Or an online event…

Either way,

We did a costume!!

(A day or so late? Yes.. But still.. )

While you may not be heading off to a day at the races,

This

“smashing, positively dashing”

Eliza Doolittle costume

Is sure to be a hit at any masquerade!

Ooh!

Don’t you just love hats like this?

So big!

So ornate!

This dress is so elegant!

The mermaid-cut is so chic!

And it really resembles Eliza’s!

Isn’t the bow detail on this necklace “loverly”??

And how cool is the two-tone effect??

“I washed my hands and face before I come, I did.”

Hehe…

Possibly the best quote of the movie..

Elbow gloves are so beautiful and lady like,

are they not?

Just like this parasol!!

Parasols are positively darling!

The lace work on this one is stunning!

Ooh!

They’r so quaint!

These old fashioned boots

are totally vintage-feminine!

And to complete our

“Loverly” masquerade,

A mask, of course!

This mask is soo

mysterious!

And the stick makes it all the more legit!

Links:

Hat: Hats & Veils

Dress: Eternity Gowns

Necklace: ModCloth

Gloves: Target

Parasol: Lace-Parasols

Shoes: Aldo

Mask: Candy Apple Costumes

Below is my response to Ed Gungor’s article, “Does Modesty Really Matter?” on Relevant Magazine:

Ed, I very much agree that we should all examine our own hearts before taking out the plank in someone else’s eye. I am glad that you were honest about what you felt about colored tights and the way they related to the image of pornography. Men are wired to remember stimulating images, and you are no different.

That said, however, I think your article addressed the issue of judging more than the issue of modesty. Does modesty matter? Yes, it does. The passage you quoted and many others that are found in the Bible tell us so (e.g. 1 Tim 2:9-10, 1 Tim 3:1-6, 1 Peter 3:1-6, etc.). Modesty is primarily an issue of the heart that goes beyond clothing, but we must also not draw attention to ourselves in a way that causes men to stumble. It’s easier for a man to lust over a woman who is showing a lot of skin versus a woman who isn’t. The Bible makes it clear that a man who lusts in his mind is already committing adultery (Matt 5:27-28). Why would I want to contribute to that? I cannot totally eradicate the way men think about me, but I can help them not notice my sexual parts as much.

I am a big fan of C.S. Lewis, but when he wrote about cultural norms, he did not have the internet. The introduction of media such as TV and the internet led to globalization. Cultures collided and have become more centralized and Americanized. I grew up in the Pacific Islands, and I can vouch for the way media has significantly changed our cultural norms, including our fashion. The same group of people from the Pacific and everywhere else in the world are looking at American pornography. That said, the majority of people all over the world can come to a consensus as to what is sexually stimulating.

Yes, modesty values are subjective. Yet, what I do know is that regardless of the decade we’re living in or the geographical area we reside in, there are certain areas of a woman’s body that are always stimulating to men, especially when accentuated. America is especially obsessed with women’s breasts, so that is why showing cleavage through low-cut blouses and bikinis is sexually stimulating. Sadly, it seems like America has stripped down its standards to what is modest as being what is legally permitted (covering sexual organs) in public. That to me is the extreme. As to what is borderline for most, such as wearing skinny jeans, tank tops, or brightly colored tights, it seems that there can be debate even among Christians. The obvious is covering up or concealing at best the areas of the body that are predominantly sexually stimulating: the chest, the crotch area, the butt, the hips, the thighs.

I run a modest fashion site at alamodest.com. I do not judge or criticize people on specific borderline details of how they dress, because I know that it is not my right to do so. Only Christ can be the judge over our hearts and the reason behind our clothing lifestyle. What I do write about is based on my own personal experience, aiming to inspire other women with my fashion and help people understand my philosophy based on the Bible and the evidential psychology of the male and female mind.

