The Duggars and Their World: Fashion, Food, Finance, Schoolin’ and Child Rearin'

[drafan]

I think these fundies hit the "In stock. Buy it now." rack at the bridal salons, since the engagements are typically so short. Didn't Erin say she bought the only one in her size and then had it modified (no pun intended!) ? That's what this MOTB dress looks like. I'm sure Mullet will fakely sob out the whole story of her fellowshipping with Kelly Bates over sharing this hideous dress with her. By the time she pays for the bib, the hemming (her osteoporosis seems more advanced than KB), the steaming of the lapels, the Spanx (OMG, now I'm in a full sweat), and the dry-cleaning (Ew, let's hope), she could've bought one in any department store in her size, probably for less.

 

Can't wait to see what was on her feet. Silver Easy Spirits, Casino Collection is my guess.

[GinnyLee]

I just watched the older episodes with all the girls in their prairie dresses with the huge white doily on the front chest part. How hideous. I am totally out of touch when it comes to fashion and even I can see these dresses were awful. When I was growing up, in the '80's, (I'm 42), my neighbor could sew and she always made her two daughters wear these hideous prairie dresses and we live in NJ.  Even my mother used to laugh. Maybe that's why my mother never encouraged us to wear dresses. Just recently I started wearing this dress I found at the thrift shop and I have to admit it's really comfortable. I might actually look for more. So I'm no longer so much against wearing dresses. Just for the record, the dresses Mary, Laura and Caroline used to wear on Little House on the Prairie are actually normal looking compared to the clown costumes I saw on 14 Kids and Pregnant Again (or one of those earlier shows). Many of the dresses themselves were tolerable, but it's the accessories like the awful doilies, puffy sleeves, outdated hairstyles and the bright red lipstick that just ruined it.  White women don't look good in red lipstick. Stick with pink or coral varieties, but please NO RED!

[VillaVillekulla]

White women don't look good in red lipstick. Stick with pink or coral varieties, but please NO RED!

 

Wow, how rude. Any woman of any color can look good in red lipstick, it's all about finding the right shade.

[GinnyLee]

I happen to be white, very white so I wasn't intending to be rude. It wasn't a racial insult, it was a fashion comment. I was always told to not wear red lipstick because it was to much contrast for my white skin. I've read it in more than one fashion magazine so they can't all be wrong. Maybe you're just being too sensitive? Sorry I offended you. Didn't mean to.

[DangerousMinds]

Wow, how rude. Any woman of any color can look good in red lipstick, it's all about finding the right shade.

Hurry, someone let Taylor Swift in on this!

[Almost 3000]

I agree red lipstick is hard to wear even if you find your correct shade. It usually makes your teeth look yellow if you haven't whitened them no matter the color of your skin. But have to say when getting it right, its a real winner.

[Fuzzysox]

I think Kelly said that the first MOG dress was a gift from her kids and it came from Dillards.

 

Watching the old epis I liked that the girls had real shoes on. At least they were real shoes not $1 flip flops.

[BradandJanet]

Bet that grey changes colour when wet, too. 

 

Ha, ha. This conjures up quite an image. I wonder if Michelle will shell out for dry cleaning to remove the sweat and lemonade stains before she wears that thing to the next wedding. 

[Micks Picks]

Strapless gowns are all over the place for brides because it is easier for the manufacturers/designers to make strapless gowns.  Gowns with a little strap or small sleeve are usually more becoming and are available even if you have to tell the designer to make it that way.

 

I am small and seem to be high busted and like a little sleeve in a dress or a blouse.  So it is sometimes a search to find something.  I'd prefer a v neck but settle for a scoop neck because it's better on me.  I have a relative or two who buy me tops with no sleeves that I don't like because they are sleeveless or so sheer that it requires an undershirt and I HATE layering clothes.  I haven't layered anything for years because it is uncomfortable for me, and seems like a waste of time.  Why have to put on 2 things?  So I have been very, very clear now, I think, in telling relatives what I don't like, pointing out that they never see me in anything like that, so why would they think I'd like it?  We'll see.

 

The MOB dress, if the natural v neckline is the 2 colors as it appears, is in fact very, very low and looks like you'd wear one of those "not a bras" if anything.  Pretty dress, lousy design.  Yes I know the celeb pics we see are cut to the waist but they don't look good in my opinion.

[BradandJanet]

I just bought two below the knee skirts, soft and loose, and now back in style. They're cool and comfortable for summer. I laughed at myself for buying something Duggar approved. However, I promise I won't wear them to build a house, ride a horse, or go skiing.

