Theology of style

Nov 24, 2023

Karen Estep
When I became Catholic a couple of years ago, the first thing I noticed about myself was my wardrobe was changing. I became drawn towards more colourful pieces. I suddenly had bright pinks, oranges, and purples all over my closet. I started wanting to be more choosy about the clothes I wore to Mass, making sure that I looked and felt great coming before the Eucharist. I was literally changing from the inside out; the brighter I felt God’s love and joy on the inside, the more I wanted my clothes to reflect that idea as well. Lillian Fallon, in her book Theology of Style: Embracing the Unique and Unrepeatable You, touches on this very topic a number of times. Our clothes are just an outward reflection of how we feel on the inside. It is OK to have all of this joy come out in our clothes because fashion can also be art and bring people into our joy as well.

I think of all the times as a young girl, as a college-aged gal, and now even as a 38-year-old mom, I have felt less than, and desperately, ‘unseeable’. However, that could not be farther from the truth in God’s eyes. This message is one of the truest ideas that we should be continually pouring into each other, man or women, young and old. We should all feel so full of God’s consistent, undeniable, aching love for us that we should want to spill it out into the world.

Another topic that Fallon discusses is the fact that femininity and masculinity are wonderful gifts. Fallon also addresses the topic of modesty, which she refers to as “reverence for oneself” instead of “modesty.” Modesty can be seen as something negative in our culture. Fallon prefers the term reverence to modesty because we can all hold reverence of our bodies. To revere something means to have ultimate respect for that thing. Men and women, in their practice of discovering their femininity and masculinity, can practise modesty or reverence.

The other topic that Fallon discusses that has been in my own heart, is fast fashion. Fallon challenges readers to buy well-built fashion items from thrift stores instead of just buying from “box, fast fashion stores.” This not only helps a person really hone in on their own unique style, it helps with recycling already made pieces, and it is also a fun treasure hunt!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a quick read but also packed with a lot of great information. Theology of Style is a book that would make a great gift for the women in your life that aspire to create their own unique style that also reflects their love of God and our Catholic faith. --catholicmom.com

(Theology of Style can be ordered online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Ascension Press.)