To be honest, I think that it is honorable for a man to gather up the courage to tell another woman that she is causing him to lust. It is harder for a man to be this vulnerable and honest about his own weakness than for him to just ignore it or enjoy and indulge in the object of his lust. As with insanity, the first step to healing lust is admittance to or repentance from his own weakness. I believe it should be okay for a man to approach a woman with sincerity and admit that his weakness is being captive to the lust caused by the way she dresses. This to me is a cry for help from a brother we must embrace rather than a judgmental fool who needs to be slapped because of his pointing finger. It all depends on the way the man approaches the woman, be it with sincerity and humility or with accusation and a scolding tone. How else would I have started to dress modestly if not for my husband’s (then fiancee’s) telling me when my clothing tempted him and possibly others? I would not have learned this telepathically from anyone else in their silence. The men who used to gawk at me may have just been indulging in what they saw and not having the humility to tell me that what I was wearing, something too low-cut or short, was possibly seductive, as a loving brother would have.

———————–

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.

You might be at a (Formal) party…

And look out the window…

And realize that an outfit that matched

the sunset would be very lovely…

That may or may not be the inspiration for this outfit.

Yes, it’s true.

Princess dresses are the greatest thing

since microwaved popcorn!

AND they are SO much more fun to wear!

=P

Isn’t this necklace dreamy??

It’s so sparkly and wonderful!

And it looks great with the neckline of the dress!

=D

Bangles!!!

These darling little bracelets

are perfect for our sunset look!

AND

they can also be worn with a

cute & casual outfit too!

This purse is an outfit saver!

=D

It matches the dress perfectly!

And the crisscrosses are SOO cute!

Can you say princess in the form of a shoe??

The stones,

The ankle straps,

The amazingly pink color!!!

=D

Links:

Dress: Simple Elegance

Necklace: Jackson Jewels

Bracelets: Fashion Addict

Purse: Endless

Shoes: Lori’s Shoes

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.

———————–

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.

From her site:

You’ll have the next two weeks to prepare a "masquerade" themed post. August 31st will the day of the online masquerade ball/fashion show and you’ll be able to link your post up here at AmandaBeth Online.

Click on the image on the right to get the full details about how to participate!

Don’t have a blog?  If you’d like, feel free to use the forums below as your blog!

You might be at a (casual) party…

And look out the window…

And realize that an outfit that matched the sunset would be very lovely…

That may or may not be the inspiration for this outfit.

“The most beautiful sunsets are the ones we watch with others…”

(And the ones that aren’t just orange, but have all of the different pinks and purples too!)

This sweater is perfect for sitting outside and watching the sunset!

The sweater obviously needs something under it…

=P

This shell does the job in a perfectly modest way!

This skirt is so full, it almost looks like a cloud!

(A VERY adorable, feminine, stylish cloud!!)

=P

SUNGLASSES!!!!

You can either use them while watching the sunset,

or

Wear them on your head like a cute headband!

(AND…Just sayin’…. They’re pink…)

This lovely necklace not only captures the colors of a sunset,

It catches the sunlight in it’s cute little rhinestones!

(And it’s in the shape of a butterfly, which is always a plus! )

While this is probably the most expensive piece of this outfit,

You’ve got to admit,

that is one cute purse!

Don’t you just love these shoes??

Look at the little bow!!

Soooo cute!

=D

Links:

Sweater: Kohl’s

Shell: Dillard’s

Skirt: Arden B

Sunglasses: Forever21

Necklace: Forever21

Purse: Endless

Shoes: DSW

Is this dress faultless?

Why, yes!

Yes, it is!

=D

How dainty is this adorable necklace?!

Hehe..Clever..

It’s got the hearts and the lock..

And..

Yeah..

This purse is great.

=D

It’s a retro post…

You didn’t think we wouldn’t use pumps,

did you??

=P

Links:

Dress: Modcloth

Necklace: Forever21

Purse: ASOS

Shoes: Endless

You Should Wear a T-Shirt As Outerwear

There are obvious reasons why one would wear a t-shirt as outerwear:

• T-Shirts are not as light weight as they once were.
• T-Shirts allow for displaying personality, and often have cute quotes and quips.
• Society promotes and accepts T-shirts as outwear.
• Having only one layer to wear makes one cooler.

