Women---clothing questions

I live on STX. Adult West Indian women dress very modestly. You rarely see an adult in the grocery store or in K-mart in shorts. Many women swim in shorts and shirts, not bathing suits.

I would concentrate on fabric type (natural or HI-tech that will wick the sweat away from your body) and fit (loose). Many women wear high heels, mostly sandal-type slip ons. Almost noone wears nylon stockings.

People DRESS for church, weddings and funerals.

Firstly, you are right to shop in the states, as we have very little variety, K mark on one end of the spectrum, nicole miller on the other. There are resort shops , but a linen tank top will set you back $45-60. My advise is go to stores like old navy, gap banana republic, etc, and stock up on shorts(while really short shorts and ones revealing your tummy are seen on the streets, they are frowned apon by the "locals" Sturdy sandals, and sleeveless blouses in cotton and linen are good, above the knee skirts in light pretty fabrics are great, remember it's hot, so tight fitting synthetic fabrics may be cute, you sound too smart to broil just for vanity's sake. One pair of heels is plenty.

thanks guys for the help...yeah mostof the clothes here this spring are made of linen, which is great... 🙂

Hello Meg,

Tank tops are fine. I've seen business people, office workers wearing either really nice dressy ones with slacks, skirts or the less dressy ones (ones with spaghetti straps) with a jacket on top which helps with both the look and keeping warm - yes warm. Some offices have their AC cranked up. Tank tops are very popular for everyday wear, maybe not with the older West Indians but with younger ones and mainlanders.

Yes folks dress up when going out particularly the West Indian population. Attend say a show at Reichhold and you will see full linen outfits from head to toe with sparkles, matching purses, earrings, necklaces ect. all matching. But to be sure there is always someone is a fancy sparkly outfit and always someone in shorts and a t-shirt, everyone else is somewhere mid-way between the two. There are a couple events that are gown/suit dressy, for example the Las Vegas night fundraiser that Montessori school puts on once a year. But there aren't too many of those. So do bring a few dresses just in case.

Also folks here get very dressed up for church (again there will be a range but West Indians in particular are very modest but very dressed up when going to church - even the kids).

I think you mean the cotton long sleeved tunics. I've seen folks wearing those by themselves 😛 and with swimwear or tank top under it.

Knee-length and full length cotton skirts are popular here.

Get some light material slacks, no heavy lining or lining at all. Cotton plain t-shirts or dressier t-shirts. A few jeans. No sweaters but maybe keep a light one or two in case you work in a cold office. Bring shorts, swimwear, beach type cloths.

You are right on not much shopping here for cloths or shoes for guys or girls. No, folks here don't keep up with the trends like they do in the states.

--Islander

Ah, Islander! You stole my dress code tenet!

"But to be sure there is always someone is a fancy sparkly outfit and always someone in shorts and a t-shirt, everyone else is somewhere mid-way between the two."

To Meg: If you are associated with a local church, you will find the ladies to be conservative. Older folks believe in covering up- longer skirts, sleeves..and always a HAT! Usually statesiders get a bit of a bye, but if you wear something too short or revealing, you will hear a comment. Buy for comfort. You might want to wait awhile before making big purchases, to scout out what your fellow workers wear.

Thank you East Ender...this ministry actually isnt connected with any specific church, but I am sure similar rules will apply.

"But to be sure there is always someone is a fancy sparkly outfit and always someone in shorts and a t-shirt, everyone else is somewhere mid-way between the two."

This will be hard to get used to! there is an unspoken dress code for every activity around here...maybe it will be a nice change of pace!

I suspect you have a thing for fashion. Ive asked myself the same question. But it is not one of my bigger questions becuase I just love variety when it comes to clothes. I would like to be prepare for what ever. Cool nights , cold office buildings, cool weather spells, uncomfortably hot days and nights, hot nights, rain, wind, church, meetings, travel and so on. So I am shopping now back in the states. I know that my shooping experiences will be limited once I move there. I like variety so one pair of heels will never do for me. Now I may have a change after I'm there for a time. I just like color and textile. I do belive cotten will be the safest thing to invest in. Sandles yes! You probably want to have good sneakers, and other comfortable shoes as well. You probably will want some hats to wear in the sun. You might want to change your sun glasses every now and then. Hey! I could go on and on. I don't think it is that different from any hot summer place back in the states. But. I am sure i'll find out more once I move.

