This dress is elegant.  It’s a Sapphire color, which the guy you’re with will say “It’s blue.”  The skirt is a regal color, and the detail is beautiful.

The length is lovely, the ruffles are attractive, but it’s the detailing that catches the eye.  The material is shiny, but that’s not as big of a deal with a darker color.

The neckline is decent, with only minor maintenance issues, and the shoulders are covered.

What do you think of this dress?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: formal, gown, prom

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As the temperatures start to warm up, more minds will be drawn to the summer.  People everywhere will start to think of relaxing on beaches and wondering if last year’s suit will still fit.

We want to help you find the modest swimwear that’s right for you—whether that’s a conservative one piece or something that covers you head to toe!

As always, swimwear and modesty is one of the more explosive subjects, and that’s understandable.  Our culture wants women to believe that wearing underwear in public is acceptable.  And yet there is something to be said for making sure that you can get around in your outfit.

To that end, we’ll be showing different suits that are across the spectrum of what many consider modest.  We’re sorry in advance if your personal convictions do not favor what we select—our effort is not to attempt to display immodesty, but to help you find the right suit for you with regards to modesty.

We’ll also be featuring wedding gowns and formals, as we know it’s also that time of year!  Oh yeah, and a formal or two will be thrown in for good measure, because some of us wait until the last minute, right?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beach, prom, spring

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This is definitely an interesting dress.  It is made of that shiny satin material, and it is accented by black outlines and bow.

The length is fine, the bow is a tad bit high, drawing attention to the bust.

Attention is drawn to the skirt portion of the dress—I’m guessing you never have to worry about ironing this part!

The neckline is nice and high and the shoulders are covered.

Your thoughts?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: formal, gown, prom

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This interesting dress has a number of nice features. 

• The bow is well placed and feminine.
• The neckline is high.
• The shoulders are covered.
• The length is just above the knee—which is about as high as I would recommend, because above that height you get into maintenance issues.

The color is nice, though it is shiny, satin is a big feature in modest formals.

What do you think?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: duchess, formal, petal, prom, satin

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Here are three visually interesting dresses.  They all feature a strong black color with a satin flyaway that reveals l’amour satin.

They all have an empire waist.

What I like about these dresses is that they have a very feminine look to them.  The flyaway portion with color provides a unique contrast.  The neckline is nice and high. The shoulders are covered and the dress is floor length.

There’s not much here to draw attention to form, and yet these are visually interesting dresses.

What do you think?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bow, dress, flyaway, formal, prom, ribbon, satin

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Here’s a pretty dress.  It comes in Baby Blue or Ice Pink and it looks great.  The waist has a band, and I like the position of the waist.

There’s embroidery near the hemline, and that draws my attention there and looks very feminine. 

The bust seems a bit stiff in material—so it won’t cling to your top.  The neckline is high, and the shoulders are covered.

The material seems shiny, but not to the point that it’s flashy.

Actually, I think the dress could work going to church or other outings than just the prom or a wedding.

What do you think?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: embroidery, formal, pink, prom, tea length

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These two dresses make me feel like I’m part of the magazine Highlights, asking what is different?

Both dresses are Dreamsicle in color.  Both of them have great lengths, high neckline and cover the shoulders.

Can you help me out and point out the difference between these modest formals, because I’m not sure I can!

How many differences can you find?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: a-line, bridesmaid, formal, prom

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There’s much to like about this formal gown.  The shoulders are completely covered, the neckline is nice and high, and though them hem is a little different, the front is even over the knee.

Again, the eye is drawn to the skirt portion, and that part is nice and feminine.  The torso could be considered a little tight, so take care to make sure that it’s a good fit.

It also looks like it’s made of satin type material, so our advice about shiny material applies.

What do you think?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bridesmaid, formal, gown, prom

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If you thought this dress was black, then you’re forgiven—I did too!  Instead, it’s a dark chocolate, with copper beading running down it.

This dress has everything that works for a modest formal.  The length—does this girl actually have legs?  The shoulders are covered and the neckline is high.

