Modest Fashion And How To Wear It
Yes, modest fashion refers and appeals to women regarding cultural and/or religious aspects, but it also appeals to women who prefer this rather demure aesthetic as a personal preference regarding their everyday style.
Not everyone wants to flaunt what their mama gave them, and not everyone is into over-the-top sexy à la the Kardashian clan. While we're all for "if you got it flaunt it" we also understand what's on the other side of the spectrum.
Going into 2020 we're seeing more refined and elegant styles emerging, not that streetwear is over (thank goodness because we love our streetwear outfits), but we're definitely seeing glimmers of elegance creeping back into the industry, and modest fashion has a part in that.
We're taking our best stabs at how to wear modest fashion + what the best modest fashion outfits look like— so that you can leave feeling satisfied with a takeaway that you can actually implement into your wardrobe.
So. . . taking everything political out of the equation, some women just like to dress more conservatively, and that's something we can get down with.
We Just Fell in Love with the Poncho . . . Again
Not going to lie, we kind of forgot about the poncho some years ago, so while researching modest fashion, we fell in love with this cape style all over again.
We've actually seen some modest fashion instagrammers bring a heavy streetwear vibe into their modest fashion looks, so how fitting is this patterned Preen By Thornton Bregazzi poncho? (rhetorical, it's pretty amazing)
This look is streetwear on its best day. We'd pair this hooded poncho with longer black leggings, a pair of ugly dad sneakers, and top it off with a pair of sleek sunglasses.
When not in the streetwear mood, we love a casual poncho worn over skinny jeans (or wide leg rigid cotton denim) paired with a sneaker. See by Chloé's classic striped poncho is exactly the poncho that we see ourselves in with the denim and sneaker look.
We couldn't resist this Calvin Klein plaid printed poncho (especially for the price). We'd style this with black faux leather leggings and black flat boots.
The Regally Draped High Neck Blouse
Modest fashion bloggers and wearers make it a point to cover their décolletage area, and, yes, we think high necks can be sexy, too.
This soft-pink Tibi shirt is something that we'd buy regardless, so it's nice that it fits into the modest dressing theme. If you want to be even more modest and cover your arms, we suggest wearing a thin sheer turtleneck underneath. Small details like this make your outfit sexy to you, even though you're not showing the world your goodies.
Topshop's draped blouse (seen below) is sophisticated elegance at its finest. If Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was a modest dresser, we bet she would be seen in this. Button it up to the top for more modesty— we just realized this is quickly going to become our new favorite blouse, one that we can wear to work and also afterwards for drinks with the girls.
The Perfectly Draped Dress
High neck draping isn't only seen on this season's hottest blouses— it's also featured on many current dresses. You can browse them all on Shop It To Me, the latest new shopping app that combines items from your favorite stores all onto one screen, based on price, type, size, and/or whatever else you tell it to. It's free to sign up and free to use, and that's how we found every single item in this article. It also helps you find the best sales and save money, so we suggest you download it like right now.
The below draped satin wrap dress by brand Low Classic is one of our best finds. It's stylish, versatile, and at a great price point.
But wait, there's more .......
The Fun Fashion-Forward Modest Dress
All of these modest dress styles have us seriously wanting to dress more conservatively. Conservative is sexy, demure, serious, fun, and anything else you want it to be! What makes fashion fun is the unique way how you make it your own, and this floral print patchwork midi dress by Joseph can be worn many different ways. (ie: a cuff up of the sleeves, adding another belt, switching up your shoes: booties/sneakers/pumps, adding a hat, and/or adding tights underneath.
Especially with the western cowboy theme happening right now, this cowgirl (ish) dress is something we want to get our hands on.
Modest Gowns
It's easy to find a great pair of pants, so we'll focus on something a little tougher: the modest style gown. These are our top picks for modest formal dresses:
Teri John kills it with this gold bow shoulder metallic jacquard modest gown. We love it because it still shows your figure, but covers your upper half well.
Nicole Miller knows how to do evening, and the brand also knows how to do elegant. The best of both worlds, chic and modest, this black and white modest dress has complexity that can be appreciated.
Slightly more showy, Halston Heritage gives us this stunning pink silk georgette high neck gown. We especially love this gown on women of color.
And last but definitely not least is this Rachel Zoe modest gown. Covering almost every inch of your body, but still undoubtedly feminine, this sequin sleeved dress gives us the goosebumps (in the best way).
Modest Fashion Movement
Modest fashion is on the rise, so if you didn't notice it before, we're pretty sure that now you'll start to see sparks of it everywhere.
We're never done learning and we can always appreciate new cultures and new styles. Modest dressing definitely makes a statement and with Fall/Winter coming, how could we not take notes?
FYI: we previously wrote an article re: How To Shop Modest Fashion: Covering Up In Style, so you can get some modest clothing inspiration from that piece as well ;o)
If you liked this article, we have plenty more of where it came from: The Inside Scoop <— bookmark this page for all of your fashion realness courtesy of the editors at Shop It To Me.