Concerning clothing, the Old Testament contains this prohibition:
“A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God” (Deut. 22:5)
Evidently this prohibition is directed against perversions, when a person deliberately aims to look like the opposite sex, or is in some abnormal state.
In the New Testament there are words about covering the head:
“But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved” (1 Cor. 11:5)
In the modern world various kinds of clothing have been devised for women, including women’s trousers, but church tradition has adopted certain rules regarding the appearance of parishioners (it should be modest): women are advised to come in skirts with their heads covered and to use as little cosmetics as possible, while for men moderately covering clothes are recommended (shorts and a tank top would be unsuitable clothing for church). This is to be done in order to appear neat before God (inner order does not exclude outer order), and also so as not to distract, by a provocative appearance, our neighbors who have come to church to pray.
When they have one or another practical difficulty in keeping the tradition, women sometimes bring a scarf or something similar with them, to tie over their trousers before entering the church.
Sometimes certain parishioners react inappropriately to those who break this tradition — not out of ill will, but simply because they came into the church out of curiosity or to pray without knowing about it. Such parishioners are urged not to frighten people or drive them away, and still less to be rude to them.