With spring right around the corner, I find myself wishing for a few non-formal/non-winter dresses. I have plenty of nice clothes for summer, so I don’t need to  run out and buy anything (besides, I love the thrill of thrift-store shopping anyway!). I am in the process of trying to find a dress to have on hand for business lunches and semi-formal dinners. Because of my husband’s job, I need to have a dress or two like that  around…Rushing out to buy something at the last minute is rarely good for the budget! :-)  In the process of looking around, there are a few dresses that have caught my eye.

One is the red Audrey dress from DiviineModestee. I love the fact that it has a high neckline, and is below the knee. Red and dark purple aren’t my favorite colors (nor are they very “springy”), but the dress itself is very feminine and modest at the same time.

The others are from MikaRose. These dresses are long enough to still cover the knees when sitting, and they have such feminine detailing. I especially love the button-front shirt dress…It can be dressed up or down and look very classic.   The black dress with the cowl-neck would be nice to have for concerts, nice dinners, and yet would even work nice for a trip to the park.

I think they all have their lovely qualities, and if they were in your price range ($45-70), they would work as beautiful staples for your modest wardrobe!

© Erin L. for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: erin, wishlist

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  I was in a wedding recently, where all the bridesmaids were sent their dresses.  I loved my dress! It was a beautiful light blue, mid-calf length skirt, with a big bow that tied in back. It was definitely a dress I could wear again, for formal dinners and fancy occasions. The only problem was…it had a low neckline.  I tried it on and held back a bit of a gasp when I saw where exactly that “neckline” fell (it was no where near my neck….). However,  attached to the dress’ tag, was this nice little piece of fabric with a hemmed edge. I realized that it was a “modesty panel” which is a nice little piece of fabric that matches the dress, and you sew it in the neckline to “raise” it up a little bit.

  I probably could have gotten away with not using it. No one really would have been surprised, and since none of the other bridesmaids wore theirs I would have blended right in.

  As it was, I stood out rather like a sore thumb. However, there were several reasons I wore it.  First, I have a husband who is rather protective of me (in a very good way) and he doesn’t like me to wear revealing clothes in public.  Second, I knew several of the young men at the wedding and I didn’t want them to have any problems looking at me as anything more than their friend.  Third, I wanted to show that Christian girls can be different. I made a choice that I was going to be different and not show off what fell on the boarder of “private”.

  The other bridesmaids chose not to wear their modesty panels, and that is their choice! I’m good friends with a few of them, and know that they didn’t make the choice out of a deep desire to be scandalous or risque. This was something that God convicted me on, not them.  We are all built differently, and what is revealing on one person may not actually “show anything” on someone else.   Which leads me to a question for you all (that we’ve discussed before, but haven’t really come to any conclusions on):  Can something be immodest for one person, and not for another?

© Erin L. for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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There are quite a few companies that sell clothing that is especially geared towards modest clothing, some of which we have reviewed on Is This Modest? (DownEast Basics, The Skirt Site, etc.). These are great companies to have access to, and to support with our money.

However, there can be reasons for not always or often shopping at modest clothing stores. Tight finances is probably one of the top reasons…modest clothing companies tend to be higher priced, since they are often small businesses. But even women who are called to dress modestly want some selection in their clothing! So that is where this article comes in. I am going to be pinpointing some of the more obvious modesty issues with modern clothing, and some ways that we can adapt it to work for us ladies who care what we display for the world!

Low-cut tops:

*Wear a high-necked camisole or tank-top

*Try one of the many “neckline fillers” that are on the market today

*Wear a sweater over the top and keep it buttoned all the way up

*Use it as a jacket/top over a dress

Short skirts:

*Wear it for your husband around the house (if you’re married, of course)

*Use it for a quilt

*If it’s not too short, you could wear it with pants or leggings if you like this look

*Add a ruffle or strip of hemmed fabric to the bottom of the skirt

*Add a knit waistband to the top of the skirt

Tight pants:

*If they are just tight through the upper leg, wear a dress or longer shirt over the top.

Sleeveless shirts:

*If you feel that your shirt needs a bit more in the “sleeve area”, there are undershirts you can find that are snug with sleeves, for layering purposes

*Wear a sweater or jacket over the top

*Layer with yonder above “low-cup top”

Long slits in skirts:

*Sew it up part way (or all the way, if you still have room to walk)

*Add an insert (using matching or coordinating fabric) in the slit, so there is fabric in it but you still have the room to walk.

*Shorten the skirt (but keep it modest…) Then you shouldn’t need the kick-pleat anyway

Short shirts

*Use a long tank or camisole

*Get or make a “half undershirt” (this pattern is for maternity, but it is the same principle)

*Wear it over a dress (I have a few of these shirts and I wear them over this nice knit black dress from a thrift store, and it looks so nice!)

Tight tops:

*Wear it just for your husband at home (see note above…lol)

*Wear a sweater over the top

*Give it to someone smaller than you

Gaping Button-Front Shirts/Necklines:

*But a bigger size and have it tailored to fit you without gaping

*Wear a camisole or a half-camisole

*Sew small snaps on the shirt placket in between the buttons, so that the gaps are closed.

Do you have tips and hints for “modest-fying” your clothes? I’d love to hear how you do it…

© Erin L. for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: article, diy, erin, modesty-fying, money

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