A Topic of Moral Theology
Modesty of Attire
Moderation in dress and adornment.
The works themselves ask 8 questions under this heading — see them together with their answers.
Also asked about as…
clothing · dress code · fashion · immodest clothing · luxury · make-up · modest dress (ed.)
In the index as Modesty · Woman · Clothes · Dress · Luxury · Modesty of adornment · Clothing · Fiction · Immodesty of attire · Adornment of women · Contemplative life · Honesty · Lipstick · Modesty of external equipment · Natural modesty · Neglect of external equipment · Negligence · Ostentation · Self-Beautification · Simplicity
Further reading Moral Teaching Against Feminine Adornment and Luxury in Dress — on Isaiah 3 ↗ — Cornelius a Lapide, The Great Commentary, read off-site at lapide.org (public-domain translation) (ed.)
In the manuals
Read the manuals side by side → — each work's whole treatment in its own column
Manual of Moral Theology (Manuale Theologiae Moralis)
Vol. I, Bk. I, Tr. III, Diss. I, Pt. II, Sect. II, Ch. II, Art. IV, § IV, Point III, V. On Modesty of Attire, nn. 466, 467 & 468 (3 passages — hover a number to read it)
Moral Theology: A Complete Course (McHugh & Callan)
Vol. II, Pt. II, Q. II, Art. 8. The Virtue of Temp…, Modesty in Style and Dress, nn. 2569 & 2570 (2 passages — hover a number to read it)
Commentaries on the Nature of Moral Theology, on Conscience and Probabilism, on the Fourth Precept, and on the Sixth and Ninth Precepts of the Decalogue (Commentarii)
Ch. I, Article II: On the Adornment of Women, nn. 9, 10, 11 & 12 (19 passages — hover a number to read it)
On Chastity and on the Contrary Vices: A Doctrinal and Moral Treatise
§ 4. Modesty. Clothing, nn. 20, ¶172–¶185, 21, ¶186, ¶187, ¶188, ¶189, ¶190 & ¶191 (22 passages — hover a number to read it)
Ch. IV, Art. II, § 6. On Clothing, nn. 412, ¶2143, ¶2144 & ¶2145 (4 passages — hover a number to read it)
Manuale Theologiae Moralis
Vol. II, Tr. XIII, Ch. IV, § 4, 3. On Modesty in External Things, n. 717 — 717. Modesty in external things is a moral virtue inclining a man to preserve decorum in external things according to right reason. These external things are: a) movements of the body; b) games; c) clothing and ornaments… Read in context →
Summa Theologiae Moralis
Vol. II, Special Moral Theology: On…, Treatise: On the Cardinal …, Fifth Part: On the Virtues…, Question Six: On Modesty of External Equipment, nn. ¶1, 1063, 1064, 1065, 1066, 1067 & 1068 (20 passages — hover a number to read it)
Palladium Theologicum, Tome V: On the Virtues
Tr. VI, Disputation II: On the Vic…, Q. VII, Doubt I: On the adornment of women, nn. 1–39 (39 passages)
The True Spouse of Jesus Christ
Chapter VIII: Exterior Mortification, n. ¶1005 — I. Modesty of dress is not incompatible with neatness or cleanliness. But how disedifying is the conduct of the religious who attends too much to the neatness of her person and to the fineness or richness of her apparel,… Read in context →
Guide for Catholic Young Women
Chapter LXVII: Of Modesty in Dress, nn. ¶810, ¶811, ¶812, ¶813, ¶814, ¶815, ¶816, ¶817 & ¶818 (9 passages — hover a number to read it)
Chapter LXVIII: Advantages of Modesty in Dress, nn. ¶819–¶836 (18 passages)
Chapter LXIX: Of Modesty in Dress.—continuation, nn. ¶837, ¶838, ¶839, ¶840, ¶841, ¶842, ¶843, ¶844, ¶845, ¶846, ¶848, ¶849 & ¶850 (13 passages — hover a number to read it)
You and Yours: Practical Talks on Home Life
Scott, You and Yours, IX: Women and Dress, nn. ¶385, ¶386, ¶387, ¶388, ¶389, ¶390, ¶391, ¶392, ¶393, ¶395, ¶396, ¶397, ¶398, ¶399, ¶400, ¶401 & ¶403–¶432 (46 passages — hover a number to read it)
Scott, You and Yours, X: Women and Ornamentation, nn. ¶433, ¶434, ¶435, ¶436 & ¶438–¶483 (50 passages — hover a number to read it)
Treated under the broader heading Modesty — Bucceroni, Institutions of Moral Theology · Tanquerey · Vermeersch, Theologia Moralis — these works do not divide the matter as finely as we do here, so their treatment stands one heading up (ed.)