I've been planning not to buy myself an alb until next year or so - you know, until I really need it for field ed or something. Partly this is to stall on paying for it, and partly because I'm not all that acquainted with various albs, and I don't yet know just what I want.
However, I'm subdeaconing Thursday for St Michael and All Angels, and I need an alb. This is the second time I've needed an alb at Seabury for subdeaconing, and I'm inclined to hope it won't be the last. The problem is that it's exceedingly difficult to borrow an alb when you're not quite 5' tall. I found one last year, but it graduated and moved to Ohio.
I'll find one for Thursday somewhere, but I'm wondering whether maybe I shouldn't just bite the bullet and buy myself an alb now, saving myself the pain of trying to borrow one. Does anyone have any advice on how I might best go about that, or what kind I ought to buy, or whether it makes sense to do it now at all?
Ta.
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I bought an alb my middler year, when Wippell came to town. I still have it, also an easy-on, easy-off, no cincture Almy alb that I bought once in the parish. The Wippell alb is prettier, but more of a pain. It wrinkles when I look at it wrong. So I use the Almy one more often.
I can't speak to the height issue, but both albs were theoretically fit to my height and they're still a tad long.
I was so freaked out about buying the Wippell alb (both the expense and what it implied about accepting the whole priesthood thing) that the then Dean caught me hyperventilating by the Kiosk and very gently calmed me down.
I found that i needed one a few times too... for preaching and stuff. i had an easier time borrowing than you though.
Mine is from Almy's. I like it. it has lace insets in the sleeve... well, you saw it at the ordination. It snaps on both shoulders, has a cincture, and polyester, so it doesn't wrinkle so much. Anyway, its not all that different from buying a cassock honestly. Not that I ever did that ;)
The only place that I know of where you could get one by Thursday is the House of Hansen, but even that might be a little late at this point. And, plus, when you went to place your order, you'd have to be prepared to answer the question, "And how tall is Father?"
I have a big Almy catalog if you want to flip through it and look at the different kinds you can buy. For my part, when I buy one, I'll probably buy the Traditional Alb from Almy designed to be worn with an amice, and when I want to get a second one, I'll get the Almy Contemporary "Rolled Collar" alb (a la John Dally).
-R
I bought mine last year, as you'll recall, off the rack from the Wippell rep. It's turned out to be just a tad shorter than I'd like, but it has worked well for me.
If you find one that you like except for the length, we can always fix that...
I suppose that's true. I hadn't thought of that.
Wippell will be here tomorrow. I'll ponder with the sales rep as well...
erm I'm only 4'10" so imagine the prob I'd have to borrow one ROFL and the sleeves are too long, too long, too long too!!
Did you find something?
I ordered my one robe from Women Spirit when I graduated in 2002, the cheapest thing I could get because money was an issue. They made the sleeves too short!! It's been bugging me for three years now, and I guess it's time to make a change.
I don't have the whole cassock/alb/surplice thing to deal with, although there are many days that I think clericals would be easier than trying to think up something to wear!!
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