How Do I Make These Modest??

Admit it. Sometimes my blog and Facebook page can be quite frustrating.  Don't think I don't know it. People ask me all the time, "Why do you post beautiful clothing without knowing where it's from?" or "Why do you post such expensive pieces? Where can I get similar looks for less?" And I always answer that I post only for style inspiration. I post so you can go to the store and put looks together using your own creativity. Maybe you'll try something you wouldn't normally think of because of something I posted. Or maybe you'll just know what's in style this season so you have a mental road map before you go shopping. Or maybe you'll decide to dress a bit more modestly because you know you can, and still look fabulous.

But ultimately, we'd love to take those gorgeous street style and runway looks that aren't all that modest and figure out how to wear them modestly and stay consistent with our personal standards. And believe me, living amongst so many chic and fabulous orthodox women has shown me many creative ways of pulling off that 'divine and refined' look we all try to achieve every morning. At the simplest level there are shells and pencil skirts to slip underneath just about anything. But come on, we know that's not the most attractive look. To take fashion to the next level you have to become your own designer. You need to be confidant and creative.

So in this post I decided to show a few of the NON-MODEST looks I fell in love with recently, and how I would make them modest, without losing the uniqueness of the designs. But keep in mind, my opinions are exactly that: opinions. And that's the beauty of being able to take a gorgeous piece of clothing and customizing it to your needs. There are no wrong choices. If you dream it, then do it. Get yourself a great tailor and the sky will be your limit in what you can wear (with a few exceptions...see my personal dilemma *below).

Look # 1 - The Oscars

 Aah, the Oscars. Like any other fashion loving American I drool over the fabulous gowns that go down the red carpet; but as a modest fashion blogger, it's a totally different story.  I actually cringe at the minimal amount of (usually ugly) modest choices that show up in dribs and (literally) drabs. But a gown like this one worn by Zoe Saldana, is so beautiful. Let's figure out how to make it modest, without losing its fabulousness.

Let's face it, aesthetically, to the average human eye, very little can beat shoulders topping a gown.  Yet when covered, the focus moves up to a gorgeous face, sparkling eyes and the essence of a woman. The dress should be a reflection of that inner beauty. For this dress I would add fabric to create a simple neckline and 3/4 sleeves and, because the floral embellishment around the bust is so fabulous, I'd move it to the shoulder area and have them drip elegantly down the upper arms of the dress. Can you visualize that? (In my opinion, the bow belt and the flowers are too close to each other anyway.)

Look # 2 - The Runway

Although there are plenty of modest runway looks, I always feel a little cheated when I can't include in my posts many of the beautiful designs that can be simply modified to fit our needs. They should not be left out! This dress is an updated version of a color blocked classic and something most of us would wear. Of course you could always just add a shell underneath, but that's just a really uninspired way of losing the integrity of the style.  Let's look at this dress from an artistic perspective and get creative. I would build up the neckline with the white fabric and add 3 taupe bands that mirror the belt to the added "V" inset. Doing that would prevent an 'added-on' look, while the bands keep with the integrity of the graphic style of the dress. I would add simple sleeves, but I would end them with elegant points that would mirror the triangular shape of the shoulder. What do you think of that?

Look # 3 - At a Premiere

Okay I love this Gucci dress. It's insane and a bit strange, but that just makes me love it more. The length is easy to fix. I would just extend the bottom. But what would you do with that bold mesh top?? Well, I would stick with the futuristic vibe of this dress and simply line it with a metallic silver. And then I would add over sized silver cuff bracelets on each arm. Fabulous, don't you think? What would you do?

* Look #4 - The Dilemma

 And here's where I always run into my biggest modest fashion dilemma. The full mini skirt presents a problem I have not been able to solve yet, and maybe you have a solution that can help me. There are so many times I find a skirt that I absolutely love and there's just no way to make it longer. With a pencil skirt it's not really a problem because you can always add something (fabric, trim, lace...etc.) and create a whole new look. But what do I do with a full or pleated skirt? Zippers and hips wider than waist create issues with adding a panel at the top.  So if you have any creative ideas about this dilemma please leave a comment below and let me know!

I hope you liked this post. If you have any pictures you'd like me to "modest-ize" for you send them to me at @ ask.fashionisha@gmail.com and we can do this again!

Wishing you all wonderful week!

xo

Sharon

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