I’m sure you could come up with others.

Last week we featured Diviine Modestee and part of their main business is modest and feminine t-shirts.  Shirts with bows and in solid colors are their claim to fame—especially because they are extra long.

You Shouldn’t Wear a T-Shirt As Outerwear

My grandfather could always be found in a white, button-down shirt for almost any job—and he was an appliance repairman.  He proved that you could do almost anything in dress clothes.  There are good reasons not to wear a t-shirt as outerwear:

• They are overly casual—they bring what was just inside the house wear into the public much like the current Pajama’s in Public movement.
• They only provide one layer of protection—they tend to run tighter and shorter (unless you get the shirts from DM or similar modest company above).
• They can easily become translucent:  It’s easy to see why it’s a “spring break” phenomenon to have “wet t-shirt contests” and such that are anything but modest.
• They serve best as under layers.

Our Results

We polled our readers a week ago asking how often they wore t-shirts, and here’s the results we got:

How often do you wear t-shirts?

• 7 days a week! (I live in them!) (36%, 5 Votes)
• Couple of Days (36%, 5 Votes)
• 6 days a week (21%, 3 Votes)
• Most Days (7%, 1 Votes)
• Weekdays (0%, 0 Votes)
• Never (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 14

So, it seems like a majority of our readers wear t-shirts fairly regularly.  What’s your opinion—why do you wear t-shirts, and do you think it’s a positive thing or have we lost something?

Men have this thing that they do when they’re out in public.

They scan.

What I mean is, they will be on the look out, looking all around to see who is there and they’ll generally take inventory of what people look like and what they are wearing.

It’s like this default operational mode that they need to actively realize they are doing in order to stop it.

We scan at WalMart, we scan at the beach, we scan driving along the road.  We’re looking for people we know, we’re crowd watching, and we’re looking at pretty girls.

The thing is, the scanner that we have built in is constantly doing comparisons when it comes to that latter question.  In the mid teens, when our scanner is most wired to check out the female population around us, we are definitely paying greater attention to those that are showing more skin.

I can remember one day at the beach as a teen, I never really liked the water, and I was looking around and saw a woman in an orange bikini.  I don’t remember seeing many bikinis that day, but I remember thinking “I shouldn’t be looking” and tried to look away.  However, I picked up on the “wow, that’s hot” vibe inside even at whatever age I was.

This is how one can justify wearing swimming suits that are still skin tight and yet are one pieces or have cover ups—that usually you’re around people that are dressed in much less and many guy’s scanners will fixate on those that they can see more of.  That is, unless you are in great shape—then it probably doesn’t matter as much.

You see, people that are fit are also going to draw more attention from the scanner than those with a little extra weight, and definitely more than those seriously overweight.

Why do I say all this?  It’s to help you peer into a guy’s mind.  Yes, there are comparisons, and yes, you can choose to be slightly immodest in a crowd where people are going to be even less modest—but the length to which you choose to extend your modesty in certain circumstances (the beach, formal nights out, etc.) needs to be tempered by what others will be wearing, what you feel comfortable with, and whether or not you’ll be modest when all those others are gone.

Because let’s face it, there are situations where you can get away with less modesty—but the interesting question (for me, at least) is: should you?

Which is almost sad because then it will be September..

And then it’s fall!

(Lovely season, but it comes after summer,

which means no more summer clothes..)

One good thing about this month is that

all of the orchards start opening up again!

We’ve put together

Something Cute and Modest

to wear while you’re out at the orchard!

Just sayin…

The calander may say it’s August,

But the thermometer still thinks it’s July!

It is seriously hot out!

Keeping cool is a breeze

(pardon the pun. ;-D )

in this flowy peasant top!

With the coming of fall comes the changing of the colors..

(Of denim, not leaves of course!)

Once you hit August it’s time to start putting up the lighter denim skirts

and pulling out your cute darks!

Much like this skirt here!

Hey, look!

A tree!

I wonder if it had apples on it…

It’s also a locket!

(Which scored it BIG points in our book!)

