Can this really be done?
The Closet
By Kathy Jackson
Eventually I will stop adding entries to these pages, except perhaps on
special occasions or if I have a new holster to show off.
Meanwhile, its purpose is simply to give other women an idea of what can
be done, and to visually show how easy it is to look (relatively) normal
while carrying a gun. I'm obviously not a fashion model -- this is real
life.
Probably the best compliment on my carry methods I ever received was from
a long-time buddy who was telling me his plans to purchase a handgun,
but added that he couldn't figure out how to carry it. I offered to help
him figure it out. "You?" he said in some surprise. "How
could you tell me anything about that? I've never seen you carry a gun."
It was my great pleasure to inform him that he'd never seen me without
one.
(The photo pages are down right now, as I'm doing some rather extensive
re-working of them behind the scenes. In the meanwhile, here are some
more general thoughts about clothing and concealment.)
Prints hide better than solids.
Dark colors hide better than light ones. If you wear a light color you
will have to make sure the gun doesn't show in various types of lighting
(just like when you are trying to figure out if you need a slip underneath
a dress). If the gun doesn't hide well underneath the blouse material
in all lights, but the blouse works well otherwise, consider tucking the
gun underneath an undershirt.
Fabric with some body to it hides better than flimsy, wispy stuff. If
you have a thin blouse you'd like to wear, you can add body to it by ironing
it with starch and it really helps.
There is no rule that says concealed carry clothes have to be ugly! Pretty
clothes conceal a gun just as well as ugly ones.
To experiment with styles on the cheap, take a trip to the local Goodwill
store or do the flea market/garage sale thing. The big bonus is that you
can simply purchase a wide variety of clothes to experiment with in the
privacy of your own bedroom. Once you've found some basic clothes shapes
that work reasonably well at hiding a gun on your body, your trips to
the full-price retail outlets will go a lot more smoothly because you'll
eliminate most of the guesswork before you get into the dressing room.
Dressing room tip: if possible, snag the handicapped stall. If someone
in a wheelchair comes along, you can surrender it. But in the meanwhile,
the plus is that there's almost always a bench to put your stuff on so
you won't have to put it on the floor or balance your trousers and holster
precariously hanging from a hook. The other plus is that handicapped dressing
room stalls are a little bigger, so you can get at least a little distance
from the mirror without leaving the stall. If you cannot snag a handicapped
stall for some reason, grab the one at the very end of the hallway --
less traffic means more secure for your stuff, and you can probably step
into the hallway to check mirrors there without risking your stuff. (See
the article titled, Would You Carry
While Shopping? for more dressing-room hints.)
Oh, yeah. Don't take your gun out of its holster in public unless you're
planning to shoot someone. If you need to try on pants, pull the holstered
gun off your belt, set it on the bench, take your pants and belt off,
pull on the new pants, then pick up your belt and the holstered gun and
check how they fit with the new pants. Whenever I set down the holstered
gun, I like to drop a piece of clothing on top of it immediately, just
to reduce the risk of someone spotting it.
Jeans. Forget buying a larger size. Instead, head over to the guys' department
and snag jeans there. Guys' jeans are designed to be bigger in the waist
and proportionately narrower in the rear than women's jeans. That'll give
you extra waist room without creating the baggy-butt look so dreaded by
fashion mavens.
Another jeans tip. If you can find jeans with stretchy fibers in them
(not those 80's look "stretch jeans" with the nasty elastic
waistband! Just regular jeans which have stretch fibers), you'll be more
comfy if you carry IWB.
You will probably want to buy blouses one size up from your usual, at
least until you find where your limits are.
If you're petite, consider going back to the regular sizes for blouses,
because the slightly-longer lengths work better. Similarly, if you like
man-styled oxfords, remember the actual men's ones have a little more
length, and may suit your purposes better.
Sweaters work very well for concealed carry, but they have to be the comfy-cozy-bulky
type, rather than the thin clingy type. If you're addicted to the thin
clingy type, consider wearing an ankle holster instead of a belt holster.
Cardigans are great, shrug sets not so great. But you can make a shrug
set work if you own a belly band and have a generally straight posture.
Belly bands work great for skirts, too. Any blouse that works well for
concealment with jeans will usually work just as well (or better) with
a skirt and a belly band positioned near where the gun normally rides
when it's on the belt.
A skirt with wide belt loops is worth its weight in gold. It's worth scouring
the stores until you find one or a dozen that will work for you.