Is Modesty Going Mainstream?

This article in U.S. News and World caught my eye:

"The idea came to Chelsea Rippy when she found herself surrounded by low-rise jeans and short shirts. Nicole Thomas thought of it when she was shopping for a wedding dress and found two options: strapless or frumpy. Tedd Doucette got the idea when he and his wife couldn't find any clothes they considered appropriate for their five daughters."

"Rippy, Thomas, and Doucette each founded companies specializing in modest clothing after noticing a dearth of options for stylish, yet discreet, young women. They are part of a growing number of niche retailers that cater to women who want more coverage than the typical mall outfit provides-for religious reasons, comfort, or a simple desire to look classy. Large retailers are starting to pay attention, too: This spring, Macy's will feature full-coverage dresses from Rippy's collection at stores in Utah, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. 'The customer is starving for a fashionable, covered product. There's a real market out there,' says Jeff Gennette, CEO of Macy's Northwest region."

If only the Macy's in the Northeast would do likewise!  I was shopping for a dress at Macy's last weekend, and of the dozens and dozens of dresses they had, all were either sleeveless numbers or the jersey wrap dresses.  Can I get some sleeves and a lining, please?  The article goes into greater depth than you usually read on these stories.   Some reasons for the uptick in businesses offering modest fashions:

" Part of the sudden interest in modesty is a reaction to the extreme immodesty of recent fashions,' says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, a market research company. 'The consumer rebelled,' he says. 'More than half the market is over 35. They don't want to look like they're 16 and doing a music video.' He adds that retailers listened to customers who were saying, 'We don't want to walk around like Britney Spears.' "

"Wendy Shalit, author of the forthcoming Girls Gone Mild and founder of a group blog about modesty (http://blogs.modestlyyours.net), says women are 'tired of the expectation that they present themselves in a sexual way. ... Girls are discovering that showing their belly button to strangers is not as empowering as they have been led to expect.' "

The article covers the various religious groups who value modesty but still want style, including Christians, Muslims and Jews.  The ending has a zinger of a comment by Shade Clothing founder Chelsea Rippy:

While Rippy acknowledges that shopping at mainstream stores is easier today, she says she's not counting on that trend to last. ''For me, modesty is not a trend. It's a lifestyle. ... We'll be here regardless of what the trends do.' "

Amen to that, Rippy.   

Comments

[Alexandra Foley]

Oh my, I just love Wendy's comment: "Girls are discovering that showing their belly button to strangers is not as empowering as they have been led to expect."
So true!

I also love that Rippy makes the distinction between a trend and a way of life. It is apropos of the recent conversation we were having thanks to Liz's excellent "Little Victories" blog.

[Denn]

This is certainly refreshing to hear! Thanks.

[Kathy]

Hi to all those who are interested in dressing modestly!!

I am eager to find out where one can shop/go to find such clothes!!! In fact I would like to get in touch with Chelsea Rippy to see if I can help set up a shop/locale for sale of these clothes in New Jersey

Hope to hear from you soon!!
Kathy

[dangermom]

Kathy, if Rippy is the founder of Shade clothing, you can see the clothes at www.shadeclothing.com. Many people sell the clothes through the home party system, like Tupperware; I buy them that way. They're really mostly undershirts to wear layered with other tops; they're mostly not meant to be worn on their own.

[spudmom]

http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b7723f4adab435807398f2f6e44916a0/?vgnextoid=67852ce2b446c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=3f46be335dc20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____

is the link to the LDS Church's pamphlet, "For the Strength of Youth," which is a standard that applies to all practitioners of the faith (including adults.) I believe that the modest clothing lines are being introduced in these northwestern states in part because of the influence of the LDS church in these areas and their consistent standard.

Families who set their own rules face a lot of opposition from teens who fear rejection of their peers if they dress differently. Members of a congregation who decide on a standard have a little peer pressure on their side. But if an entire religion sets a standard for their members, it's harder to escape the thought that perhaps there's a reason why there are rules. After all, if people on the other side of the world are willing to keep the same rules (even in hot climates or when their schools have no dress codes) it might actually be a good idea.

I would encourage members and leaders of other faiths to consider the power of a universal standard of modesty and the signal it sends to young people. It was encouraging to watch an old movie (Daddy Long Legs) with my 7 year old daughter last night and have her remark how much nicer the girls looked when they were modestly dressed than in the scenes in which they were throwing themselves at the rich man played by Fred Astaire.

[Rivkasmom]

If you are worried about peer pressure, then you should take a look at why your daughter has those peers to begin with.

My daughter is very happy to dress modestly, and in fact insists on it "because all of her friends wear dresses and tights, too."

I love it when we look at fashion catalogs together and discuss what we would and wouldn't wear. I'll never forget when she was 3 years old, and she looks over and says "Mommy, that lady's arms look cold. She needs sleeves!"

[selahV]

Oh for feminine clothing...especially for little girls. I'm so sick of the Britney Spears no-clothing designs for little girls. I long for long flowing skirts and eyelet lace petticoats. Give me gauze with underslips. Give us feminine designs absent of male-influenced pant-suits. Cool refreshing breath of fresh air blouses that leave something to the imagination and don't expose bra straps and cleavage. Sigh...is there any such animal? selahV in Oklahoma breezes.

[Wendy]

Thanks Alexandra, Mary, and all you gals for the suggestions--and the inspiration!
:-)

[Paul Clutterbuck]

I'm told that girls who habitually expose their midriffs are putting on a 'spare tyre' of fat, all the better to keep them warm on cold days. Not a good look ...

[Girl Dress]

Hmmm Nice suggestion....it'll keep galz more attractive and decent... thanks for sending this post....

[Jessica]

Hi Kathy,

I'd love to speak with you more about selling modest clothing in New Jersey! Last year I opened a boutique that carries a number of popular modest brands. You can contact me through my website.

Hope to hear from you!

Jessica Rogers
Owner, Sakura Rose Boutique
www.sakurarose.com

[Alexis]

Hey Kathy,

You posted on April 18th that you wanted to find modest clothing. Put in Christa-Taylor clothing in Google. She has some really pretty clothes.

Alexis

[Flower Girl dress]

This is really fantastic and remarkable one