No, we did not think

“Blue Suede Shoes”

when we saw these.. =P

And these are SOOO much cuter than Elvis!

(Plus, check out how cute they are with the top!!)

One of the best trends out there:

Metal Studs!!

This purse has just the right amount too!

Links:

Top: Kohl’s

Skirt: Coldwater Creek

Necklace: Forver21

Shoes: Delias

Purse:Delias

It was a close race to win July’s skirt, but in the end, Candra pulled it off!

Congratulations, Candra!

You’ll receive an e-mail soon regarding how to claim your new skirt and directions from there.

As for the rest of you, stay tuned!  We’ll have the August 2010 giveaway coming up before you can say “New Creation Apparel!”

There’s a two-way race to win the July skirt from New Creation Apparel!  Right now Candra’s in the lead, with ~AnneGirl~ close behind, but it’s anyone’s game, because it’s all up to who has more comments at the end of July 31—today!

For more information on the giveaway see

July New Creation Apparel Giveaway

And may the best woman win!

Oh, no!

There are only a few weeks left of summer!!

Better enjoy it while we can, right?

And what better way to enjoy the last of this hot weather than

a nice, cold glass of lemonade?

(Or you could just wear a lemonade inspired outfit.. ;-D )

Now, how adorable is this top??

Don’t you love the little ties on the sleeves?

(Disclaimer: Button fronts generally need to be bought a size bigger so they don’t gap)

“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day…”

Seriously, isn’t sunshine the first thing you think when you see this skirt?

Sunglasses!

Check out that insanely cheery color!

Perfect match to the skirt and contrast to the top!

Aww!

How cute is this pendent?!

Dragonflies are so summer-y!

Much like this adorable purse!

Isn’t the color great?

And you’ve got to love a side pocket!!

We only have a few more weeks of white shoes..

=’(

So we absolutely had to use some in this outfit!

Links:

Shirt: Macy’s

Skirt: Old Navy

Sunglasses: Forever21

Necklace: Dillard’s

Purse: Lord&Taylor

Shoes: Endless

Enjoy your summer!!

What’s the deal?

I understand that we brag about being able to “go to work in our underwear” but do people actually take that seriously?!

The idea of pajamas is for something to wear that’s modest to bed.  I mean, certainly they were a whole lot more practical before modern heating—our infant still wears pajamas to bed in the summer time to keep warm.

But other than for “bumming” around the house while not in clothing to go outside and the more risqué pajamas, what is their purpose, and should these clothes ever see the light of day outside of a house?

Your thoughts?

What’s that?  You think that we forgot the July giveaway!?

Have no fear gentle reader, we did not.  But to win this giveaway you’re going to have to really work at it.

This week we’re going to comment counts.  That’s right, to win, you’ll have to be the lady with the most comments before the end of the month.

The Rules

How does this work?  Simple.

For every comment that you leave that’s at least 3 sentences long, you get a point.  You may post comments on any post made this month, but you must have one comment from someone else between your comment.

Comments written prior to this posting do not count.

And the comments must be posted on this blog.

To reiterate:

• Comments posted on this blog.
• Comment must have at least one comment from another author in between your comment.
• Comments must be 3 sentences in length.
• Comments must be on a post written this month.
• The one who has the most comments before the end of this month wins.

Let the games begin!

Undergarments are just what the word implies—garments that go under the clothing that you wear on the outside.

So, when a piece of undergarment is visible, it’s almost the same as seeing skin you’re not supposed to see—it’s distracting at best.

This goes for guys that wear their pants so low as to show you the pattern of their underwear or girls that wear “peek-a-boo” underwear, show bra straps, or have see-through material.

Now, this kind of thing is not a problem for the married couple—being playful or flirty with your significant other is not a problem, it should actually be encouraged!  The problem comes into play when others can tell what you’re wearing underneath your clothing.

This is also where the tightness of the article of clothing that you’re wearing on the outside comes in.  You may be wearing conservative underthings, but if you’re wearing too tight outer things, everyone will know.

