Amish Dress Code

So the early amish dress was simple and functional.

Amish dress code. The ordnung or book of order of a specific amish order may dictate matters of dress as explicit as the length of a skirt or the width of a seam. In many parts of europe in the 17th century clothing was regulated by sumptuary laws sets of laws that identified social class and prevented extravagance. In the 1730 s the amish began migrating to america along with mennonites and other groups in search of religious freedom.

The modest and uniform amish dress code is central to the groups religious beliefs and adherence to biblical scripture. The ordnung which is the amish culture s unwritten guideline for living stressed a very definite dress code of simple clothing that did not conform to the world. The women must cover themselves almost completely down to keeping their hair hidden under a cap.

Most amish women make their own clothing purchasing the fabric in local stores usually run by a woman in their church community. 3 reasons for the peculiar mennonite dress style. In order to understand how the dress code evolved we first need to meet jacob ammann the man who founded the amish branch of the anabaptist movement.

As a note a lot of this applies to amish dress too. Instituting a dress code then is meant to keep the amish away from pride so that they can spend their time focusing on the state of their heart and soul not the outward appearance. Therefore only slight modifications are found even in the more progressive.