ETS Dress Code

• We value beauty in all areas of life, because we serve a God who has taken the time to create a wonderful world for us to enjoy. We are blessed with students who cultivate loveliness in their hearts and take the time to create order (cosmos) through dressing attractively. It is pleasing to God for us to order our hearts and to steward our appearance. Being attractive is a good thing! We know that young men and women will struggle with their hearts in the midst of this, but that is a good struggle.
  
  As you dress for ETS events, think about how you can glorify God by being creative in your choice of clothing. How can you express to the world that you are loved by Him in how you care for your appearance? Clearly, the Bible talks about women focusing  too much  on outward adornment, which can be a stumbling block, but not caring for your appearance at all is not being a good steward. The Proverbs 31 woman clothed her family in scarlet, which was considered a fine type of fabric. So, work on finding that balance and enjoy the colors, textures and designs available.
  
  We live in a society that is increasingly casual and comfortable in the way that it dresses. Studies show that students focus more effectively when they are dressed professionally, which is why many schools require uniforms.  In a world that prioritizes comfort over class, dressing well is a sign of good priorities and self-respect. We would like to give you the opportunity to work on this at ETS. Dressing more formally does not have to be expensive-- our family finds fantastic items at thrift shops that would work well. After looking at dress codes for J.P. Morgan, YAF (Young American’s Foundation), and The Master’s University, we can see that following principles are commonly used at many schools and businesses:

  1. Athletic Clothing: Clothes specifically designed for exercise are not suitable.  Young men tend to wear exercise shorts and t-shirts as their go-to outfits.  Please do not wear athletic shorts to class. Young men, please wear polo shirts or button-downs and nicer khaki shorts or pants.
  *Special note for GBT I students: Since you will be doing a P.E. class, you will be able to change into athletic clothing such as: athletic shorts with at least a 4” inseam, (basketball style shorts are great) loose t-shirts (those of you with Fling shirts could wear those), and shoes that are good for sports. You might want sunscreen and a hat, as well.  You can choose to wear your GBT class outfit for P.E. if you’d like, but if you want to change, you have that option.  Please bring deodorant to use after sports, if you’d like. Please note that this is our first year adding P.E., so we are working on figuring out the best way to do this.
  
  2. Revealing Clothing: Low cut tops, short skirts, (skirts need to be a hands-width from the knee, even if you are wearing shorts underneath them).  Shorts should have at least a 4” inseam.  *No cut-off shorts. (These are great for the beach, etc. but not an academic environment) Clothing that exposes too much skin (cleavage, back, stomach) is unprofessional. Any clothing that exposes underwear or bras is not acceptable. *Young men, your underwear should not be visible above or below the hem of your shorts.
  
  3. Tight-fitting clothing. This applies to young men and young women. Avoid clothing that is overly tight or clingy, as it can be considered unprofessional. One great way to avoid this situation is to elevate your wardrobe from t-shirts and tank tops—there are so many options besides these. Some tank tops are specifically designed to be worn under other shirts, such as the type available in 5 packs.  In general, it’s best to use a tank top as a base layer. Leggings and skinny jeans are not professional.
  
  4. Ripped clothing: If you wear denim, it should not have rips in it.  Consider incorporating non-denim pants into your wardrobe.
  
  5. Dirty or wrinkled clothing: Do your best to care for your appearance by wearing clean clothes.
  
  6. Clothing with offensive or distracting words or pictures. Clothing that references alcohol, drugs, smoking, or vaping is obviously not a good choice.
  
  7. Excessively loose clothing looks sloppy and unprofessional.
  
  8. Do not wear hats inside.
  
  9. No overalls
  
  For most dances: Young ladies can wear something a bit more fancy than business casual.  Young men need to wear a collared shirt.
  For the Christmas Ball and the Fling Ball:  
  
  Ladies:
  Our dances require quite a bit of active movement.  Formalwear that is not up to this task should not be worn. Unfortunately, most ballgowns are not made for active dancing, so it’s helpful to think about the type of dancing we will be doing.
  
  *No strapless or off-the-shoulder gowns—these are not made for active dancing. It is not too difficult to sew straps on a strapless gown but put in plenty of stitches—I always keep safety pins around just in case, but they are definitely not as strong as a bunch of stitching.
  
  *No cleavage. If your gown is having issues with gapping, there is tape you can buy that will hold it in place.
  
  *No bodycon dresses.
  
  *Straps on ball gowns may be of the “spaghetti” variety, but please do not wear spaghetti straps on dresses or shirts to class days.
  
  *You must wear proper undergarments with any gown you choose without the aforementioned garments making a public appearance.
  
  *No two-piece gowns, unless you can raise your arms well above your head without skin showing on your back or midriff.
  
  *No backless gowns or gowns that show a good majority of your spine. You should wear a bra with your gown, and a backless gown makes this quite difficult.
  
  *Before purchasing a gown, you should move around as you will when dancing to ensure that the dress will stay in place.
  
  *Shorter dresses can make active dancing uncomfortable. See how long your dress is when you raise your arms over your head (or spinning)  and consider that you will be doing this fairly often as you dance.
  
  *Slits in gowns should not be higher than a hands-width above the knee.  It is very easy to stitch slits closed on these gowns.  It seems like most gowns available at this time have slits in the front.
  
  Formal wear for young men for Christmas and Fling Ball
  
  We know that the requirements for young men are much shorter, but sadly, they do not have as many options for formalwear.
  
  You may wear military uniforms or traditional clothing from other countries, if you are so inclined, as long as they fit the rest of the dress code.
  
  Please wear a coat and tie, button- down shirt, nice slacks and shoes.  Make sure to iron your shirt.  Girls work hard to dress formally and it is inconsiderate if a young man shows up to a ball without a coat and tie.
  
  Please do not wear a skydiving suit unless you will be skydiving as your transportation to the ball, in which case, wear a tuxedo underneath the skydiving suit.
  
  No yellow cross-gartered stockings.  Please see the play Twelfth Night by Shakespeare for details about this rule. Warning Procedure for Dress Code:
  
  We understand that it can take some time to figure out how to dress professionally, so there may be times that you will be spoken to about this issue.
  We appreciate your help in this matter.
  
  Mrs. Hinrichs will ask you to wear something different, either speaking to you in person or communicating via email or text.  Your parent will be informed.  If you do not have something to wear, we will provide you with something the first time you are spoken to.
  If you need to be spoken to again, your parent may need to pick you up.
  If there is repeated or defiant behavior, you may be asked to attend class online.
  If you arrive at a ball or dance in clothing that does not fit the dress code, you may be asked to leave.
  
  To submit your signature on the dress code, please click here.