St. Louis IX’s Advice for Propriety of Dress, by Phillip Campbell

By Phillip Campbell, Catholic Exchange, 27 Apr 2026

Phillip Campbell is a history teacher for Homeschool Connections and the author of many books on Catholic history, most notably the Story of Civilization series from TAN Books.

You can learn more about his books and classes on his website. Phillip resides in southern Michigan.

One of the great monarchs of Christendom was the pious King of France, St. Louis IX. Reigning from 1226 until his death in 1270 during the Eighth Crusade, St. Louis was a model of Christian chivalry whose virtuous reign set the standard for Christian kingship in the 13^th century.

It is not Louis’s reign we are concerned with here, however, but his observations on the matter of propriety of dress as it relates to one’s station in life. It seems that Catholics are perpetually disputing about dress: what is appropriate for Mass, what is modest attire for various occasions, pants vs. dresses for women, and much more. The secular world seems equally confused. Nobody seems to have any propriety in appropriate dress. We see the most debauched rappers loaded down in ostentatious displays of gold while billionaires go about in casual wear trying to convince everyone they are “just one of the boys.” ….

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