Michelle DeVitis remembers seeing women wearing tailored dresses, gloves and even hats to Sunday Mass at St. Martha’s Church (now Blessed Trinity) in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood.
DeVitis’ adolescent memories from the 1950s, and later her professional attire as a secretary, fuel what she now wears to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cuyahoga Falls. She refuses to wear jeans.
“I want to dress in the best way, as if I was going someplace wonderful with wonderful people and enjoying a wonderful occasion,” said DeVitis, 72.
Joy Nwokike’s outfits are more fluid. The weather forecast and mood dictated much of her attire at The Chapel, a non-denominational church she used to attend next to the University of Akron. Sometimes she wore a blouse or a T-shirt with jeans; or a tank top paired with a jacket; or a sweater, boots and a winter coat.
When Nirali Schrader travels from Akron to the Greater Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple in Parma, she wears white and neutral-colored saris, the centuries-old South Asian dress created by wrapping and draping a long length of fabric around the body. Worshippers are strongly encouraged not to wear black. Then there’s the graphic T-shirt, jeans and Jordans that Deante Lavender, the lead pastor of The Remedy Church, occasionally wears when he addresses his non-denominational congregation in downtown Akron. Lavender, who prioritizes comfort in the pulpit, said he wants his people to feel comfortable in their seats, especially those whose attire doesn’t fit the style status quo of generations past.
No wonder Akron-area faith leaders and their flocks — regardless of age, race, faith, socioeconomic status and other factors — continue to debate the best way to show up in places of worship. Church hats, long skirts and three-piece suits versus jeans, T-shirts, hoodies and Crocs.
Sunday best or dress down?
“The thought process of the word, ‘Sunday best,’ is subjective,” said Lavender, a 37-year-old graduate of Baldwin Wallace College (now Baldwin Wallace University). “So I do want you to come and offer your best, but I just can’t tell you what ‘your best’ is.”
Chris Fahey, a theology teacher at Archbishop Hoban High School, encourages congregants to wear what feels comfortable and affordable, eliminating socioeconomic obstacles and other barriers.
“We’re just happy you’re there to come pray to begin with,” said Fahey, who also serves as a Christian service coordinator at the Catholic high school located in East Akron. Fahey’s typical Sunday attire is a suit and tie.
Not everyone agrees.
Alan Fortnoff, who attends Temple Israel Akron, located in Bath Township, said his rabbi, a Jewish scholar or teacher, often says any way you can get people to services is OK, but “we also have to be teaching a certain form of respect.”
Similarly, Jewell Cardwell, a retired columnist and fashion writer at the Akron Beacon Journal, still wears a pantsuit and matching jewelry when she attends her African Methodist place of worship — although she ditched church hats several years ago.
“Houses of worship are not just a place to express my faith, but a social place, too,” said Cardwell, who for 38 years penned newspaper columns focusing on local people and other slices of everyday life.
Based on her conversations with people in faith communities, Cardwell said some would welcome a return to more traditional Sunday attire, but are reluctant to advocate for it publicly for fear of driving away members.
Regular attendance in faith spaces has fallen considerably in recent decades, according to a Gallup poll that found 30 percent of U.S. adults attended weekly or nearly weekly in 2021–23 — down from 42 percent in 2000–03. (The newest PRRI data indicates weekly attendance remained steady from 2024 to 2025.)
This comes as attire debates continue at churches, mosques, Kingdom Halls, synagogues, temples, meeting houses and other religious spaces.
“What does it mean that we have become so casual?” said Laura McAndrews, a professor in the School of Fashion at Kent State University. “Is that good for our society? Is that good for institutions? I don’t know the answer to that.”
History of Sunday best and its roots in Black and American culture
Sunday best (noun) — one’s best clothing worn to church or on special occasions. –Merriam-Webster
Church hats used to be heirlooms, passed down from grandmothers to mothers to daughters and nieces. Attending faith spaces without hosiery was unbecoming (although the same applied to other spaces for women of previous generations).
Additionally, shoeshine boxes were a rite of passage for young boys, and faith leaders dazzled not just with their words but with fabrics, colors and ceremonial garments.
What are the origins of Sunday best? And why was dressing their best important to past generations?
After a federal ban on the importation of enslaved people took effect in 1808, enslavers had an increased financial incentive to preserve the health of the people they held captive. For some enslaved people, Sundays provided time to bathe, groom themselves and attend to their spiritual lives, said Tameka Ellington, whose work includes Black beauty activism.
“They would have someone in the family make an outfit that would be considered the outfit that they wore only on Sundays,” said Ellington, who is also an author and motivational speaker. In some places, they worked paid jobs, away from plantations, even operating their own businesses as street vendors, selling baked goods, produce and handmade items. This early entrepreneurship allowed enslaved Africans to pay for their freedom and secure the release of family members.
