Affordable Modesty in Fashion

I love fashion.

High fashion is like art: its beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it's not meant to be practical.

But that's not what I wear. I'm not Lady Gaga. I wear commercial and retail clothing. For me, there are a few challenges that come along with that.

1. Finding styles that I like. Lately there have been trends that I'm not a fan of. For example, one trend is clothing that looks (and often is) worn out and aged. While I do like some things with that look, I'm not a fan of jeans that are like that because they wear out so quickly and it can look kind of trashy.

2. Speaking of trashy, clothing these days is ridiculously immodest. I know my standards are pretty high when it comes to this, but what society sometimes sees as acceptable can leave nearly nothing to the imagination. There are so many low-cut, too sheer, unnecessarily short articles of clothing. Some things are a fashion statement, but many others are a body statement. In my experience, when I've dressed to show off my body, I do get attention from boys (and some girls). But it's never attention from the type of people I want attention from. For me, that's what modesty is about (aside from respecting myself). I never wanted a man who wanted me to show off my body in public so he can brag about having a 'hot girlfriend' or who just wanted to get to know me to see if I'd sleep with him. That's the message that dressing immodestly often sends, and I am so much more than a one-night stand or a sexy body to oggle over. So instead of dressing in a way to show off my cleavage, midriff, or legs in order to attract a man who simply wants those things, I decided years ago that I wanted to attract a man with more substance to his personality so that he'd know that there was more to mine too. I wanted a man who enjoyed a conversation with me for the sake of getting to know my mind and who would hug and kiss me just to show affection rather than hoping that doing so would lead to something more. I wanted a man who would look at me and learn the shape of my eyes and smile and would make a fool out of himself just to hear me laugh.

Shortly after I began dressing more modestly because I wanted to, I met my would-be husband (though we didn't get married for 4 and a half years after that). He was and still is exactly the man I'd been wanting to find and marry. He was looking for a girl that dressed modestly to show that she was more than a hot body. I actually attracted the kind of man I wanted when I started dressing like the girl he was looking for. It makes so much sense--it just took me several years to get that through my thick skull.

Don't get me wrong. There is definitely a time and place for some immodest clothing because of the thoughts and emotions it can evoke, but those are moments only for sharing between my husband and myself.  ;)

3. Fashionable clothing can be expensive. There's always Ross, T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, and most especially thrift stores and free piling, but even then a lot of the clothing those places have to offer is picked over so thoroughly that a lot what I find requires some kind of altering to be wearable or stylish (which can be fun too, if I have the time for it).


I recently found a solution to all three of these challenges. You may have already heard about it from the big grand-opening recently or another giveaway. But if you haven't been introduced yet, consider this your formal and official introduction.

ModestPop.com

The concept is simple. This online store sells clothing that is modest and doesn't require any layering to achieve said modesty. Each item costs under $15. And there is something new every day. So if you don't see anything that fits your style one day, there may be something there the next day.

Now, I don't like to promote stuff I don't believe in. So I had to try it out. I was sent the Aubrey top so that I could see if it was as good as it sounds.

It is.

For under $15, you can get a shirt that covers your bra straps, shoulders, and cleavage, and it's long enough to cover your lower back when you sit or lean over.

The fabric is nice and lightweight and really comfortable, and the stitching is pretty decent quality for the price (and this is coming from a professional seamstress). For me to make a shirt of this style would cost more than $15 for the materials alone. It's a definitely good deal.

The size is pretty true. I got a small. The collar and waistline area have a little more stretch than the sleeves and hemline, which are definitely meant for small arms and small hips. It fits me well, so just be sure to be honest with yourself when looking at the sizing chart.

I wore it to church yesterday, and as we were walking into church my husband looked over at me and said, "That shirt looks really nice on you." I just smiled, because he had no idea that it was the one I'd told him I was reviewing for this giveaway. He noticed it and likes it without me asking and forcing an answer out of him. For me, that alone makes it a winner!

And speaking of a winner....

Because I like this top so much, you can win your own cute Aubrey top!

Enter below using this Rafflecopter form if you're interested in participating. And if not, don't forget to meander on over to ModestPop.com to see what styles are in the shop this week.

And, as if that's not enough, if you're shopping at ModestPop.com and you do find something that you like, use the following promo code for a 10% discount for the duration of  my giveaway:

GOURMETSTYLE 

Also note that this applies to people who live in the USA only. (Sorry to those who don't. :( You can still go look at the store though!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway