how to dress to express

[blueangel]

As I have become deeper and deeper into pagan religion I have begun to feel that I would like to dress to express my feelings. I don't want to go around looking like a goth particularly. Has anyone got any ideas that might help me alter my current style? Usually I wear jeans/cords, sandals, and jumpers or tops. I like colour and jewellery but I am not sure where I should start!

[ArKane]

Goth? Whats does being gothic got to do with being pagan?

Sorry there is NO relation towards gothism and paganism.

There is no 'pagan' style really. Sorry if I sounds snarkly before but I have come across that question alot being gothic and dark pagan, it comes up alot.

Gothic isn't really a style as such but a subculture.

Paganism doesn't really have a sense a 'style' as I said. Most pagans I know dress the way they want. Causual. You dress how you want, what you feel comfortable in.

You want to dress to express your feelings? Your individuality? What do YOU like? What type of clothing? If you like jewlerry, wear it. If you like pants, wear them.

Dress how you want, do you know what you like? You dont have to pick a 'style', just dress what you feel comfortable in.

[Jenett]

As already said, there's really no 'pagan' style, and it definitely doesn't need to be gothic.

However, there's some stuff you might want to think about:

1) Color

Different colors have different psychological effects, and a number of magical traditions associate different colors with different emotions, desires, or other qualities. Different colors may also be associated with different seasons of the year.

There are a number of ways you can work this into your wardrobe. First, you want to think about what colors (and shades of colors) look good on you.

You might then choose to wear specific colors to help you on specific days - something yellow for clear thought if you're taking a test, for example, or something blue in a situation where you want to feel calmer. Or you can choose colors that make *you* feel good (even if they normally have some different associations). I have a couple of outfits I wear when I'm either in a really good mood, or want a little extra 'boost' because I feel great in them.

You could also set up your wardrobe so the colors you wore at least partly reflected the season - more greens in the spring and early summer, more yellows, reds, or oranges (even if it's just accent colors) in the fall.

I generally wear black and jewel tones, along with a wider range in blues and greens and purples - they look good on me and a lot of things go with each other pretty easily. That gives me variety even though I don't have a very big wardrobe. It's also pretty easy to match to a specific season or focus for the day if I want to. (I don't normally bother, but I like having the option.)

2) Cut/style:

Restrictive clothing can be, well, restrictive.

I prefer clothing I can move easily in, bend, stretch, sit down on the floor if I need to, and not worry about it. This means it needs to be at least moderately sturdy, and not too short or too tight. Not wearing restrictive or tight clothing (besides the fact it
wouldn't look good on me) also means I can take a quick meditation or breathing break at work without feeling constricted.

(Non-restricting clothing is also a somewhat common request for people going to ritual: it lets you move freely, breathe easily and deeply, things like that. A lot of people like jeans, but they do affect how you move and breathe in some ways.)

My normal clothing is a calf length or longer skirt, and then a plain t-shirt or turtleneck or sweater (depending on the weather) and comfortable shoes. That works for me (and looks reasonably professional: I work in a high school) but I wear the same things on the weekends unless I'm bumming around at home. I can do everything I want without worrying too much about my clothes.

You might make different choices, but thinking about how the style affects what you can do in that clothing is a good place to start.

3) Material

Many people feel that different materials have different magical properties. Natural materials (cotton, linen, wool and rayon, which is made from processed wood-pulp) are generally preferred. Silk is also natural, but silk has a long history as a magical insulator. Polyester and other processed materials might affect energy flow, and they definitely 'breathe' and respond to your body differently. So you might choose clothing partly based on material.

4) Clothing manufacture

One thing to think about (though in our culture, it can be expensive to find alternatives) is that cheap clothing is generally made in sweatshop conditions. Ethically speaking, I try to get my clothing from places where I can feel better about the people who made it, or have some idea of the conditions it was made in. (I am not perfect about this - my budget sometimes means that I really need clothes even if I know they're probably from less than good manufacturing settings), but it's something I try to work towards.

