Views on Nardin's New "Formalized Dress Code"

Andie Kiener '25   ~   October 2022

This year, Nardin Academy implemented a “formalized dress code” to replace the former dress code. There certainly are pros to the uniform; however, the cons outweigh the pros in many students' opinions.

Many of the students I have talked to have expressed their disdain for the "formal dress code." The student handbook claims it "is in no way [meant] to suppress one's freedom of expression;" however, it does just that. One student says, "I've been in uniforms my whole life and I hated it. Last year, I loved being able to dress how I wanted, but now I have a closet full of clothes I can't wear." They feel the clothes are limiting their personal expression, and although the Nardin uniform is generous compared to other schools' selections, there are still many issues regarding the dress code. Firstly, our school was founded by The Daughters of the Heart of Mary. According to the student handbook, the DHM explicitly wanted to live "an authentic, vowed religious life in the midst of the world, without any distinguishing sign, habit, or cloister." The lack of a "uniform" was a way for them to remain unidentifiable during the French Revolution; however, our uniforms have the Nardin Academy logo on them, making us easily identifiable to any passerby. 

Additionally, the Nardin website and the student handbook states that "The Formalized Nardin dress code allows our students the freedom to express themselves in their dress." However, our uniform does the opposite- what choices do we get? All of our clothes must be purchased from Land's End, even when the same items can be bought elsewhere for much more reasonable prices. Also, many of the fun colors that can be purchased from Land's End have been blocked from the school; for example, the "Women's Long Sleeve Oxford Shirt" in the school's Land's End store is only available in white, but if you look up the shirt by using the search bar, it is available in other colors, such as blue. Additionally, the Land's End selection is very limited. Personally, I have had to send pants back to the company three times because of sizing issues. They do not fit my body type without either being too tight or too revealing in the back, even when I have measured myself and the website claims the sizes will fit.

Furthermore, one of the reasons the uniform was implemented into the 2022-2023 school year was because of the constant dress coding, especially with skirt length. According to the Nardin website, our skirts must be "no shorter than 2 inches above the knee;" however, almost all of the girls roll their skirts up or go to have them hemmed, so these girls will still be dress coded all the same. Additionally, with students wearing regular shirts under their Nardin sweatshirts instead of their polos, girls have been getting dress coded more than ever.

The student handbook states that the dress code intends to "minimize distractions in the learning process" and "maintain an orderly learning environment," but these accusations are pointless. What we wear helps us feel more comfortable; it does not affect how we learn. And what about regular clothes is not "orderly?" We already weren't showing our shoulders and majority of our stomach, so what's distracting? Our knees? Our legs? Those are just natural parts of our body, and we shouldn't have to cover them up, because they shouldn't be distracting anyone.

One student sums up the uniforms perfectly: "The Nardin uniforms don't make Nardin look united and spirited, it reminds me of every other boring private school with limited expression."