Fashion for the Vicar...

The British were once known as the epitome of understatement...  Sadly, that virtue is being replaced by a sense of style that might be best reserved for another venue...

Read it all here and look at the pictures, too!  The very latest Parish fashions were modelled today by men and women of God who paraded down a clergy catwalk.

Once again, the wisdom of timeless design overshadows the flash of a design for a moment.  A few rules...

• Clergy dress is not a fashion statement.  It is an identity statement.  I am a priest....
• Clergy dress is not personal expression.  It is designed to mask your personal identity and emphasize the identity of Christ.
• Clergy dress is not about what is in or out.  It is about WHOM you represent.
• Clergy dress is not meant to draw attention to the dress itself.  It is to draw attention to the office and not the office bearer.    

BTW if this is what the ordination of women brings to the table, well, I think you know where I stand...

Quote:

Adrian Cousins, area manager for Hayes and Fitch, a Liverpool-based company which has been selling clerical products since 1882, said: "We sell a wide range of clothing for every season. Our latest range, Serenity, is for women and features cutting-edge designs.

'They don't want to just dress in black, so we have new colours such as blush pink and rose, which are popular.

 
'Each item is fitted and made to measure. It is in response to female clergy who have said they want something out of the ordinary.'

Apparently it is not enough to break with 2,000 years of unbroken tradition and the witness of the faith.  One must dress out of the ordinary as well.