New threads. My vision for Modern Modest Ware
Anybody else sick and tired of slim cut jeans, a polo, and tennis shoes? Anybody else goto the mall, look around and don’t see any style that you REALLY like? Does anybody else look around at everybody else, scroll through social media, look into their own closet and wonder WHAT THE HELL ARE WE ALL DOIN?
I do.
I don’t really like any style for men in modern America. Suit & tie, “Hype Beast” brand worshiping, casual shirt and shorts. Nothing stands out to me as… well… me. I currently dress “nice” for business. Polo branded collared shirt, dress shorts or pant, and, to make it ~hip~, some Adidas sneakers. I look at myself and honestly… hate it.
In my youth I used to experiment a lot with clothing. I would cross dress for youtube skits to be funny (thank GOD my parents didn’t try to convince me it was because I was actually a girl inside). I loved going to the thrift store from a kid to my adulthood. The prices are obviously unbeatable, but truly I just like the idea of finding something random or unique. You never know what you’ll get. Could be from a different decade, could be a custom piece from some other state, could be a design that fits in a way thats not quite right, but has a look that you couldn’t find retail.
In high-school I wore a different outfit everyday. I would wear Supreme stuff or Yeezys to be cool, but the days I felt like myself were the days I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something CRAZY. I used to wear an outfit that was literally a pair of long johns, and a oversized baggy black shirt with checkered slip on vans. I would wear vibrant, funky colors and jackets from the 70s/80s. Socks with fish swimming around in blue water with transparent converse to make my feet look like a fish bowl. I would wear my girlfriends jeans with a band tee, and the next day dress up in my classiest suit. I loved being unpredictable and trying outfits that sometimes wouldn’t work at ALL. This was fun until I became an adult interacting with other grown adults. I have officially conformed in order to “network”. I felt like since I was a married man I had to man up and dress up. I need to come off as a smart business man this brand can trust their next video project with, not some wack-o artist type. Well the truth is I am an artist type who’s in a mask to fit into the “norm” or to get jobs with business-y clients who pay a lot of money. I need to stop or i’m going to explode.
In 2019 I worked with a fashion designer in Denver named LilFreshSam. She made custom clothing for celebrities and we had a lot of fun. I got into sowing and making my own clothing. I was deep into the fashion world and up on all the trends. It was with her I made it my goal to one day make my own clothing. This is still a goal of mine.
I want to raise up a sheep from a lamb. Sheer it. Loom it. Design and make my own Modern Modest Ware. MMW. The question I ask myself is… what do I make? A T-Shirt I feel would be a waste of time and effort. Probably wouldn’t look nearly as good as one I can buy at Walmart for $10. So i’ve been pondering for years on this. I think i’m getting closer to the final product. My wife HATED the idea of me dressing like how I wanted to dress. I told her my dreams of what I want to wear and she would tell me only when we have a property in the middle of the woods when nobody is around. She would disincentise a lot of my dreams and passions looking back on it. We don’t need to get into that now. She left and is filing for divorce. Ill make a blog post talking about that when it is finalized. I’m making this blog post as a “in-progress” reminder of this fashion ambition.
Now to explain what i’m talking about. I read old books on the romans and Jesus and they have pictures of what they used to wear in them. I look upon their flowing tunics with envy. I honest to God believe they look REALLY good. I mean they look so comfortable, layered to perfection. No brands. No graphics. Pure cotton, wool or linon. Hand made with love and care.
After enough reading of these books I started to look upon modern American fashion as stupid looking. The tight jeans that cut off blood circulation and show an outline of your junk to the world. The branded shirts that only cost that much because a advertisement or celebrity told you its “in”. Not to mention EVERYTHING is made out of plastic from some sweat shop in China. Your clothes are made by slaves for 15 cents and you don’t even care because… Why exactly? It’s cool? It’s soft? The brand you bought it from says they don’t like racism? oh oh, my favorite, “IDK I just like it”.
This sounds negative for no reason. I don’t hate you or your shirt. I currently ware these clothes too. I just don’t like this current system of mass produced fast fashion. The style feels stagnant and boring. Even high fashion brands and people who are pushing fashion forward, like Yeezy, its all the same junk. T-shirt, hoodie, pants, sneakers. Button up, blazer, slacks, dress shoes. I want to think out of the box by taking a look back at our ancestors. Heres my findings.
BEHOLD!
Classic roman clothing. The long tunic covered by a classy flowing cloth held down by a rope belt. This, I feel, is versatile and comfortable. Only problem is… its a halloween costume. Cheesy and people would be confused what the hell was going on. Why you got armor on bro? Going to war? Can’t wear it. Laughable.
Lets look at some real, non-costume, ancient garb.
Pretty much looks like you rolled out of bed, took the sheet with you and walked out the door. Sloppy. Goofy. Cant respect a guy wearing a sheet, PLUS you gotta hold up that left hand to keep it from falling off. Not realistic. Now that guy on the far right. I can dig that. The cape is steller. Tunic hangs low, I like that. Has potential to accessorize with a sick gem broach on the top right shoulder.
Analysis
A. Too short and frumpy
B. Sheet you gotta hold up
C. Bed sheet and sloppy
D. NOW THATS WHAT IM TALKIN ABOUT. A cloak? Are you kidding me, this dude looks sick. Its like a flowing hoodie. I love it. Lots of potential
Gross
So how do we modernize this for today? I looked into it and found some appalling pieces. What even is this? A hoodie dress with a zipper, branding, pockets. Its horrible. Not what I want at all!
Closer
The flow is there, but the monk vibes are off the charts. I feel like I’d need to go meditate on a mountain for a year to pull this one off. It DOES look comfortable and put together. Has potential. Not as sloppy as some of the romans, yet keeps the flow well. Something about it is throwing me off. Maybe this is a chill day at home.
Kurta
I’ve met some VERY cool Indian dudes with these long shirts and honestly I really like them. They are called Kurta’s. Its classy and modern yet keeps the modest aspect there. I think this is my favorite modern approach to what i’m looking for. I don’t see myself in it though. Could be a transitional piece, but I don’t want to wear slacks under it. I enjoy the length of the shirt and like how it would fully cover me.
Priest ware
LETS GOOOOO. This would be incredible. The colors and patterns. Long, but not a feminine dress. Designed by God for Israelite priests this is a classy outfit. Obviously offensive to jewish people and God, but this is the closest outfit i’ve seen that I could see myself in. That chest plate with the gems on it could be made into a bag. The hat could go, but the rest is right up my ally. Close but do not wish to blaspheme Him.
Another Example
Here is another great example of this cool outfit I could see myself in. The patterns are different and the cut is also different, yet I love it all the same. I think the tassels on the bottom is a great touch. The bow is nice and would hold everything together. It consist of 3 pieces for ultimate modesty. I love the layering and how it looks like a dress, but at the same time, manly.
In conclusion, i’m not there quite yet. It will take some time to figure this out and to pull it off. I am willing to wait years to see this come into fruition, after all the Lord says, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” -Matthew 6:25
I do not mind being laughed at or made fun of for the clothing, I just want to feel like myself again with my outfits. The goal is obviously to look good, feel good, do good. I can be confident in these clothes as long as they are high quality and have the features I desire. The clothing I picture in my head doesn’t really exists yet or have a market so I will have to experiment and make my own. I do not wish to come off like a trans gender bender. I am very much a man who likes women. Plus the word says, “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.” -Deuteronomy 22:5
So this endeavor will be tricky to traverse, but I do believe it is possible. Ill see you in Israel with my tunic. I’m goin full arab this March. This is my update and if you wish to join me… God bless.
