there would be less "resulting temptations" than if she was wearing a cotton skirt. Know what I mean? Jean material almost qualifies as a heavy-duty tarp!

You often can't tell if certain square inches of volume are even "person" under there, or just air! They are very thick material, and certainly "conceal rather than reveal" in every way. As such, they are a very moral choice for clothing material.

Yes, you shouldn't wear them to *Sunday* Mass. But anyone who has missed ONE daily Mass in their life because they couldn't "get cleaned up first" or "get changed and all that" is misguided, and I'm here to tell them. It is perfectly licit for workmen to appear at Mass in their work attire on weekdays.

It's only on Sunday you're supposed to wear your Sunday Best -- hey, maybe that's why it's called "Sunday best"?

While dressing up has no explicit influence on one's faith and morals, we must understand that what is socially tolerated is not necessarily to be positively encouraged.

Since the 50s especially, it is no doubt that we have lost a sense of order and form. Americans especially have the propensity to think anything with form and order is restrictive on their freedom.

In the 1930s, one could watch the Olympics without being scandalized. Not so in the 1960s. The same applied to going to a public beach.  

When we avoid form, order and degrees we are implicitly tolerating disorder, because that is what necessarily follows--no matter one's intention.

We must live in a society that encourages form and makes things for purpose and occasion. There must be a dress code in society for just about every event. I am especially impressed with the British (men) who at least know how to dress up for weddings and other formal occasions (morning coats and stripped trousers etc) or who play cricket and polo with attire that has not really changed over time. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for British football.

While one might wear jeans or track pants, such should not be the default. Even when driving to the gym, why must we all be subject to see gym attire outside the confines of the gym?

We are moving into a new age where we think certain rules do not apply, but history will judge us more as brutes.

All this having been said, I do think once we return to our senses-with the faith and its relation to society (government, music, arts, etc) we will see another swing back to order in clothing.

This post is not a judgement on traditional, but just an observance of the solemn protestation of today's people to conform a little bit to standards that will help promote respect of persons.

None of what I have written above is in any way encouraging pretentiousness or dismissing poverty.

I agree with this and I think that sometimes when "people" speak against or discourage jeans and t-shirts, they are really just trying to raise our standards of dress, which isn't a bad thing in itself. Society in general needs a boost, badly. We're trending more and more slovenly, without any sense of propriety or occasion. However, I think going after jeans and t-shirts is a misguided effort. It's not about eliminating jeans/jean and t-shirts, it's about knowing when and where it's appropriate to wear them.