The dress fits loose enough, and it’s not of too shiny material.

This is a classic dress and as far as I can see there’s no problem.

Your thoughts?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: black, formal, prom, regal

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I think this is one of the prettiest dresses that we’ve reviewed from Jen Clothing.

I like the color, the style, and the under-layer is very feminine sporting a dot and flower print.

The neckline and shoulders are fine, and the length isn’t so that you’d walk on it.

I think pink and blue are great colors for women, and this dress looks great on the model.

The only thing to watch out for is the shiny satin material.  If it’s too tight or gathers too much, you could have a minor problem.

Other than that, this is a great option!

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: formal, modest, prom, sweet

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This dress is pretty cute!  It’s shorter, just covering the knee—but probably low maintenance.  It’s satin, which makes it shine, and the bow is cute and feminine.

The shoulders are covered, and though the white part of the top does draw a V, it’s like wearing a coat, since the under layer is good height.

I’m not sure how formal it looks, perhaps semi-formal?

What do you think?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: couture, dress, formal, modest, prom

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What’s interesting about this dress is that there are two colors that are blended into one.  Depending on which angle you view this dress, the color is different—which I think is kinda cool!

There’s a lot to like about this dress, and one catch:  It’s shimmery, which can cause problems for certain body types or if the dress is tight.

Other than that, the length is fantastic.  The neckline is fine and the shoulders are covered.

Best of all, purple is a really neat color.

What do you think?

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: formal, iridescent, prom

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No woman that I know of wants to look frumpy.  Just search for the term on the Internet and you’ll see what I mean.

But as I was gathering dresses to review for Quick Reviews, I was struck by this from Jen Clothing:

When guys look at girls who wear a typical prom dress, they may see an easy woman, and if their interest is not in sex, there may be little else to keep them interested. After all, why spend time getting to know a girl who has few physical secrets from the world. Instead, create a look that is hot and beautiful but that keeps a little back, and you will have the guys falling all over themselves to get your attention.

Is exposure really all that sexy? It’s up to you to make the choice in how you dress and what message you send when you attend prom this year. It is possible to look fantastic without exposing yourself, and modest prom dresses offer you wonderful prom options. The full length gown, long opera gloves, and a beautiful up-do are just what every little girl dreams of looking like when she’s young, and the princess look is just as hot today.

I think I understand what she’s trying to say—that you can control how much you show, and that you don’t have to show everything to be glamorous.  But does the word “hot” fit?  Isn’t “hot” something the author is trying to tell her future customers they don’t have to be?

Perhaps we need to define a set of words that carry the meaning she’s trying to get without implying a whole different meaning.

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: prom

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It’s prom time, and if you haven’t already purchased your dress, we here at Is This Modest would like to look at a few dresses being offered by modest retailers both so that you could see what’s out there as well as run some quick reviews on the topic of modest formals.

This first dress is of a “dangerous” color.  Dangerous because it’s red, and we’ve had some good discussion before about whether red is an appropriate color.

A formal is a little different than an every day dress, and this “fire-engine red” dress with “faux diamonds under the bust” is very formal without showing too much skin.

That being the case, the neckline does seem a little low, so there’s a maintenance issue there.  The gathering of the material seems to indicate the dress isn’t too type, but this dress would probably not look good on all body types—sizes are 1-12.

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: carpet, dress, prom, red

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Here are some ideas:
*Take a trip to an amusement park – Scream on all the roller coasters together!
*Stay overnight at a Bed & Breakfast – chat, reminisce, and laugh together!
*Have a Bonfire – roast marshmallows, talk about some of your best memories of the year!
*Go to a spa – relax and get pampered together!
*Have a girls night on the town – go to your favorite restaurant and catch a movie.
*Go to a concert together.
*Plan and do a mega scavenger hunt!
*Have a makeover night – have all your girlfriends bring their makeup and give one another a makeover and take before and after pictures.

