Church Chronicles: Ep3: Dressing for Devotion: The Perfect Balance in Men's Church Attire

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Hello, and welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris, and today we are continuing our series on Holy

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Chic, the ultimate church attire handbook.

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And today we're focusing, is our focus on today, our focus on today is men attire

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and finding the right balance between traditional and contemporary styles.

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I know this is a diary for black women, but hey, black women got some men who

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they want to make sure looking like a holy sheik at the temple of the Holy Ghost.

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Amen. And so we're going to cover making sure that your man looks nice.

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And if a male is listening to this podcast, making sure you entering to the

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sanctuary, the church, the tabernacle,

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whatever you want to call your sacred place, looking appropriate for worship.

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So first thing we want to cover is traditional versus contemporary style for men.

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So we're going to explore what's fashionable, what's in, what's out,

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and so finding what's respectful for this sacred space.

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And so traditional styles often include suits and ties, which convey a sense

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of formality and respect.

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These can be perfect for more formal services or occasions within the church.

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And so sometimes men like to wear their suit and ties. That's okay.

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But lately, you haven't seen that. late. You haven't seen a lot of suit and ties.

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Men usually wear maybe a blazer, maybe a suit without a tie with a nice shirt,

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you know, maybe a suit with a shirt with a, you know, with a blazer without the tie.

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So without, without wearing the tie. So that's kind of formal.

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So a contemporary style might include a dress shirt, a pair with slacks or,

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you know, chinos or, you know, what.

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I can't think of the other name of those pants. They're usually like beige color

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pants, offering a more relaxed and respectful look.

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The key is to maintain a sense of reverence by incorporating a personal style.

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So I call when men look good, they look really crispy, like their pants are iron.

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They just, everything look like they spend a little time taking time to get dressed.

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Now women, I mean, it seems like that's automatic because our material is real soft.

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It doesn't require a lot of, you know, you can kind of steam in and get those wrinkles out.

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But when a men clothes, they look crispy, crispy, meaning it's like they ironed

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it, got it fresh from the cleaners.

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And they, you can tell when they're looking good, they looking sharp and clean.

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And so when we think about traditional and formal, formal usually have a tie

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on and contemporary, there is no tie. They just very casual.

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It cleans. Sometimes you don't even need the blazer on. You just have a nice

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shirt on with some slacks.

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So suiting up for formal church events, tips on dressing for occasions like

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wedding, funerals, and special services.

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And when to go like full damper, like when do you get really, really damper?

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For formal events, a well-fitted suit is always a safe choice.

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Dark colors like navy, charcoal, and black are versatile and appropriate for many occasions.

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So if you don't have a black, navy or charcoal suit, just go ahead and invest in a nice suit.

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Sometimes getting off the rack, if you're a tall guy and you got a kind of a

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different build, just go get you, go to one of those men's shops and let them

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custom that suit jacket perfectly, custom those pants.

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So those pants and jacket fits you perfectly.

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They'll find you the perfect top. So you know exactly when you put that suit

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on, that suit is going to just hug you just perfectly.

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And you're going to feel very damper and very crispy sharp.

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And make sure your suit is well tailored. And don't forget the details.

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I love this one. A crisp dress shirt, polished shoes, and a tasteful tie,

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a pocket square can elevate your look.

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Now, men don't need like 12 suits.

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Get those three suits, interchange them with different shirt, pocket ties.

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And you have people think that you got like 20 suits in your closet,

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but making sure that you get someone to dress you properly and your, your girl can do that.

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You know, the professionals at the store, I mean, they, they know how to mix

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and match some things and, and make it, make it look good.

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So be able to look sharp and crisp when it's time for an, a special event.

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Now, some casual options for Sunday service, you know, how to stay comfy but

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classy for more casual service and what to wear when a suit isn't necessary,

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excuse me, for more casual services.

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Consider dress pants or a chino, I think khaki, what I'm looking for,

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khaki pants with a button-down shirt or a sweater. So you're just looking casual,

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but you're looking clean and crispy.

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Blazer can add a touch of formality without the need for a full suit.

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So just a nice blazer, different kind of blazer to offset those pants.

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Remember, the goal is to be comfortable while still showing respect in the sacred place on occasion.

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So knowing how to dress up and dress down is the key.

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You know, so even if you had on a polo shirt with a blazer, I mean,

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that changes the whole outfit too. So knowing how to kind of interchange your outfit.

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Another important foundation for your outfit is wearing the proper undergarments

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is crucial, but for both comfort and appearance. So let's talk about underwear, socks, and T-shirts.

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So underwear, shoes, well-fitted, comfortable underwear that don't bunch up

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or show through your socks, show through your clothes.