[AussiesRule]

I've been watching the older episodes too. In Raising 16 Children they go horseback riding and Jana is wearing a ridiculously long skirt, but when it rides up, she is unbelievably wearing below the knee frilly pantaloons!! They had given up the Little House dresses but obviously not the underwear!

Edited July 12, 2014 by AussiesRule

[Literata]

 

However, I promise I won't wear them to build a house, ride a horse, or go skiing.

First, BradandJanet, I love your name, which I'm hoping is a "Rocky Horror" reference. If you're someone named Janet married to someone named Brad, you'll need to do some research. :)

 

I have a jean skirt, albeit a little ABOVE the knee (horrors!) that I wear from time to time. If I happen to be wearing flip-flops with it, it makes my husband laugh. I've been known to walk the dog in it, 

 

[BradandJanet]

First, BradandJanet, I love your name, which I'm hoping is a "Rocky Horror" reference. If you're someone named Janet married to someone named Brad, you'll need to do some research. :)

 

I have a jean skirt, albeit a little ABOVE the knee (horrors!) that I wear from time to time. If I happen to be wearing flip-flops with it, it makes my husband laugh. I've been known to walk the dog in it, 

 

 

Hi Literata,

 

I love your name too. I'm  a bit of a popular culture and literature addict, so I measure the present against the past. Brad and Janet is a homage to my wayward youth of midnight costume runs. I hope you had one as well.

 

I have a closet with denim skirts. I hope your dog-walking skirt and flip flops are not defrauding any twenty-year-old males! God help us all if our skirts are signaling the end of civilization, but I've never been accused of any teenaged guy looking twice at me :(

 

The Duggars are simply full of shit.

[Micks Picks]

I have a couple of denim skirts that I love, and have some longer lightweight skirts.  I love them in the summer.  While I am living in a cooler area now, I did live where is was often 110 and higher.  We wore them to work with some kind of top and I kept a couple of short sleeved jackets in the office.  They looked good, actually, and most women wore the same.  I never wear flip flops.  I hate the toe divider and the flip flop sound they make.  Drives me crazy.

I absolutely love the picture of the bridesmaids!

[farmgal4]

I think these fundies hit the "In stock. Buy it now." rack at the bridal salons, since the engagements are typically so short. Didn't Erin say she bought the only one in her size and then had it modified (no pun intended!) ? That's what this MOTB dress looks like. I'm sure Mullet will fakely sob out the whole story of her fellowshipping with Kelly Bates over sharing this hideous dress with her. By the time she pays for the bib, the hemming (her osteoporosis seems more advanced than KB), the steaming of the lapels, the Spanx (OMG, now I'm in a full sweat), and the dry-cleaning (Ew, let's hope), she could've bought one in any department store in her size, probably for less.

 

Can't wait to see what was on her feet. Silver Easy Spirits, Casino Collection is my guess.

With black support stockings, no doubt.

[Sew Sumi]

Gotta hide those varicose veins! Her legs must look like a bloody road map.

[Lillybee]

Michelle wears knee-hi's, I noticed that in one of the episodes where she was climbing some steps.

[BradandJanet]

Michelle wears knee-hi's, I noticed that in one of the episodes where she was climbing some steps.

 

Did you see her stocking tops and exposed leg skin? What a defrauding hussy, that Michelle.

[mimionthebeach]

Can't wait to see those wedding pics with Michelle in that too-tight dress with her black, opaque knee-highs and those fetching black easy spirits.

Edited July 17, 2014 by mimionthebeach

[bigskygirl]

What cracks me up is when Mullet say the Duggars are their own individuals when it comes to outfits. They stick out like a sore thumb by dressing too much alike.

[Absolom]

We may not get much view of the stockings.  I believe it was a long dress.  I only wish Michelle would upgrade to Easy Spirit shoes.

[lottiedottie]

I guess I never really paid much attention to the Duggars because I just watched two specials on YouTube (I think this was before TLC?) no idea, really--but those LHOTP dresses the girls had to wear? Good god! What a crime against fashion. Offensively bad. And all the god damn polo shirts! Gawd. Their fashion has improved quite a bit, thankfully (though there is a long way to go).

[PecanSandie]

I bet her legs are suffering from walking around on that concrete slab all day.

[fliptopbox]

Shelling out $25,000 for only a reception and still doing all the work yourself? Screw that. For that kind of money I'd pay someone else to cater, and setup, and everything else. I guess the Duggars' "frugal" ways lately are definitely more "do as we say, not as we do".

[Fuzzysox]

I finally saw a picture of the MOB dress that Bitchelle wore. Umm it's quite ill fitting, ugly and just not a good color for her. Why in the world would you chose a dress that is so unflattering when you know those pictures are going to live forever?