McAndrews, the Kent State professor, ties Sunday best to dandyism, a style that focuses on appearance, grooming and taste. Merriam-Webster defines a dandy as “a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance.”
Black dandyism, though, extends beyond appearance. It uses clothing and presentation to express identity and dignity, while resisting social constraints.
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“Regardless of what you do, what you think of me, I know who I am, and I know my beauty and my strength; they’re just so intertwined — dandyism and Sunday best,” explained McAndrews, who teaches Fashion Fundamentals and 2D Design Practice at the university.
Nowadays, however, a faith leader is just as likely to show up in jeans, chains around their neck, a bold graphic shirt and a baseball cap. That doesn’t concern Kemp Boyd, the senior pastor at Streetlight Community Church.
“The church itself,” he said, “especially the traditional style, has gotten a bad rap, because I think there are people who equate the old school, traditional way with a lot of church hurt and judgment.”
Boyd’s Sunday attire, a crewneck or hoodie paired with Jordans and Fabletics pants, helps congregants embrace a new version of church.
Sometimes, dressing down becomes problematic.
Schrader said during stricter eras in her Hindu religion, worshippers who dressed casually were not allowed to touch the idol and receive a blessing.
”That’s the way my parents always told me,” Schrader said.
Nwokike, a former track athlete at the University of Akron, said growing up, people dressed for church to prove they were thriving financially.
“It’s way beyond just wearing fancy clothes and just going for people to see what you have on,” said Nwokike, 22, who worshiped at The Chapel before moving to Kentucky. “It’s more … going to fellowship with your fellow brother, your fellow sister in Christ.”
How technology and work culture changed what people wear to faith spaces
Two of the biggest influences on faith spaces attire have little to do with religion.
As America’s 9-to-5 workforce continues to dress down, their closet options have dwindled. Then there’s technology. There was a time you had to walk, drive, take a taxi, bus, carpool or hitch a ride from a neighbor to praise.
Now, many services are livestreamed. Attendees can even tithe digitally. All it takes is a smartphone.
And if congregants miss one, they can watch it later on demand. Minus the cleaner’s bill.
(Submitted photo)
“It’s really changed over the years, when you actually think back to the way that people used to come to church with their suits on, with the big hats. Now we’re not doing so much of that,” said Deedee Pitts, a member of United Baptist Church, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary.
“We want people to feel comfortable. We want to meet people where they are,” Pitts added.
On Sept. 26, United Baptist will host a fashion show celebrating the legacies of Jeannie Roberson Barnett and Laurethia Taylor — two women who often hosted similar events at the church (Roberson Barnett died in 2010.). They used to source models’ outfits at local thrift stores, proving that fashion doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Why some faith leaders dress casually to connect with congregations
Michael Murphy, the senior pastor of Prevail Church, is accustomed to dressing up in faith spaces because of his upbringing in Akron, followed by his career in corporate spaces. That’s why he still wears suits when conducting business around town.
But on most Sundays, you can find him wearing jeans, a dress shirt, maybe a sports jacket with casual shoes. Why? He believes it makes him more relatable to his non-denominational congregation in Highland Square.
“I have a relatively extensive closet,” said Murphy, who also serves as the chaplain for the Akron Police Department. His wardrobe consists of about 40 suits, more than 100 pairs of shoes and dozens of ties and pocket squares.
Dan Cooper, the college pastor at The Chapel, aims to represent himself through his clothing. Cooper sometimes dresses casually, but when preaching, he slightly elevates his casual attire from a zip-up pullover to a button-up shirt.
“I typically won’t do a suit,” Cooper said. “That’s because that’s not who I am.”
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Boyd makes a point that some churches are more traditional than others. Also, worship spaces often tweak how they praise, from music selections to how congregations follow religious texts.
“Things cycle,” said Boyd, who also serves as the head football coach at Garfield Community Learning Center and the executive director at Love Akron, a Christian-based organization that seeks to unify cultures and congregations across the Akron area.
“Depending on a Sunday, or whether it’s Easter or if it’s a special service, you’re going to get people that give a much more traditional presence.”
Why women face more scrutiny over what they wear in faith spaces
Modesty is in play at Kendra Hunter’s Eastern Orthodox church. Women are encouraged to cover their shoulders; some cover their heads with shawls. Men are discouraged from wearing shorts.
Still, Hunter dresses for services with her personality stitched into every choice.
“My priorities on a Sunday morning is really to honor God with my dress,” said Hunter, who attends Saint Matthew Antiochian Orthodox in North Royalton. She’s also a franchise owner and image consultant at House of Colour, located in Bath Township.
