Now I am not a huge fan of shorts and since knees would have to be covered I pretty much ruled them out. Capri pants, though worn by many, are not my thing. This left me with the choice of jeans (a little too hot for UG). So long dresses and skirts it is!
Though I wasn't thrilled to learn that the majority of my clothes would not work for Uganda, it gave me a reason to shop! Despite the fact that I would be buying items out of the ordinary for me, I knew I would still have fun. After all, I often "preach" of trying something new....so here was my chance! Luckily for me, most stores had clearance racks full of summer dresses. I have to give props to Old Navy! Without it's clearance rack of long cotton dresses I would be left aimlessly searching, or worse....having to fork out a LOT of money to get what I needed. The most interesting part of my shopping was that I've never shopped with such extreme restrictions or purpose. I had to change my "mindset" from the very beginning, that I would be wearing clothes that I wasn't used to, and dare I say, may not love. :)
So this brings me to today's topic......sometimes we are forced to wear clothes that we wouldn't normally choose. Perhaps you work somewhere that requires business attire, maybe you have to wear a tennis shoes, many places require certain colors, etc. Making the best of your "restrictions" can be a daunting task. ( I have to admit, I quit one of my college jobs because they were beginning to enforce a dress code of XL denim shirts).I have many friends who have been asked to change the way they dress for work. Many of them forced to wear hideous clothes in effort to look modest. People (and by "people" I DO mean bosses who enforce this) WE can look modest without looking like we just step out of a nursing home.
So figure out your criteria. What is expected of you? Nothing above the knee? No tanks? Nothing too tight? Heels? Flats? Tennis shoes? No jeans? you get the picture...Perhaps a better idea would be making a list of the items you CAN wear and go from there. In today's broad range of style, there are bound to be cute items within your limits. I know this from experience! I found some pretty cute dresses in my search for modesty. Yes some of them have spaghetti straps (remember this isn't considered modest) but nothing a cute cardigan couldn't remedy.
I think in my 30's I'm learning a little bit more about "dressing the part." Whichever "part" you may be playing at the moment....a homemaker, business woman, waitress, librarian, teacher, construction worker, etc. We all have our limits, some of us are limited by mere force, and others by the activities we do, but regardless of the reason, just know that you can work with whatever limits you are given.
You CAN be cute in most dress codes. Remember to dress your age regardless of the restrictions. If you can't find items that meet the criteria, ask a stylish friend to shop with you.....sometimes all you need is another set of eyes in the dressing room. (Ok that sounded creepy). But you know what I mean. I am actually looking forward to wearing my new modest outfits in Uganda. I think it will be a little liberating to step out of my comfort zone and dress in a way I never have before. So before you quit your job for being forced to wear denim shirts.....remember there might just be a cute one out there waiting for you to find it. :)
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