Orthodox men should dress modestly, avoiding clothes that draw attention to themselves or distract others from prayer. That’s the short answer. But what does modest actually mean for a guy in Southeast Texas?
The Church doesn’t hand us a rulebook with required brands or specific styles. You won’t find “thou shalt wear khakis” in the canons. What we do have is a consistent tradition that asks men to dress in ways that show humility, respect for the sacred, and awareness that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
In Church
When you come to Divine Liturgy, think about where you’re going. You’re entering heaven on earth. You’re standing before the throne of God. Most parishes ask men to wear collared shirts and long pants. A button-up shirt with slacks works. So does a polo if that’s what you’ve got. Ties and sport coats aren’t required, but nobody’s going to look at you funny if you wear them.
Leave the shorts at home, even when it’s August in Beaumont and you just finished a shift at the refinery. No tank tops or sleeveless shirts. No hats inside the church (that’s actually biblical, St. Paul addresses it directly in 1 Corinthians 11). Flip-flops and sneakers read as too casual for most Orthodox parishes, though dress shoes or clean boots are fine.
The point isn’t to make church feel like a job interview. It’s about recognizing that what we wear affects how we pray. When you dress carefully for Liturgy, you’re telling yourself this matters. You’re also helping your brothers and sisters focus on worship instead of wondering why that guy showed up in gym shorts.
Some parishes are more formal than others. If you visit a Greek or Russian parish, you might see more suits. Antiochian parishes tend to be a bit more relaxed, but the basic standard holds. When in doubt, err on the side of dressing up rather than down.
Outside Church
The fathers don’t spend much time legislating everyday clothing, but they do talk about modesty as a virtue for everyone. St. John Chrysostom warns against dressing in ways that show off wealth or attract inappropriate attention. That cuts both ways. Wearing designer labels to impress people is a problem. So is dressing sloppily because you don’t care what anyone thinks.
Modesty for men means your clothes fit properly without being skin-tight. It means you’re not walking around with your shirt unbuttoned to your navel or wearing things with crude slogans. If you wouldn’t want to run into your priest wearing it, that’s probably a sign.
The tradition also asks men to look like men. That doesn’t mean you need a lumberjack beard (though plenty of Orthodox guys have them). It means avoiding styles that deliberately blur the distinction between male and female. Deuteronomy 22:5 addresses this, and the fathers take it seriously. We live in a culture that’s confused about gender. Orthodox men don’t need to participate in that confusion.
The Real Question
Here’s what matters more than any specific clothing rule: Are you dressing in a way that helps you remember who you are? You’re a son of God, being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Your body isn’t just yours to do with as you please. It’s been claimed by God in baptism.
That doesn’t mean you can’t wear jeans and a t-shirt to work or throw on athletic gear for a run. It means thinking about whether your clothing choices reflect humility or vanity, modesty or showing off. It means recognizing that how you present yourself affects other people, especially in church where we’re all trying to focus on prayer.
If you’re new to Orthodoxy and your closet is full of cargo shorts and band t-shirts, don’t panic. Start with getting something appropriate for Sunday. Ask other men in the parish what they wear. You’ll figure it out. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s growing in awareness that everything we do, including how we dress, is part of our life in Christ.
