I handed out our packing list a few days ago. K and R immediately objected to one item:
Long skirt or dress, appropriate for the Kotel
“I hate skirts and dresses,” R moaned. “Why can’t I wear pants and my nice white shirt?”
K joined in with, “I don’t like dresses. I won’t wear one. Why do I have to?”
Sighing, I explained that there are rules at the Western Wall. It’s overseen by an Orthodox Rabbi, so the dress code adheres to a fairly strict interpretation of modesty. Collarbones, shoulders, and upper arms covered (my sense is that the elbow itself might be a gray area,) skirt past the knees, and obviously no midriff showing. I explained this to the kids; Mr. December added his opinion about how it’s important to be able to blend in sometimes.
But all these explanations still left me with two girls who absolutely refused to wear skirts and one who was starting to protest so she could be like her sisters. Here’s how I solved the problem:
- Purchase an assortment of wrap skirts made of repurposed silk saris.
- Invite each girl to choose her favourite and try it on.
- Casually mention that you can wear these skirts as a dress, too.
- Sit back and photograph the ensuing fashion show.
K was so enthralled with the look and feel of the skirts that she declared them her new wardrobe staple. R pranced around in hers, intermittently stopping to tell K how gorgeous she looked in the blue skirt. E asked to try hers on and spent a while twirling to see it flare.
I expected the girls to grudgingly accept that yes, they need long(ish) skirts for the Kotel, and to each pick one that they didn’t hate. I most certainly did not expect them to ask if we could just take all the skirts (I bought a wholesale five-pack so they could choose) so they could wear them all the time.
Here are some of the styles they tried. Obviously they can’t wear the one-shoulder style at the Kotel, but it’s lovely for other occasions. We’ll have to figure out what tops they have that look good with the skirts for times when they need to dress particularly modestly. But can we all just take a moment to marvel at how I took three anti-skirt girls and turned them into skirt-loving fashionistas?