This is why skirts and dresses are so practical, in that many underthings will not become visible.   Wearing dresses is much more modest.

My point is this—I shouldn’t care what kind of underthings you are wearing—so long as I don’t know what they are, i.e. they aren’t intentionally attracting my attention.

You know what I mean?

It’s been almost a year since we have last seen a Quick Review—and with good cause.  Having done them for quite a while, it was getting to the point where people, for lack of much else to say, were starting to talk about what the person was thinking and doing rather than focusing on what they were wearing.

Included in this was the fact that it was hard to balance modest and immodest clothing—we wanted to illustrate borderline clothing and things that were immodest, but there was much concern over what we were subjecting readers (and reviewers!).  Modesty is a touchy issue—explosive to some degree—and there will always be differences of opinion.

That being the case, I’d like to announce the return of the Quick Reviews—with a new mission.  That being, we will be reviewing models wearing items of clothing from Modest Retailers.  This will help us to avoid the “what is she thinking” because they will be models, but we will be able to discuss what makes these things modest (or immodest, should we find a retailer that is immodest under the label of modest) and see some of what great modest options are out there.

Hopefully this will be fun and generate some good conversation.  I hope you let me know how you like this new focus.

One of the things that strikes you when you first check out Diviine Modestee (besides how hard it is to spell their name correctly!) is that their website is really easy to navigate and visually attractive.

And that’s just the beginning of what they have to offer!

This company has divided up their line into multiple different lines of clothing depending on what you’re looking for.  The lines are Sweet Innocence Dresses, Divinita Sole Swim, UnderTee Collection, Chantilly Lace Collection, Diviine Tee Collection, and the Little Sweetheart Collection.

Sweet Innocence Dresses

View Full Album

The dresses are all very attractive looking, with the common features being a high neckline and a hem line that hits just covers the knee.  They are fun colors and fabric with different patterns that make the modest.  Most are accented with a belt.

This week we’ll be featuring quick reviews of the dresses featured above so you can check out what we think of their line of dresses.

Divinita Sole Swim

Modest swimwear is definitely a a touchy area.  Some believe that you should not be wearing swimwear in public on a beach, and some believe that it’s possible to wear “more modest than others” swimwear and be ok.

This shop is more toward the latter, offering modest swimwear that covers.  They have a new system where you are able to put together a suit interactively so that you can customize what you get before you place your order.

You also can configure it in three pieces—a top, a bottom, and a skirt to cover—all in different styles to fit your personal style.

In this case, it goes a little further than most of the department stores in that it provides extra coverage.

UnderTee Collection and Chantilly Lace

View Full Album

One of the biggest ways to make an outfit modest is by using layering.  If you put a shirt with better coverage as an under layer, you can make the outer layer more modest.  DM makes it easy to buy good under layer tees of different styles and lengths.

Diviine Tee Collection

View Full Album

Lastly, DM has a wide range of t-shirts that you can wear that are a step above the “garden variety” and are feminine in nature.  They all provide great coverage and are sure to make you look good!

So, check out Diviine Modestee if you’re looking for modest t-shirt, dresses or swimwear.  They have a great website, good clothing options, and they’ll definitely make you feel like a lady while being modest!

We saw somewhere that

Christa-Taylor

was having a sale in her June Wrap dresses!

So we checked it out and found this awesome dress!

=D

How cute is this necklace???

The frog is too adorable!

And the colours look so great with the dress!

Ok, yes,

the price on this necklace is a little steep for some.

But it was so cute, we couldn’t help but post it!

This is a great purse!

Half wristlet,

Half clutch,

all cute!

Don’t you just love these shoes?!

=D

The flower and the little jewel in the middle are totally precious!

Links:

Dress: Christa Taylor

Necklace: Betsy Johnson

Bracelet: Brooks Brothers

Shoes: Macy’s

Shoes: Endless

For those of you who still wish to get the eBook, I have a coupon code! Just enter freshfriends20 into the coupon box at checkout to receive $3 off your order! Thank you Is This Modest for hosting this giveaway!