We created the Biblical Garden Clothing Collection to provide orthodox Jewish women with a store where every item of clothing is acceptable according to Jewish standards of modesty in women’s dress. But what exactly are those standards?
The understanding of Jewish laws of modesty in women’s dress vary, from lenient interpretations to what are perhaps the strictest interpretations of the laws as found in the book “Modesty: An Adornment for Life,” by Rabbi Pinchas Eliyahu Falk of Gateshead, England. In Israel, and perhaps elsewhere, several communities of like-minded rabbis have drafted “Laws of Modesty” tractates which proscribe many aspects of women’s dress very precisely, down to the acceptable denier (thickness of weave) of women’s nylons and the maximum acceptable length of her earrings.
Communities adopt the laws as interpreted and condoned by their rabbinical leaders, but there is tremendous variation even within orthodoxy, from the neighborhood or school where girls are required to wear 40 or even 70 denier stockings, to communities where many women regularly go bare-legged in the summertime.
For the purposes of this site, we have decided to include clothing according to the following criteria:
Skirts must be long enough to fall approximately 4 inches below the knee
Skirts must have no slits or vents - not in the back, sides, or front, but kick pleats are okay.
No wrap-around skirts – the latest style in wrap-around skirts is a very wide A-line which clearly will not gap open to reveal the leg; however, we decided not to include them on the site as they are categorized as a “slit skirt” by many, and are not hard to find in stores for those who do wish to purchase them.
Sleeves must fall below the elbow – some authorities permit sleeves to the elbow or even a tefach (about 3.5 inches) above the elbow. Again, short sleeved garments are easy to find; ¾-length sleeves and long sleeves are more rare – we want to provide our customer a service by providing a good selection of the harder-to-find modest items.
Necklines – the most difficult requirement to satisfy in contemporary clothing! Many authorities state that the collarbone must be covered, while others allow a tefach (about 3.5 inches) below the base of the neck to be revealed. It is very, very hard to find dresses or tops that completely conceal the collarbone, with the exception of button-front shirts. We are including “borderline” necklines on this site, and are offering dickies as "the perfect solution to the imperfect neckline." In any case, neckline standards for girls up to the age of nine may be more relaxed in some communities.
No pants, shorts, or skorts
No sheer fabrics
No tight-fitting, clingy knits
No solid red garments – some garments may appear in red because that is the merchant's color image choice; in that case be assured that the garment is available in other colors as well. Dark red known as “wine” or “burgundy” and red in a print or plaid are considered acceptable for this site.
One point all poskim (rabbinic legal authorities) agree on: what is appropriate for you in your home community is appropriate for you everywhere. A woman may not relax her standards because she finds herself in a community with standards that are less demanding than her own, unless she actually joins the new community and looks to its leaders for guidance. Thus a woman on vacation or even a family that moves to another place but continues to follow the leadership of the rabbis and leaders in their former home should not alter their standards of modesty in dress.
Women
Looking for modest sewing paterns? See the reviews of several online modest pattern companies at