Whatever you do have fun! You can create a very special memory by just getting together the friends that mean the most to you. There needn’t be much money involved. Just value your time together and take lots of pictures!

© MommaJo for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: prom

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Is This Modest?

Erin: This is one of the cutest prom dresses I’ve ever seen! I love the gathering around the waist and the full skirt, but it still modest!

MInTheGap: Definitely a modest formal, though I typically prefer a longer length.  This one sits right at the knees, which works for this model, but may not for others.

Your Turn…

[ratings]

© Erin L. for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: clothing, prom, skirt

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Is This Modest?

MInTheGap: Though this is one of those cases where the dress is not to the floor, it is a decent length and I can’t see the knee.  That means, to me, that it’s not going to be as high maintenance.  The front is a square cut—though not my favorite, it is high and covers. 

Great dress.

Foy: This is being really picky, I know, but I’d like to see the shoulders just a half inch higher. I also don’t care for the “waist band” effect, as it accentuates her curves. Overall – a 4/5 on the modest scale.

Your Turn…

[ratings]

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blue, formal, heels, prom, square cut

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Originally uploaded by Joseph Ong

When I was a young guy and my mother talked about girls that were out to get a guys attention– with other than pure motives in their head– she talked about tube tops. When a friend of mine had her senior photos taken in an off the shoulder strapless number she just shook her head.

What is it about strapless gowns that makes men like them and women want to wear them– because, let’s be honest, the two go hand in hand.

Suspension of Disbelief

Part of it is the sheer engineering feat– the fact that someone is wearing a dress that is supported just by the fact that it’s tight and a woman’s chest. If it weren’t for either of these two things, the dress would fall– and I know there are guys that would think this is great instead of how embarrassing it would be for the girl.

The strapless gown is drawing attention to the fact that the girl is now a woman, and that she can now wear a dress where it would have made no sense before.

Lots of skin

A strapless dress shows a bunch of skin. Whether it’s the chest, the back or the arms, you get to see a lot of skin that would be broken up with straps.

There was this one formal play that I went to at Bob Jones University where I caught a glimpse of someone in a strapless dress many rows in front of me. In the crowd of men and women my eyes kept being drawn back to her, because, as she was sitting in her seat, nothing but skin could be seen. It was hard to concentrate– to both know that she was wearing a fancy white gown, but to only be able to see skin. My mind wandered and played tricks on me.

Shoulders

Shoulders– to me– are part of a woman’s curves. They’re softer than a man’s and they round out her shape. They don’t give me as big of a problem as seeing other curves, or the outline of the body, but they do contribute.

They Have an Effect

So, I believe that women wear strapless dresses for some of these reasons– they want to show they can, they have an elegant, feminine look to them, and they have an effect on the guys that see them.

They also are not unappealing– I find that the photo in this post isn’t one I recoil at and say “this is just a terrible looking dress” but it’s also physically appealing. I don’t feel this woman looks trashy in a strapless dress, but I do say that there were other, much better, choices.

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bob Jones University, feminine, pink, prom, strapless, strapless dress

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Is This Modest?

MInTheGap: The color works good for her, and the dress covers everything it should.  There’s a high neckline, great length, and it looks fashionable.  My only quibble could be how tight it could be on top, but this is a great example of a modest formal.

Foy: It covers everything! Amazing! But I have to agree with M, it’s a bit tight on the top, and a little bit too tight in the midsection. Other than that: modest!

Your Turn…

[ratings]

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: dress, formal, pink, prom, totally modest

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Before the prom… the insane photo session begins!

Originally uploaded by Leia87

Is This Modest?

MInTheGap: This would be a great dress, if the front came up higher. Right now, this dress exposes a lot of skin. Even wearing a jacket of some kind would help a lot, but it wouldn’t bring it up high enough.

Like I said, a really pretty dress, but a bit too low for me.

Foy: Hate to be repetitive, but same here.

Your Turn…

[ratings]

© MInTheGap for Is This Modest?, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: dress, low, princess, prom, straps

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