At the very least, I can *buy* the clothes from stores who treat their employees decently, are reasonably responsive to community concerns. Or from places like consignment stores, where material can get reused.

5) Jewelry

Lots of ways you can use this one! Beading is getting to be a very popular hobby these days, and you can often find gemstone beads pretty easily. This makes it easy to make or buy things like simple pendants or earrings with different stones.

You can choose stones for their qualities (rose quartz is often associated with friendship or love, hematite is generally considered to help with grounding, white quartz is easy to 'program' with a specific focus.) or based on colors.

I also have a number of jewelry pieces I've specifically charged for different reasons. I have a pair, for example, that I charged at one point to help me communicate clearly in a conversation that was really important to me. I now wear those in other similar situations where I want to make sure I communicate well.

One big note here is that these things don't need to be 'obviously Pagan' - they just need to be meaningful to you.

[Faeawyn]

Why do you feel a need to express your beliefs in the way you dress? Is there a reason you wish to call attention to your beliefs thru clothing? I myself, dress in whatever I like. My sense of style has nothing to do with my religious beliefs. The fact that I love make-up, trendy clothes, and I'm a shoe whore :lol:....is just a different facet of who I am. It has nothing to do with my belief in magick or the gods or anything else.
Just wear what you like...and what you're comfortable in. Don't worry about putting on an image for others to see.
However, on a side note, I love what Jenett had to say about colors and such. And loose fitting clothes are good for magickal work....if you're not skyclad :)

[Phae Talon]

As I have become deeper and deeper into pagan religion I have begun to feel that I would like to dress to express my feelings. I don't want to go around looking like a goth particularly. Has anyone got any ideas that might help me alter my current style? Usually I wear jeans/cords, sandals, and jumpers or tops. I like colour and jewellery but I am not sure where I should start!

My brother has pointed out to me that the deeper I get into my spirituality and the farther I sneak out of the broom closet, the more I dress like a hippie. When I was younger, jeans and t-shirts was all there was for me ... but now, I like a more bohemian style of clothing ... made of all natural fibres (cotton is my favourite)

My beliefs are very much a part of who I am and so are the clothes that I choose to wear. I think that they are probably connected on a subconscious level, but I don't think that I would change my style of clothes to look like ... say ... Fiona Horne, just because her clothes scream WITCH.

--Phae

[DraconisArcanus]

Why do you feel a need to express your beliefs in the way you dress? Is there a reason you wish to call attention to your beliefs thru clothing? I myself, dress in whatever I like. My sense of style has nothing to do with my religious beliefs. The fact that I love make-up, trendy clothes, and I'm a shoe whore :lol:....is just a different facet of who I am. It has nothing to do with my belief in magick or the gods or anything else.
Just wear what you like...and what you're comfortable in. Don't worry about putting on an image for others to see.
However, on a side note, I love what Jenett had to say about colors and such. And loose fitting clothes are good for magickal work....if you're not skyclad :)
Well said. The only time I change my dress is for rituals. Otherwise, I'm just me.

Peace!

[morrigen]

Goth? Whats does being gothic got to do with being pagan?

Sorry there is NO relation towards gothism and paganism.

There is no 'pagan' style really. Sorry if I sounds snarkly before but I have come across that question alot being gothic and dark pagan, it comes up alot.

Gothic isn't really a style as such but a subculture.

Paganism doesn't really have a sense a 'style' as I said. Most pagans I know dress the way they want. Causual. You dress how you want, what you feel comfortable in.

You want to dress to express your feelings? Your individuality? What do YOU like? What type of clothing? If you like jewlerry, wear it. If you like pants, wear them.

Dress how you want, do you know what you like? You dont have to pick a 'style', just dress what you feel comfortable in.