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So you want to make sure everything fits.

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It's not too small, not too big.

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Boxer briefs are good options for comfort and smooth fit. So make sure you have

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the right underwear comfort on.

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So you're not, you know, make sure you can just be a smooth fit.

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Once you put it on, you don't have to worry about it anymore, right?

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Socks, your socks should complement your outfit for formal wear.

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Match your socks to your trouser. Ensure that they are long enough to cover

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your legs when sitting down for casual outfits.

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Avoid socks that are too flashy or distracting. But that seemed to be an end thing.

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So if you like flashy socks, do what you do, right?

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Make sure they're long enough so you don't have them too short that you can

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see like your legs when your pants come up.

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But, you know, socks, I'm not the socks police. Whatever you like, you like.

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Make sure they're clean and make sure they're long enough, right?

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And a t-shirt, you wear a plain fitted t-shirt underneath your dress shirt can

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absorb sweat and prevent your dress shirt from becoming see-through.

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So that's kind of an extra layer of formality.

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Shoes neutral colors like white, black, or gray. So you want to always look crisp and clean.

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And you can always see a guy when he has a t-shirt underneath his shirt.

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It just keeps the sweat away, and it just makes them look pretty much a layered, nice, crispy look.

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So let's go to, let's go to, I said let's go to crispy. Let's go to scripture, Colossians 3, 12.

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Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, close yourself with

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compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

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Now that works too with men, that men can look nice and crispy on the outside,

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iron and everything is smelling good.

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But if their heart is dirty, then that's not going to please God either, right?

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So we're dressing for the sacred place. I mean, we're dressing our outside,

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but most important, we're dressing our inside. So I want to read that again.

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It says, Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

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close yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

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This doesn't just go for the men, it goes for the women too,

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but just for the men, that they should close themselves with compassion.

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Kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

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And the decrees is, I decree that I will close myself with compassion and kindness.

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And we see a lot of, sometimes we say angry men, but to see a man who is clothed

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with compassion and kindness just does something, it just brings a different

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atmosphere to the sacred place,

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a different atmosphere, even at the grocery store, where you don't see a man fussing and yelling.

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When he brings that compassion and kindness, he has the power to change that atmosphere.

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And if he brings that same atmosphere to church, he can usher in the presence of God.

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Powerful. Not that the women can, but the man can.

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Not that the woman can't, but I'm saying, let's let the man can.

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I decree that humility and gentleness will be evident in my life.

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I decree that I will practice patience as a reflection of God's love.

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I decree that my actions and appearance will show that I am chosen and dearly loved by God.

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Think about that covering a man, that a man is covered.

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I know I want to go back. that a man is covered in compassion,

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that he's covered in kindness, he's covered in humility, he's covered in gentleness,

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and he's covered in patience.

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What does that do to the atmosphere of the church?

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Oh my goodness.

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Let's go to 1 Samuel 16 verse 7.

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But the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.

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The Lord does not look at the things that people look at.

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People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

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Once again, you can have all that crispy looking attire on, but if you are clothing

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yourself in compassion and kindness and gentleness and patience, God sees that.

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So let's decree from 1 Samuel. It

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says, I decree that I will focus on cultivating pure and a loving heart.

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I decree that I will value inner character over outward appearance.

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I decree that I will value inner character over outward appearance.

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I decree that God's view of my heart defines my worth.

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I decree that I will strive to have a heart that pleases God.

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Isn't that all what matters? That we can get to church, get to our tabernacle,

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get to our sanctuary, and we're all dressed both inside and outside.

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Dressed properly, attire properly on the outside, attire properly on the inside,

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how would that bring in the presence of the Lord into our church,

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our sanctuary, our tabernacle?

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Because we're honoring him both in deed and also in where we approach him.

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Oh, my gosh. So the takeaways for this is traditional and contemporary styles

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can both be appropriate.

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Different church service events may require for different attire.

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Remember, we're not going by what we wear, but we're going to dress appropriately,

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but we're going to make sure our heart is right.

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And then casual attire can still be respectful and stylish.

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So remember, when you dress, respectful and stylish. and the proper undergarments

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are essential for comfort and a polished appearance, both for male and for female.

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So I want to thank you again. This has been, even if you like it,

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give me a like, it's good.

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This is so good. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

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Wow. Stay tuned for each episode as we bring holy back into our attire.

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How about holy back into our sacred spaces? I might change it to that.

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Holy back. We're just bringing holy back. This is your host,

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Connie Morris, with Church Chronicles, hosted by the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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Don't forget at the end of this series that the Holy Sheet, the ultimate church

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attire handbook, will be available as a free download.

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So until next time, God bless you.