General principles
In the past, we have simply told people to “dress modestly”; however, we have come to the realization that this term needs to be defined by a few guidelines. Please understand that we have no desire to give offense, but these standards are made in hopes of guiding our ETS activities with both truth and grace. Thank you for your understanding and support. If you have suggestions for improving these guidelines, we are eager to consider them.
You may notice that there are more requirements for girls than for boys. Unfortunately, today’s fashions seem to make it more difficult for young ladies to dress modestly than for boys. And besides, there is a reason they are called the "fairer sex".
Girls
General: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.” As you read the guidelines below, please keep in mind that a lovely young woman can be a stumbling block to her brother in Christ if she is not mindful about what she wears. We encourage all of you to dress so as to enhance your beauty without resorting to the sleight-of-hand commonly used by vulgar fashion. In Platonic terms, we desire you to inspire golden and not bronze love. In biblical terms, though you may ornament your beauty, it is ultimately only on loan to you and you are to use it in a manner that honors the humility and meekness commanded by its Creator.
Dress as though you are a flower-- dress to draw attention to the face, as a lovely flower in bloom. One never looks to the "leaves" and "stem" of a flower, and young ladies should not dress to draw attention to their body parts. The total look of a young lady should be one of dignified beauty. She will then be representing herself, her family, and her Lord well.
Details:
*Tank tops must have straps a minimum of two inches across—bra straps should not show.
*Shorts should be no shorter than the tip of your middle finger when your arms are hanging straight at your sides. Please-- arm shortening operations are really not worth the trouble.
*Pants should not be so tight you you cannot put your palm against your leg and using your middle and ring finger pinch a sufficient amount of fabric between them to raise above the your fingernail.
*Skirts should be no shorter than a hand's width above the knee. Please be careful about slits in your skirt. Also, avoid long slits in the front of a skirt.
*Your feminine form should not be clearly defined by what you wear. Do not wear tight or transparent shirts. A good guideline for tightness is whether you can hide a ping-pong ball under your shirt.
*Your bra should not be visible.
*Bellies are for digesting food, not displaying in public. Please wear shirts that have at least two inches of clearance over shorts or jeans. If you plan to do a lot of vigorous activity, i.e. playing volleyball etc.. Please make sure that your shirt is up to its task under such conditions. You should not spend most of your time pulling your shirt down to cover exposed skin. If you cannot comfortably tuck the shirt in without it popping out if you barely move, then it's probably not appropriate.
*Your pants should not be tight, nor should they be of the “low-rise” variety, unless you plan to wear a shirt that is long enough to keep your bare skin from showing. "Long enough" means long enough to cover all of your skin (belly, back, etc.) without you constantly pulling down on it.
For formal gowns:
*No strapless gowns—they can make for uncomfortable situations on the dance floor.
*No cleavage.
*Straps on ball gowns may be of the “spaghetti” variety, but please do not wear spaghetti strap tank tops to non-formal events. OK, so we are splitting some hairs here, but some hairs do need to be split on occasion.
*Slits on gowns should not go above the knee.
*You should be able to wear proper undergarments with any gown you choose without the aforementioned garments making a public appearance.
*No two piece gowns, unless you can raise your arms well above your head without skin showing on your back or midriff.
*No backless gowns or gowns that show a good majority of your spine. You should wear a bra with your gown, and a backless gown makes this quite difficult, not to mention that you are showing a great deal of skin.
*Before purchasing a gown, you should move around as you will when dancing to ensure that the dress will stay in place and not be revealing. Remember that many boys may be (well, hopefully) taller than you—make sure to check and see what the dress looks like from above.
**Note: If you have already purchased your gown and find that it does not fit some of the above requirements, there are many things that can be done to alter the dress. We have seen many lovely ball gowns modified for modesty’s sake by thoughtful ETS belles.
*Your underwear should not show above or below your pants/shorts.
*When you enter a building, hats come off.
Formal wear:
*A tie, slacks, button-down shirt and jacket are in order.
*Please, no SCUBA equipment or WMD protection gear. It is very difficult to find these in colors that complement the usual fare worn by the ETS ladies and such outfits are usually quite unflattering to your figure.
*Yellow cross-gartered stockings are absolutely unacceptable. (See Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to find out why)