The Art of Dress –Elegance versus Beauty
A religious sister once encouraged me, “It’s not difficult to form a sub-culture."
The Art of Dress – A Survey of Principles
Why did our great grandparents dress more beautifully than we do today?
What Barbie Taught Me
All of this, I see now, sprang from the innate human love of form.
St. Louis Christendom
We soon caught sight of the statue of Saint Louis, standing in all its glory on Art Hill.
The Art of Dress – What Nuns can Teach Us
Like religious sisters, Catholic women in the world must prioritize truth and beauty over normalcy.
Christian Fashion in the Teaching of the Church with Virginia Coda Nunziante
We are immersed in a society of the horrid, the ugly, the vulgar, and therefore any appeal to beauty is an opening to the transcendent.
Two Gems from Silverstream Priory
Above: Silverstream Priory from the website. This past fall I’ve enjoyed reading two little books published by the good monks of Silverstream Priory. The first, Letters to a Soul, consists of fifty-five short letters of spiritual direction written by Dom Hubert van Zeller to an anonymous directee. Written in the social and ecclesiastical upheaval of…
Metaphysical Beauty made Visible
Man’s purpose in life is to know, love, and serve God with all of his mind, heart, and strength. This succinct answer to the world’s most vexed question holds compelling poetic beauty. Its strong, rhythmic monosyllables are like the rap of a snare drum which steadies troops in the face of battle. Yet, one wonders,…
The Art of Dress – Learning from the Valiant Woman
Previous essays in this series The Art of Dress – Two Schools of Thought The Art of Dress – Problems with Normalcy Time and Effort Many women desiring to improve the way they dress become discouraged by abysmal market conditions. For instance, a woman desiring a graceful skirt to wear when running errands on cold…
A Moment of Christendom: the St. Louis Patronal Procession
Above: Patronal Festivity in Saint Louis, Missouri, 2022 On August 25th, my alarm clock rang at 3:45 a.m. The previous evening, we chant enthusiasts had parted with the words, “Tenebrae et Matutinum” (dark and early). With solemn vespers, we had ushered in the third annual Festival of Saint Louis, a liturgical whirlwind in honor of…
The Art of Dress – Problems with Normalcy
In a previous essay, I introduced an approach to dress that I call the School of Normalcy. I will now further explore the problems with this school of thought so widely held by Catholics today. For brevity, I have kept the focus on women’s dress. However, I believe my observations and analysis may benefit both…