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It depends on what you consider an orthodox or conventional style of covering, I suppose. In my city there are so many cultural subgroups that it's not even funny, so if people see something they don't readily understand, they just think, "Oh, must be from __(country other than their own)__," or "Must be __(religion other than their own)__." So basically, anything I wear is conventional and orthodox to someone. Hey, 8.5 million people, I'm bound to fit in somewhere, right?

In my subcommunity of Orthodox Jews, I kind of stand out a bit sometimes, I think. One of my favorite outfits, which I'll get to wear soon as the weather cools down a bit with autumn, is what my RLSO calls my New York Combat Jew look: Clingy black mock turtleneck shirt; khaki cargo skirt, long enough to cover my legs to the ankle; blue jean jacket with my PsiCorps pin (top and left) pinned to the breast pocket, lug-soled black canvas boots (sort of like the love-child of a combat boot and a sneaker), and a black newsboy cap (like the Extra Full Cut cap at the bottom) under which I pin all my hair. Sometimes I use a turtleneck of a different color. Sometimes I attach a fall of faux hair to hang out of my cap. Sometimes I dress it up with my red velvet-esque purse just for a hint of color.

In this outfit, I stand out a bit because I look like I'm a part of the world at large. I cover in a very Jewish way -- that is, I absorb the culture around me and find a way to make it work within halachah (Jewish law), rather than go by only what the Jews around me are wearing. Let me tell you what I mean by absorbing the culture(s) around me:

I've been asked by urban teenagers where I got my hat, because they want one like it. Turns out, the newsboy cap, which has been in style since the late 19th century, is still very hot in today's fashions. I've also been asked by militant-looking skinheads where I got my cargo skirt, because they want to point their sisters or girlfriends towards it. I enjoy a private chuckle as I tell them they can get it at the Gap, or at most Jewish clothing stores, because cargo skirts are very 'in' in the Jewish community, and then they look uncomfortable and go away. Jean jackets are a favorite among hippies, some rockers, and basically anyone for whom bluejeans just aren't enough denim. The purse? Totally cool, roomy enough for everything I need to carry, very hip in style -- Wal-Mart, $13 two years ago. And a black turtleneck? Who doesn't love a black turtleneck? It's a great favorite among beat poets/spoken word poets, lesbians in coffee houses, and anyone who's taking a walk on a cold day. I fit in nowhere, and everywhere, in an outfit like that.

Good point. Okay, then, I wear unorthodox modest attire. However, I also wear attire that's not typically associated with MY religion, but can often be associated with other religions, nations, or cultures. My favorite formalwear are my saris (Indian/Hindu), and my sportswear and swimwear come from Islamic websites like http://www.primomoda.com so maybe I'm unorthodoxically orthodox, or something like that. I just feel that I should wear what looks best and feels best on me, and bugger the narrow minds that can't deal with that.

But then, I also have to put up with a family who are very non-observant of anything Jewish; they think I'm nuts for dressing modestly as I do, even when I wear typical American styles that simply cover me, without being also "outlandish" and foreign. Any hat at all drives them crazy, and the fact that I don't strip down to spaghetti straps in the summer mystifies them completely.

Interestingly, though all of us dress in ways that are not conventional within our own religious circles, we do seem to dress in ways that are conventional within either our own social circles or within society at large. Granted, "society at large" is pretty broad, and it's possible that ANY style could be considered conventional somewhere in the world or even within most cities, but that still seems sort of significant to me. We don't visually fit the mould of our own 'group,' but we do fit into other groups that are likely quite near to us. I fit in in my city, but not within my religious group. Poppy fits in within her school, but not in her religious group. Dis, I bet you fit in great among a certain segment of your population, but not within either religious group in which he claims kinship.

how so Dis?

i dont dress normally for my school. most people dress trendy and the do their best to not get degraded for dress-code violation (dress code is bassed on jewish modesty laws) but i rarly am close to the bondarys set by the dress code because it is loose in comparison to my observance of halacha(jewish law) . so in a way im not dressinbg conventional

can you define the term Sephardi for me?

concerning skirts i too am never comfortable in anything longer than halfway up my shins.shorter skirts also seem tighter too which i hate, as i like room for movement.(i wear my skirts climbing mountains and hiking.)

the closest link i can find about my church that isnt complete slander is this- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Conventions.i wear trousers though when shifting silage or on a quad on a farm for health and safety reaons.