Sleeveless LDS garments: New limits imposed as availability in U.S. approaches

Since sleeveless temple garments were announced last fall, Latter-day Saints in the U.S. have found lots of, well, ingenious ways to get their hands on multiple pairs in those styles before they come to this country.

Such frenzied work-arounds, however, might not work forever.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has begun rationing the garments in overseas markets as demand has skyrocketed.

Last October, the church introduced “open sleeve” garments — which faithful members wear underneath daily clothing as a reminder of sacred covenants — that look more like tank tops than the current cap-sleeve choices. The global faith also offered a light, one-piece, full-slip option, with even narrower shoulder straps.

In June, some Utah brides-to-be went to great lengths to obtain the new garments in time for their summer weddings.

Some members continue to acquire their open sleeve garments from Latter-day Saint tourists visiting countries — including Brazil, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and now most of Africa and Europe — where they are available. When picking up their children from missions in those countries, some parents have brought back suitcases full of the new garments to distribute to family and friends back home. Others have used the foreign address of a friend who would then mail them to the U.S., establishing a sort of under-the-radar “white market” for the new designs.

Word is the Utah-based faith is now limiting members to two sets of each style at a time — if they can find them at all.

A Latter-day Saint mom ordered two pairs of the new garments by using her 25-year-old son’s address in Germany, where he is working on a graduate degree.

“I told my two sisters in Utah,” says the Kentucky mother who asked that her name not be used because she doesn’t want to speak for the church. “We each put in orders with his address as the delivery. He’s received four or five boxes and is ready to send them to us.”

Each order was limited to two tops in each style, she says, and one of the slip versions.

She is excited to see the church “untangle all of the hang-ups and judging” in regards to modesty that went along with previous styles, which included a cap sleeve easily visible by outsiders.

So when will these styles be available in Utah and across the U.S.?

Rumors are flying about that, says Rachel Gerber, an Instagrammer at LDS Changemakers who promotes gender equality in the church.

Gerber has received messages from women all over the world, speculating about when they would be sold in their countries.

They were supposed to be on sale in Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the Pacific “in July,” for example, “but the stock has been slow to come so they delayed a few months,” wrote one in a private message to Gerber. “They have to release them to the whole Pacific [region] at the same time apparently. Now [they are] not expected till October.”

Another remarked in a message that one of her lay Utah leaders “works at [church-owned] Deseret Book,” Gerber reports, “and said we’re getting the new ones around November.”

Church spokesperson Doug Andersen would confirm only what it says on the faith’s website — that the open sleeve garments would come to the United States “in the fourth quarter.”

He declined to comment on reasons for the regional rather than global rollout and why the church couldn’t have ramped up production of the sacred underclothing in its Beehive Clothing manufacturing sites — in Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, the Philippines and two Utah locations — to meet the need from the get-go.

Whatever the reason for the staggered production, the wait for these treasured garments among Latter-day Saints is nearly over.

Once they hit North America, the last region, he says, they will be everywhere.

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