What she said. :D

[mothwench]

essentially twisted arcane is right, there really is no need to dress to express. with some faiths, it's hardly compatible with everyday life. however, i can actually represent my faith through my appearance, and i do, and most ppl don't even know. i don't get stared at either. as an aspiring reconstructionist, i like everything and anything old. this doesn't mean i wear old holey sweaters, and i don't look like my own grandma, either. i'm talking about things like chunky antique leather boots and bags, peasant blouses and dresses, kilts (!), and lots and lots of suede. and hemp. i make stuff, too, like my next project will be a brown suede corset.
i've also started braiding my hair alot lately, trying to copy some old b.c.e. hairstyles, and who would of thunk it, it suits me quite well if i may say so. :D

edited to add: i thought i would add: i do wear a thor's hammer, as well as a celtic cross (my two faiths. don't go there. :lol: ) but usually it's hidden under my top. to wear this openly every day (to work , to the supermarket etc.) is the type of statement i would consider too obvious for such a personal issue.

[Cataline]

As everyone else has said, my every day style is very much like everything else, I wear what I feel works best for me, what feels right for the situation.

Some special things:

1. Gems. I always wear one of two jewels. They are my daughters' birthstones, I have a necklace for each. They do get attention, but only in compliments, not gawking stares. In my daughters I see two very different portions of myself, and when I wear each stone, I feel empowered by that part of my personality and my maternal energy as a whole. Oddly, I don't get that sense at all from wearing my own birthstone (emerald).

2. Sounds simple, but do you have a favorite color? I know next to nothing about the magical qualities of colors, but I wear blue. Baby blue or turquoise; the turquoise is a more vivid color and the greener it gets, the more powerful I feel when I wear it. It is my signature color and people definitely notice. No matter what the style: formal dresses, casual t-shirts, flirty skirts, etc.

3. Is there a certain Goddess (or facet thereof) to which you feel drawn? I am very much attuned to Aphrodite/Venus/the Maiden form of the Goddess, so when I shop, I am drawn to very feminine clothing and am comfortable with expressing my sensuality. I am addicted to cute little dresses and buy them compulsively. My casual attire is a soft, flared almost-knee-length (I'm 5'10") skirt , and a fitted tshirt or tank top. However, B/C of my chosen profession I do end up wearing a lot of suits but my favorite has this sexy little flair at the end of the skirt. And I just can't wear pant suits. "It's against my religion," Heh heh heh.

In short, listen to yourself, and you'll do fine.

[Kalika]

As I have become deeper and deeper into pagan religion I have begun to feel that I would like to dress to express my feelings. I don't want to go around looking like a goth particularly. Has anyone got any ideas that might help me alter my current style? Usually I wear jeans/cords, sandals, and jumpers or tops. I like colour and jewellery but I am not sure where I should start!

:) As others have said, there isn't really a "style" of clothing, that ALL pagans conform to. Personally, I wear a pentacle, and that is the ONLY way a person can truly tell that I am a pagan.

However, I think that the best way to express your beliefs, and carry them with you at all times, is to behave as you believe a person should behave. A person's confidence, stance, morals, attitude, etc, show; regardless of what clothes you wear... eventually these things shine through. I try to remind myself of this every day - treat others as you want to be treated, look up in the face of adversity, stand your ground, be polite, love yourself...... sounds corny, but it makes a HUGE difference.

:hugz:

[blueangel]

Thank-you for all of your replies. What you have said has really made me think and what you've said makes sense: I should dress for myself. I guess I've become a little over-excited and wanted to make a statement. I now understand how this is not necessary.

Thanks again,

Blueangel xx

[MoonChild78]

i don't wear make-up or do my hair with gel or hairsray, 1. cuz i am lazy and 2. cuz i don't want to clutter my body with those kind of chemicals and i want to be "natural" so i only use those things for special occasions. Second, i wear a lot of "earthy" tones but i always have. I also wear more flowy gauze type of tops and dresses and skrits. what else, i wear some natural jewerly like hemp and seashells or silver/white gold and i wear things like dragons, amber, fearies, stars, moons, suns.... pentacles.... that kind of stuff. i don't know what else, but that is it... but i still shop at old navy, i like to wear tight clothes and heels to the club but i tend to be very casual in how i dress and i think that perhaps it is a little bit religon and just a little bit of personal taste. Best of luck to you.... BB*! MC