Besides the practical-functional purpose of protecting man from the elements, clothing has a decorative and sometimes symbolic purpose. The vestments are supposed to be clean and of the finest cloth since they are used in the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice - the Eucharist. In our Orthodox church architecture, church chant, church iconography, we have the epitome of art, the striving of Christians to praise the Lord with the highest art forms possible. Church vestments are no exception. In our everyday lives our clothes also become symbols - this is especially evident in how we dress for church.
Clothing can reveal a philosophy, a lifestyle, a mood.
When we come to church our clothing can reveal either modesty, discretion, simplicity, indifference or vanity. We are not talking about the quality or expense of clothing, but of its image and upkeep. When one comes to church, the House of God, one should dress the best one can. On the other hand, some dress as if they were attending a fashion show or the theater, and this too should be avoided. We would be sinning if we wore anything suggestive, revealing or distracting in church for this could reveal our lightmindedness and could be a temptation to other faithful.