I do know that I am going to miss my shopping buddies on Saturdays at the outlets a,d looking for bargains and sales. I know it will not be the same in STX. I am counting on my creativityto carry me where ever the limited shopping establishements can't. I'm preparing for the change and looking forward to it as well.

im not fashion obsessed, but yeah like you said i like variety. I hate going away for three days and taking three outfits...what if i wake up and am in the mood to wear something I didnt bring? color is good, lots of sunglasses and stuff too...

i heard a quote that said "a girl in the pacific islands wearing hardly any clothes at all and a victorian lady completely covered head to toe might be equally modest in their cultures" (Mere Christianity by CS Lewis)" Thats why I asked about clothing styles...not every culture is the same. In pittsburgh or philly, summer is a chance to wear clothing as closely resembling lingiree as possible, haha. I just know in Haiti it wasnt the same thing at all...tee shirts and long skirts for everyone.

Hi Meg,

You are so right. It safe to say when in Rome....

What is the book Mere Christianity about sounds like it might be of intrerest to me. Also, are you at liberty to share information about your assignment? That sounds interesting too.

I can totally share. Mere Christianity is a set of radio talks given by CS Lewis during World War 2, that were turned into a book. He was a kinda wild boy, atheist, and then he became a Christian. They are really amazing talks. He deals with the subject logically, and with care. He also has wrote a lot of books, like The Problem of Pain, Chroncles of Narnia (Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, if youve heard of that ), and Suprised by Joy.

My assignment is with Young Life International (www.younglife.org), and it is an outreach to middle school and high school kids. We specifically deal with kids that dont go to church. Its not "youth group." The basic premise is to hang out where kids are- at school football games, coffee shops, etc. A lot of leaders coach sports at the school. They build relationships with kids rather than just "preaching at them"...kinda like mentorship. I was an atheist/agnostic in high school, and through my relationship with a leader, my life pulled a complete 180... I have been a volunteer leader throughout college also...working with a group of girls that I met when they were in 7th grade. They are about to finish 9th grade right now...I have really got to witness lives changed.

My job in St. Thomas will be as an intern to the Director of New Ministry in the Caribbean. There is Young Life in Bermuda, Bahamas, Haiti, and Domincan Republic, but we would like to expand it. We are going to be training local leaders to work with kids, and also developing relationships with adults that want to support the ministry. We have a goal to start an outreach in one or more high schools/middle schools within the next three years. I am so excited... I know that it will be really hard to work with kids that are a different culture than me,but I think its an awesome opportunity. I leave March 7th tentatively.

Thanks for your interest.... 🙂

Meg

One thing I found I wore very comfortably out in public while on St Croix was capri pants. I ordered 2 pair of denim 'Jackie' Gloria Vanderbuilt stretch capris from the JC Penny catalog. You can see them in the Spring/Summer book pg47. About $25. They actually fit better than the picture appears--- alittle more loose. Put these with a t-shirt and sandals and you could go comfortably anywhere. You can find this type capri in most stores... I just really liked these Gloria Vanderbuilt brand because I found I could throw them in the washer, then dryer with NO IRONING REQUIRED! 🙂 I got the 'classic' denim color-- not sure about the ironing required with the colored capris.

that is very much the style around here...or getting slim fit jeans and cuffing them to capri length. with heels they are dressy enough for most restaurants around here actually (here being pittsburgh). I know that H & M has a lot, and so does Target... colored ones dont require ironing too much actually...Old Navy normally has khaki ones too

Is it possible to Email you your work wounds very interesting. I do not want to burden the message board participants with my questions.

melody that would be fine...i sent you a private message