 

As for Jill's wedding dress is way too big on her and it looks old and used. Poorly steamed is that why it looks like an old rag?? 

[Marigny]

I thought that her dress looked used and too big, also.

[riverblue22]

How is it ever a good idea to wear a skirt when you are doing something like swimming or water skiing?  On an old show this morning Michelle was water skiing with a skirt on.  It rode up and the producers had to block the view so we wouldn't see her private parts.  Obviously the cameraman and the editors saw what was happening.  How is that acceptable in anyone's religion?

[Fostersmom]

They weren't blocking private parts. Her knee length modesty garments underneath creeped up a little bit and her knees were showing. She asked the editors to cover up her knees. 

[Absolom]

I'm not sure that Jill's dress was truly too big.  A lot of people these days, especially those on TV shows, wear their clothes too tight.  There is supposed to be some ease between the body and the dress.  The alteration from a strapless dress to sleeves may have given an appearance of extra fabric.  I'd love to get a close look at the top to see how the seamstress did the alterations. 

[MrMattyMatt]

They weren't blocking private parts. Her knee length modesty garments underneath creeped up a little bit and her knees were showing. She asked the editors to cover up her knees. 

 

Yes it was those fine knees of hers.  Can you imagine the hundreds of men (or women) that may have strayed from their wives after possibly seeing J'chelle's knees?  

 

I hope they had a special group prayer session about this when they were done waterskiing!

[BradandJanet]

As for medical expenses, I read somewhere that they might use a company called Samaritan (?) which isn't a normal company. The way it works is that if you have a major expense then you contact the insurance company and they put out word to all their members what you need and then anybody who wants to help sends you (or a holding company like escrow) a check for whatever they can afford. So they might get a hundred people/families sending $10 checks, but it all has to be used to pay the bill. Not a bad idea really, if I read it correctly.

 

I'm curious to know if they crowd-fund their healthcare. If so, the people sending in money would be a lot poorer than the cheap-o Duggars, who have a long-running TV show and several business ventures. The Duggars have the money to self-insure if they really don't want to buy insurance like the rest of us. I guess I'm just grateful they don't show up at the emergency room for free care like their friends the Bateses.

[Portia]

Y'all, thinking about J'chelle's knees just turned me gay. Please pray for me.

[Sundaymorning]

Just a quick question: in the earlier episodes, back when they were still living in their old, small house, they all wore identic or at least very similar clothing. How on earth did they always manage to find identical clothes for each of the kids sizes in a goodwill store?!

[BatmanBeatles]

I think they used to sew all their clothes.

[Absolom]

The girls made a lot of their clothes while the boys wore basic khaki pants and polo shirts when going out.  It's pretty easy to find khaki pants and polo shirts at resale shops.  Plus they didn't have to buy them all at once.  They added to the collection as the boys grew. 

[PinkSprinkles]

Y'all, thinking about J'chelle's knees just turned me gay. Please pray for me.

 

If you haven't already, please escort yourself to the prayer closet. ;-)

[Maharincess]

Kill me now, but I actually learned something from a Duggar last week. I had never seen that whole "put oil in a measuring cup before the honey" thing. So I gained new knowledge. From Jinger Duggar. Si-i-i-i-i-i-igh.

This is from way back but I had to comment on this.

I've done this for years with cooking spray. I spray any container that I'm going to put honey or molasses etc in.

Another good tip is my granddaughter visits a lot and she has a lot of Play Doh stuff here, I spray all of her Play Doh paraphernalia lightly with the cooking spray and the Doh doesn't stick.

Some of those Play Doh things have a lot of little nooks and crannies that it can get stuck in. The spray works great.

[JessDVD]

Another good tip is my granddaughter visits a lot and she has a lot of Play Doh stuff here, I spray all of her Play Doh paraphernalia lightly with the cooking spray and the Doh doesn't stick.

Some of those Play Doh things have a lot of little nooks and crannies that it can get stuck in. The spray works great.

 

BRILLIANT! I will try this the next time my kids want to play with play dough. I've heard of doing it with honey and peanut butter, but never Play dough and that is an awesome idea.

[Maharincess]

I just got sick of spending days cleaning the stuff after my granddaughter leaves.

[Fuzzysox]

Dear Mullet, I hope this time around Boob will open up his wallet and you will have a nice Mother of the Bride dress that wasn't pre-worn and that actually fits you correctly. Just get shopping NOW don't waste your time calling Kelly Bates to borrow her blue dress for Jessa's wedding you deserve your own.

[Absolom]

Also please no layered disaster.  Get something more figure skimming.  It will look much better with the larger bustline. 

