Ladies, do you want to concealed carry but don’t want to give up wearing the styles you love? You’re not alone.
I can personally attest to the challenges of making feminine fashion coincide with CCW practicality. Over the past couple of years that I’ve been carrying, I’ve learned through a great deal of trial, error, and shopping around, a number of outfit combos, carry gun sizes, and holster styles that make carrying a concealed firearm possible for me, but I still have frequently found myself wishing there was an “easier way.” In the hope of making the journey of concealed carry easier for other females, I’ve posted a few articles on this site with recommendations for what to wear (you can check out one of the series here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). As more and more women consider CCW, their calls for concealed carry fashion that lets women tote their self defense guns without making concessions to the things they like to wear.
Some firearms accessory manufacturers have expanded their lines with “pink” or other colorful add-ons, aimed to catch the female eye. Beyond hue, however, there has been a more involved movement to create women’s concealed carry friendly gear. One place you can see the evidence of this new product direction is at any one of the increasing numbers of women’s concealed carry fashion shows. Some of the larger shows have been held in the past couple years in the US fashion capitol: New York City, NY. Another successful show was hosted earlier this month in new-to-carry Chicago, IL.
The Firearms & Fashion show was first hosted by native Chicagoans, Karen Bartuch (owner of AlphaGirls, a female-oriented firearms education company), and Marilyn Smolenski (owner of Nickel and Lace, an online firearms fashion and accessory retailer geared toward lady firearms enthusiasts), soon after the news hit that Illinois passed its concealed carry legislation. Their second event, successful enough to catch mainstream news attention, showed earlier this month, featuring hot fashion, designed with women’s concealed carry fashion in mind, including work by Wisconsin-born designer Sarah Church.
If you’re looking for a holster to fit female hips, or just something cute to wear that still lets women carry comfortably, don’t fret. There are options out there, and there is also a rapidly growing community of female shooters and concealed carriers—myself included—who’re happy to help you find what works for you.
Featured image courtesy of contributor ariwasabi via istockphoto.com
Got me thinking about solutions to the problem of carrying a meaningful gun without sacrificing style. CCW in itself is a compromise enough.
TerrilSmoothboreHebert Heheh it certainly can be. Takes some forethought, whether you’re male or female.
LOL, cute! Female prisoners all over CA have been carrying their stash in “pink” (many dark pink) for quite awhile now (some are like kangaroos and can fit an RPG round), only now its hit the mainstream?
Any fashion advice for those big guys in short crop hair wearing a heavy fanny pack around their waist whilst doing their squats?
OT: I got to talking to a mom w/ stroller at a park once, she had a pretty cool idea rigging her stroller w/ a hidden compartment for her service pistol. Can you do a series on hidden compartments, car, home, strollers, etc. DIY preferable.
TeufelshundeUSMC You may find this post interesting: https://thearmsguide.com/5203/guns-home-firearm-concealment-devices/
Lemme know what you think :]
I imagine how hard is concealed carry for females. Especially because they have some, let’s say, “features” and normally they use more tight clothing, that makes hard to carry and stay stilysh.
Timely article, Destinee! I’m going through this right now. Apart from holsters, I’ve also been looking at various gun belts – it definitely can be a trial and error experience! p.s. Had no idea a fashion show existed for this industry, very cool! 🙂
Ironic that a CCW
It is good for women to know they can still be cute and carry. We all want to look good when we carry–men and women. Women do face some additional challenges in selecting a concealed carry kit that works for their (generally) smaller frames and more revealing clothing styles.
All of that is important, but the bottom line is can the women in my life keep themselves safe? If they can’t get at their weapon it doesn’t matter how cute they look.