Leslie Parker Barnes, the minister of praise and worship arts at Arlington Church of God, said she’s always conscious of what she wears to church, careful not to pick something that is too tight or flamboyant.
“As long as I’m feeling strong,” Parker Barnes said, “I’m feeling positive.”
And Flora “Flo” Loftin points out that for women and girls, faith spaces are often the first place they learn about dresses, stockings, heels and hats and how to wear them.
“I was born and raised on, you dress up in your best to go to church, because you always dress up for God, and I feel like fashion plays a big role in the church,” said Loftin, who is helping United Baptist Church celebrate its 100-year anniversary.
Double standard or not, Loftin believes “ultimately it’s more like you want to be respectful, but you also want to dress up and make it classy.”
Their clothing decisions highlight the extra scrutiny women face in faith spaces.
A generations-old double standard persists, driven in part by how women’s clothing is made, said Cindy Jones, a member of The Remedy Church. A man can wear a fitted suit because it’s stylish, Jones said, while a woman’s fitted outfit may draw judgment.
“A woman doesn’t always have that luxury,” Jones said.
Still, Parker Barnes believes clothing can be a distraction in a house of worship, no matter the gender. “I don’t know if it’s a double standard. I’m sure it could possibly be,” said Parker Barnes, the founder and executive director emeritus of the Youth Excellence Performing Arts Workshop.
Jones, who wore jeans to church for the first time two years ago, said the bigger problem is women condemning women.
“You could go into a church dressed up or dressed down and still be criticized,” she said, adding, “‘come as you are’ does not mean ‘come as you are.’”
During Hindu holidays and festivals, attire is traditional: Suits and saris, often in bright colors, offer joy and brightness. Other days? There are opportunities to dress casually. To a point.
“So in the temple, I would say that I’m dressed casually, but I’m still dressed appropriately, because I’m fully covered,” said Kalanithi Bagley, the founder of Discovery Chess Academy, a non-profit designed to provide chess education and mentorship to children in underserved communities. “We are kind of strict.
“When it comes to our religious festivals or religious holidays, we have to dress traditionally. So that has always been uniform. It has not changed. If I go for a religious function, I have to be dressed in proper Indian attire.”
McAndrews finds it disturbing that women have to think more than men about the way their bodies will be perceived. While men in some faith spaces may worry about covering tattoos or keeping their pants from sagging, Cardwell said women must be more careful about what they wear.
Even Parker Barnes said she hasn’t always made the right clothing choices. Through trial and error, she’s learned what’s appropriate attire, as well as defined her own standards.
“I’ve worn things that I didn’t realize you could see through,” Parker Barnes said. “I’ve worn things that I tripped over; they were just too long. I’ve had my heel get caught in the back of a skirt.”
How modern fashion trends are changing worship attire across faiths
Fashion forward doesn’t mean worshippers disrespect their place of worship. It’s just that they show up as their true selves; in what best represents them.
Two men from different congregations have observed and experienced this firsthand.
Yaseen Shaikh, the director of Public Relations at the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent, noticed it’s become popular for young men to wear thobes, or iconic robes to worship. And younger Muslim women are finding more stylish ways to wear hijabs.
“If you go to the early 2010s, there was a very different approach,” Shaikh said. “They would use a two-piece hijab, which would have an elastic fabric. It was an underpiece, and the tie, an overpiece.
“Nowadays, there’s usually just one scarf that they’ll tie. They’ll have changes in fabric choices. A lot of the younger sisters, they like to wear chiffon (a lightweight, sheer fabric with a soft, flowing appearance often used in dresses, blouses and formal wear.).”
Growing up, Kameron McIver wore traditional attire to The House of the Lord, located in West Akron: dress pants, ties, polo shirts and dress shoes. Nowadays, he skips past suits in his closet unless it’s a holiday service. He leans toward streetwear. The 25-year-old shops online for Christian-brand shirts that display Bible verses and encouraging quotes.
That’s his style.
“Over time, I just had the freedom to wear what I wanted to wear, and found this style and different things I like to wear,” McIver said. “That’s what kind of changed, just finding my own style, finding my own way, but also finding something that’s not too casual and not too relaxed.”
On a recent Saturday evening, DeVitis attended St. Joseph Catholic Church in a loose-fitting, distressed gray T-shirt dress, metallic double-buckle sandals and a mix of dangling earrings, bracelets and layered necklaces.
It was a long way from the Sunday best of another era. But the outfit fit DeVitis, now retired, in this moment.
“I’ve always like to put things together, you know,” she said, pointing to her dress and accessories. “So yeah, a little of this, and I found this online.”
Managing editor Gary Estwick contributed to this report.