[Higgins]

I just watched the older episodes with all the girls in their prairie dresses with the huge white doily on the front chest part. How hideous. I am totally out of touch when it comes to fashion and even I can see these dresses were awful. When I was growing up, in the '80's, (I'm 42), my neighbor could sew and she always made her two daughters wear these hideous prairie dresses and we live in NJ.  Even my mother used to laugh. Maybe that's why my mother never encouraged us to wear dresses. Just recently I started wearing this dress I found at the thrift shop and I have to admit it's really comfortable. I might actually look for more. So I'm no longer so much against wearing dresses. Just for the record, the dresses Mary, Laura and Caroline used to wear on Little House on the Prairie are actually normal looking compared to the clown costumes I saw on 14 Kids and Pregnant Again (or one of those earlier shows). Many of the dresses themselves were tolerable, but it's the accessories like the awful doilies, puffy sleeves, outdated hairstyles and the bright red lipstick that just ruined it.  White women don't look good in red lipstick. Stick with pink or coral varieties, but please NO RED!

Hold on a minute there. Prairie dresses were in in the late 70s and early 80's. Everybody had Gunne Sax prairie dresses and skirts and ruffled blouses so maybe your neighbor was more fashionable than you think. http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/8a/27/36/8a27360f228c58c8641602da7deb52fc.jpg

[BradandJanet]

Also please no layered disaster.  Get something more figure skimming.  It will look much better with the larger bustline.

From your lips to God's ears, @Fuzzysox and @Absolom , but I wouldn't count on it. Michelle has to play up the themes of modest, thrifty, and unworldly. She could afford a nice dress, but why would she want to mess with the Duggar brand?

Edited August 16, 2014 by BradandJanet

[luvbadtv]

Jessa is pushing the fundie limits with her outfits.  The picture on seewalds.com - she has a sleeveless top that looks sheer on top with no layer underneath, her skirts are borderline short, and always tight.  It will be interesting to see how she changes going forward.

[Iwadre]

I think Jessa dresses pretty cute, but I wouldn't say it's modest. It's all very tight, just not a low neckline. I think I dress more modestly than she does just out of a personal comfort level. Maybe she will be the first Duggar girl to wear a pair of pants. OH Wow Scandalous;) 

[luvbadtv]

I think Jessa dresses pretty cute, but I wouldn't say it's modest. It's all very tight, just not a low neckline. I think I dress more modestly than she does just out of a personal comfort level. Maybe she will be the first Duggar girl to wear a pair of pants. OH Wow Scandalous;) 

 

Jessa's first purchase as a married woman will be yoga pants!

[ramble]

The picture on seewalds.com - she has a sleeveless top that looks sheer on top with no layer underneath, her skirts are borderline short

I saw knee! I'm lost in a world of knees & shoulders. The horror!

[Literata]

 

I think Jessa dresses pretty cute, but I wouldn't say it's modest. I

I wonder if they're allowed some fashion leeway when they're courting/engaged. I can see Boob questioning a fashion choice, but if Jessa replied, "This is how Bin likes me to dress," he'd have to back down, right?  I remember J'Chelle having mentioned that all the girls chose to wear their hair long and bizarre because "Daddy likes it that way."

[3 is enough]

Aside from the TLC money, freebies, and "love offerings", Jim Bob has several commercial properties that he rents out.  Also, he has at least one cell phone tower on one of his properties.  That alone has the potential of bringing in as much as 10K per month.  Knowing him, he probably swung some sort of free service deal to boot.

 

They have all sorts of shell corporations and LLC's.  If nothing else, he is quite the shrewd businessman.  I think he puts on the "good ole boy" persona to catch people off guard, then moves in for the kill.

 

After all, didn't he put 250K of his own money into his failed senate bid?  

 

And the girls do get "paid".  Something like 5 cents per chore. ;).  Hope they got part of the book proceeds.

[floridamom]

TobyBelle: I wish the Duggars would do a real interview and explain what their real teachings state. The unflattering/unpopular female subservant rules aren't really addresses because they know they wouldn't go over well with their viewers and that would stop the money train for them. They purposely stay quiet about a lot of things that are involved here. I don't think that's being honest. They are a bunch of extremists who hide that fact. I also believe at this stage in their financial lives, they should NOT shop at consignment shops and Goodwill stores because they hoard the items on the shelves that families who are truly in need could use. When the Duggars descend upon a consignment shop for shoes, for example,, they leave those shelves empty as they purchase 20+ pair at a time. IMO, that is being selfish. Those stores are there for those that truly need them and they should shop for good sales in retain stores like the rest of us. They out earn a large majority of their viewers and are worth over $3 million dollars with income every month to boot.