The Resort Shirt from SplashGear is much like the Island shirt, but it is a little longer and has an elastic band to keep it in place in the water:

Splashgear customers have requested a looser fitting, longer length swim shirt and the Resort shirt is a result of that request.  Because of the looser nature of this shirt, the lower part of the shirt will float in the water.  That is why the waist MUST be tightened before entering the water to prevent the shirt from floating too high and exposing the torso.  Please ensure that you are wearing a one-piece bathing suit or tankini underneath the Resort shirt and that the waist is tightened before entering the water.

Much like the other shirt, SplashGear offers full coverage in their swimwear.

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

The Swim cap offered by Swim Modest allows you to keep your hair dry when you go for a dip.  It also provides head coverage if you believe that you should have your hair covered.  It is made of nylon/spandex and is available in a variety of colors.

These swimpants go perfectly with the swim shirt that we featured yesterday.  They are a one piece bottom that have both legs as well as an attractive feminine front panel.

They provide a lot of room and are meant to be worn over top of a traditional swim suit.

How well do you think that you could swim in pants?

I’m sure that it’d be difficult to do it with jeans, but with the right material I don’t see how it could be bad.

What are your thoughts?

Is This Modest just passed 3,000 comments, and we had a stealth giveaway.  I saw at the beginning of August that we were close to 3,000 and figured that I’d giveaway the next skirt to the person that left the 3,000th comment.  Other than Sigrid at New Creation Apparel and myself, no one knew.

And today we got that comment!  In the middle of a spirited conversation on Modesty and why it matters, alamodest left this comment– #3000.  And that means she won!

Stay tuned for September, when we have NCA Review week and we’ll be giving away the September skirt!

If full coverage is what you’re looking for in a swimsuit, you can’t go wrong with the Island Shirt from SplashGear.  This shirt covers everything, from the neck to the waist, including the arms.

I like this shirt of the two options because of the two-tone colored panels.  It looks pretty stylish!

From the site:

This shirt is to be worn over your own one-piece bathing suit or tankini.  This shirt may also be worn over more tight-fitting outfits, such as a wetsuit or a lycra skin suit (may need to purchase larger size).

What do you think?

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.

This dress has a hidden, added benefit—it’s designed to help trim your tummy and other areas to help your shape—of course I’m not sure how well that works on this model.

The nice part of this dress is that it’s a decent length (just covering the knee on this model), it has cap sleeves and it comes in three different colors/styles.

The top isn’t a V-Neck (surprise!), but it could be a little lower than you might be comfortable depending on your body, so play accordingly.

Otherwise, this is a pretty dress that doesn’t scream “sexy” as much as it says “pretty” and so would be a good choice if you’re looking for something in the $40 range on sale.

This is a really good looking party dress, which only really needs one thing to make it modest—some kind of layering for the top.

The color red is attractive, and can cause attention, so you may want to opt for the black alternative, though this shade of red is better than “Candy Apple Red”.  The dress hits the knee, and that’s fine.

There is a back vent, so you’re going to see how high that vent goes and prepare accordingly.

Other than that, this dress is $20 off at Chadwicks, so if it’s interesting to you, it might be a good time to buy!

The Knot Front Knit Dress is in the Women’s Career Dress section of Chadwicks, and I really like the “Colbalt” color.

The straps are nice and wide, though the dress bares the shoulders, which may be a problem for some.

The length is good, covering the knee on this model which might mean it’s a bit longer on other’s sizes (25 1/4” from natural waist).

The fact that the material gathers makes it so that it doesn’t look tight and looks free flowing.

The biggest issue, for me, is the neck line, which would be quite revealing bent over, or from above, but that could be cured with a cami or other layering.

First,  the sleeves are very feminine at the top (flutter sleeve) while being short, they are airy.

Second, the length of this dress cannot be beat.  It’s down to the lower calf and that’s great as far as modesty goes.

The V-Neck could be a problem, depending on how far down the V goes, and the fact that some do not like the V at all.

However, both of these problems could be remedied by a cami or other layering device underneath—unless you’re simply wearing it around the home.

This dress is currently on sale for $19.99!

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 Goddess Drape Dress has 3/4 sleeves, covers the knees and has a high neckline.  Wow, I covered that review in one sentence…  now what do I do?

This dress is machine washable, and has a hidden side zipper.  It comes in two colors at the time of this writing.

On this model, the color is good, and it appears as all one piece.  It hangs off her shoulders, and looks like there’s extra fabric on the one side.

The only thing that could be longer is skirt portion—just covering the knee means a little extra effort when in motion, but this would even pass at Bob Jones University because it covers the knee.

What are your thoughts?

However, the Faux didn’t stop this dress from having a very low neckline.  True, in this photo you do not see anything, but unless this was tight enough to be immodest, any bending would show everything, and many consider this deep of a v-neck to be immodest.

The length, however, is terrific, and I have no problems with the waistline.  The pose seems a bit interesting?

I would think that if you wanted to be modest wearing this dress you would need some kind of upper layer or insert to fix the V, and then you’d be good to go.

The Sleeveless Sheath pictured right is a good example of a what could be considered a “little black dress” except that this one would also be pretty modest.

Other than the fact that this is sleeveless, so the shoulders are shown, the holes for the arms are high, the neckline is high, and the dress comes down to the knees.

And that would be my only problem—the length is a little short on this model, so that means extra care would need to be taken when sitting and getting up.  Other than that, I’m having a hard time finding any problem with this dress.

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.

This swim top on the right, listed for $33.99 during the sale, is an example of what they have available.

From the site:

[A]vailable in a floral hibiscus print or abstract black and white stripe, this v-neck tankini top combines modest coverage with flattering detail. adjustable side shirring with ties allows top to be worn higher or lower on hip. empire seam below bust for extra support. adjustable double straps. straight across back. built-in shelf bra. removable soft cup insert. fade resistant.

It is hand wash and lay flat to dry, if that makes a difference to you!

It comes in white or purple or white, however the smaller sizes, at the time of this writing, are no longer available.

This top has some great coverage, with a high neckline and a good length.  It’s cute and feminine and gathers with some elastic (it appears) at the waist.

This is a great pick up, as originally it was $32.50 and, as of the time of this writing, is currently only $8.99.

To me, and this is just a personal opinion, it doesn’t look to me like this thing fits the model correctly.  It’s probably just the fact that I don’t know as much about fashion as I could.

The 3/4 sleeves give the illusion to me of the sleeves not being long enough.  The fact that it comes down so high on the waist makes it look too short.  The layering is great, but I’m not sure about this piece.

So, tell me that I don’t know fashion or give me your opinion—what do you think?

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!