I hope I'm not digging too deeply into archaeology here. I've just discovered this very interesting thread.
I have long hair, and I wear skirts the majority of the time. I'll wear shorts (but not to church) if it's very hot, and I'll wear slacks (but not to church) if it's very cold. I do not traditionally cover my head, but sometimes I am convicted to do so during private prayer. If He tells me to do it, I'll do it. And for the record, if Mike asked me to wear a headcovering in obedience to Scripture--and he wouldn't--I'd gladly do so.
I've seen many applications of the headcovering doctrine. A neighbor from several years ago simply wore what resembled a small doily on top of her head, and when my daughter asked about it, she explained her reasoning. "I wear it to show that I am a Christian woman in submission to God and my husband." She wore it not only to church but whenever she appeared outside her own home. Yet it really didn't make her stand out in any way. It covered only the crown of her head, and was quite pretty.
Then there are those who wear an attractive hat or bonnet to church, and figure that answers the command. A full nun's habit, or a
hijab similar to that worn by Moslems, is the route taken by others. Some rely on the hair to be a covering, whether it is cut or not, as long as she is not bald. Different interpretations.
Some even take it farther than I do. Not only long hair--which means DON'T EVEN TRIM THE ENDS--but also no makeup and no jewelry. Not only refrain from slacks and shorts, but skirts must cover the knee, sleeves must cover the elbow, and necklines must cover the collarbones. Then there are those who take it farther still: the clothing must cover all those areas AND be of a solid, dark color, AND a bonnet or veil must be worn that covers all of the hair. This is at all times, not merely in church. (No--they don't believe in going to beaches or public swimming pools, where even the most "modest" bathing suits don't cover up more than they have to.)
Most people would say I dress very modestly. But those of some past churches I've attended would be appalled when they see me sleeveless, or in shorts, or wearing makeup and jewelry. Yeah, I've got long hair, but I do keep the broken ends trimmed off. The legalism makes no sense to me. The Bible says "modest," but where does it spell out exactly what body parts must be covered, and where does it say clothing must be a dark solid color or else it isn't modest? And where, when it says long hair, does it say never to groom that hair by trimming off broken ends? In the churches that teach that, the men are forbidden to wear hair past their collars. So, if a woman has waist length hair that has been trimmed, but a man keeps his hair consistently at shoulder length, her hair is "short," his is "long," and both are disobeying the commandment.
A case can be made against makeup and jewelry, but I don't interpret those verses the same way. They're not saying DON'T wear it, they're saying that's not where your true beauty comes from. If we took those verses literally, we can read it to mean don't wear clothes at all, and never wear your hair in a braid. (Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of
plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold,
or of putting on of apparel; I Peter 3:3 in the KJV).
Legalism can always go too far.