Beat the Status Quo Heat

The first few months after surrendering to modest fashion were not easy. I was especially not a fan of summer months as just over a year ago, I had been bearing it all out with the least clothing I could wear on my body to keep myself cool and circulated. Summer was and is the most difficult season to remain fashionably pure. I did not care less about style than I do now, but I did ignore modesty. I just cared about wanting to look “good” like everyone else, but that was exactly where I stumbled—wanting to look like everybody else. While I disliked posers, copycats, social climbers, and being “in” on the latest trends, I failed to notice myself in the mirror echoing back a reflection I did not want to see.  In spite of my goals of individuality and looking “nice,” I became what I did not want to be because I allowed myself to be taken over by the status quo heat. Running after fast-paced worldly trends got too tiresome, and I wanted to find retreat deep within the quiet corners of my soul. The transformation came through an emotional outpouring, which changed the way I viewed and carried myself to a manner virtuous and lady-like in my heart through my clothing.

After relating a little background on my old summer shrieking dilemma, I’ve decided to write about beating the summer heat and the status quo fashion through modesty.

• Instead of shorts or tight pants, I switched to long flowing skirts or knee-length skirts. I have always had trouble looking for a good pair of shorts or pants. My anatomy has been graced/cursed with the pear shape a.k.a. “the classic woman shape”. Especially with the models today who are pencil thin from top to bottom, looking at catalogs and mannequins usually resulted in my being disappointed by my purchases. The switch was easy. It is more enjoyable for me anyway to wear leggings or tights with a tunic, dress, or skirt and at the same time cover up my basement’s silhouette. Surprisingly, I never knew that part of me was attractive until someone in my high school talked about it in my dance group. He really was the last person I would’ve wanted to be around. To my disgust, I really didn’t attract the right kind of guys back then.
• Instead of tank tops, spaghetti straps, and tube tops, I switched to airy blouses with light material or loose sleeveless shirts. I layer my blouses with accessories (brooches, scarves, necklaces, etc.) or just choose a really eccentric-looking top to go with the bottom. This helps not to associate modesty with Plane Jane. Tank tops and their many varieties have become things of the past and inferior pieces to the sophisticated look I strive for. I hope I have somewhat achieved it!
• Instead of bikinis or monokinis, I switched to a one-piece bathing suit or a tankini with a high-neck and full butt coverage. When asked if I would be comfortable modeling swimsuit for a modest apparel store, I graciously declined. I think that photos of women in even modest swimwear can be showing too much. Wearing a swimsuit in public is already a compromise for me—let alone taking photos posted all around the internet and catalogs wearing an attire made for bathing. I do not condemn, however, modest swimsuit modeling. It is simply a personal decision of mine to decline such an offer. My husband and I also have made it a point to avoid public beaches and pools to minimize the temptation of reverting back to our old “habits.” This isn’t a necessity for everyone, but personally, we just find it best for both of us to avoid the skin parading at the beach. It helps to keep his mind from overworking to remain pure and helps to keep me from wanting to flaunt my body in public. We are both capable and very much guilty of lusting! Here’s an anecdote: I bought a retro monokini at a store as my first “modest” purchase. Wearing it, it turned out, that it was even sexier than my bikinis. It was still showing a lot of cleavage and butt, so I had it excommunicated from my sight. It was hard because it was such a gorgeous piece, but I knew how horrible of an effect there would be on family men and children who saw me wearing it in public and in photos.
• Instead of clothes with showy cuts or slits that showed skin, I switched to clothes with bold patterns or details. One-of-a-kind patterns, bold colors, big vintage buttons, over-sized bows, and intricate details on clothes get as much attention as thigh-temptress slits, shoulder-showing asymmetrical tops, and chest-charming raindrop peek-a-boo’s. You can get the same clean and rewarding effect without showing skin or accentuating the more sexy parts of the body.
• Instead of showing too much leg, I switched to colored and patterned tights and socks. However, I didn’t get rid of all my dresses and skirts that were too short. I found that it was more interesting anyway to wear them with colored or patterned tights and socks. I subsequently fell in love with the variety of socks I could wear—especially bobby socks and knee-high socks! I also kept my one pair of skinny jeans to wear underneath a tunic or a short dress.
• As for the other priceless pieces I kept from the past: I collected a vast amount of wonderful clothes that fit the “high-fashion” look over the years that weren’t very modest. I got rid of some but kept some of the pieces that I knew I could get creative with through layering. Some of the clothing that I used to wear in public, I now only wear at home around my husband or in the bedroom. I kept some of the old, but I made sure to rarely if ever buy new clothes that were alone, without layering, immodest. There is already enough temptation sometimes for me to wear my old clothes as-is without putting something else beneath them.

This list might sound too religious, but I really am not trying to sound that way. As you might notice, I am referring to what I did with my own wardrobe instead of telling you what you should be doing. Everybody has their own standard, especially with modesty. I haven’t even touched on the nitty-gritty details of what style choices I avoid that aren’t in every Proverbs woman’s modesty book. On the other hand, I know for certain that I haven’t even grazed the level of modesty some devout women live by. There is always someone with a higher (or lower) standard of modesty than I, but all of them are doing their best to honor it. I just live by godly principles that I acquired through personal transformation, not by religiosity, which I express through various forms including my clothing.

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This post was originally from à la Modest by Rachel Dahl. You can go directly to her website or Facebook for more posts on modesty.

à la Modest is a blog by Rachel geared towards creativity & high standards in indie & vintage couture. http://alamodest.com