Dressing for protection: a style guide
Layering, chainmail, veils and more
Layering and I have a long history dating back to 2010, summer. Southern California. Days were long and truth-bright and ranged anywhere from 80-100°F. Even at night, concrete could burn the soles of your feet. So what business did I have dressing in undershirt, t-shirt, sweatshirt all on top of each other like a dogpile of sweaty fabric? Long pants and long socks and high-rise tennis shoes preserving me in the greenhouse of SoCal climate?
You could say it was a mix of things. Religious upbringing, to start. The dread that that strip of navel and stomach I had would turn to salt if it looked back at a crop top in a storefront. Perhaps also a false attachment to modesty that had me hoping more clothes would protect me from attentions that would do me harm.
In my late teens and early twenties I did away with the long sleeves and long pants in an attempt to find freedom in bare skin. It was a necessary, but ultimately misguided, deviation. Because over the years I’ve found my way back to the art of layering. (Maybe it started with ownership of a Vivienne Westwood runway lookbook–a lesbian staple.) It’s a bizarre manifestation of feeling-inspired fashion that contradicts itself as soon as it begins to make sense. I hated the tightness and temperature of all those layers on my body, but also loved how it felt safe, like armor or embrace. There is something protective about it, detailed and thorough. Black clothes too, I find myself drawn to now in adulthood. You can hide so much texture and detail in the void of black clothing. It feels like an open secret–a calling card for whoever wants to see me to see me. You can dissect the intricate collage of details I’ve adorned myself with or I can just slip by like a shade. I prefer it this way.
In this style guide, I will cover a series of strategies to dress for protection. I draw inspiration from modest fashion, although modesty is not necessarily my goal and you’ll see that in the final product. I would love to hear from readers about ways they dress that make them feel safe or protected, so please leave comments or message me if you have something to share.
Layer Pinning
One of my favorite items to layer is long skirts. Pinning gives an opportunity to add more complexity, especially in monochrome, so that each piece has more of an opportunity to shine.
I do this most with long skirts. I like to start with hanging the garment upright as opposed to laying it flat. This way you’ll have a more accurate view of how it will end up looking on your body. Take two pieces of your skirt, lift, and draw them in to the point you want it to hang from. You can use safety pins to achieve a more invisible look by clipping it from inside the skirt (use a thimble to protect your fingers if your material is very thick). You can also leave the pin outside if you like the silver embellishment.
You can personalize this further by using more unorthodox pins–brooches, earrings, and the like. Start scavenging in those jewelry bins at your thrift store.
Chainmail
Especially if you’re interested in starting to make your own jewelry, I would recommend learning to mail. It’s a fun way to customize your wardrobe and add another protective element to your clothes.
It has the benefit of having a very low barrier of entry–all you will need to get started are some rings (I recommend aluminum to start) and a pair of flat, angled pliers. There are so many free tutorials on YouTube and Tiktok to follow, guiding you on how to make everything from coifs to necklaces to thongs.
One thing I love to do with chainmail is add little details to my purses and pants and belts. When I just had the basics (no jewelry clasps or anything) I was using my pliers to lock and unlock these items directly to my clothes and body. And although adding clasps definitely helps with the ease of this process, there’s something to be said about the permanence and process of it all–like a ritual, or a spell.
Teeth Blackening
Teeth blackening is a tradition prevalent in many Eastern Asian, Southeastern Asian, and Oceanic cultures, but has also been documented in some countries in Africa and South America. In some of these cultures, it was a way to preserve the integrity of and protect one’s teeth spiritually as well as physically.
Besides the use of grills, many individuals today have picked up the use of tooth paint to temporarily achieve the blackened look.
Veils
I love the idea of veils setting a boundary between wearer and viewer. Some histories of the bridal veil describe it as a charm used to ward off evil spirits from robbing the couple of their joy. In Ancient Roman literature, a bridal veil was sometimes used synonymously to refer to a fiancée. (Thus veiled, a girl becomes a veil.)
You can attach a veil to a hat for an even wider boundary. Different hairstyles could also be used to achieve a veiled look–maxi bangs or the styling of baby hairs. (Conversely, a veil can be styled to model long hair.)
Belts and Buckles
I love the addition of hardware to clothes; the loops also give an opportunity to attach charms, jewelry, or chainmail for a more armored look. I see so many fun belts on the racks of the thrift store–layering them on top of your clothes is such an easy way to bring more texture and detail to your outfits.
Open your mind to where belts can go beyond cinching the waist (necks, chest, arms, purses). Open your mind to what can be a belt (necklaces, bracelets, scarves, ribbons).
Good tips. That layer pinning is interesting. Will have to try that. Though I always wear a white slip underneath my skirts and dresses for protective and modesty reasons.