How Do You Make Fashion Modest?

So, this morning we were on a local morning talk show called "Good Things Utah."  It is a great local interest talk show that showcases not only happenings and products of Utah, but things that fit culturally with the population of Utah.  The hosts are moms, totally beautiful moms, but they try to be down to earth and just talk to the audience as if you the viewer are just one of the girls, or maybe a neighbor.  It was a fun experience, and I hope that we get the chance to do it again.  Click here to see our segment.

The reason for this blog post is that the hosts asked me a really great question today on air, and I don't think I completely answered it.  Here it is:

Niesha (host):  "I think it's tough though these days to look fashionable, and be covered up at the same time."
Me:  "You know, It totally is."
Niesha:  "So how do you do that with what you carry there..."

There wasn't enough time in the segment for us to talk more about how we do what we do, so I decided it would be a great topic for a blog post!  So, here goes!

The main three things we do to keep our fashion fresh and relevant is to do these three main things:

1.  Watch trends and build some of these trends into a more modest version.

2.  Stay current with popular colors and fabrics, but do them in versions that are more opaque, washable, durable, and affordable.

3.  Always fill in our styles with new cuts of classic basic pieces that will stand the test of time.

So, I'd like to address each one of these individually.

1.  Watch trends and build some of these trends into a more modest version.

We will watch what is very popular in fashion magazines, in big box retailers and boutiques, and also as fashion forecasts.   We even attend fashion shows, and trend watcher seminars from time to time to try and stay current.  What we find is that the biggest change we can make is to lengthen a garment to make it appropriate for our customer.  

(Ironically, this isn't always because our customer wears a religious undergarment that must be covered--we just have an average customer that is taller than most, and there aren't enough affordable places that cater to taller people.  Our average customer is about 5' 7" and that is almost two inches taller than normal.  So it affects how we build our pieces, which we often proportionally lengthen.)

An example of this would be doing a pencil skirt, but changing the length.  Most of the current pencil skirts skim the knee, but we did a version of it that extends past the knee to a more modest, wearable length.  Look at these two skirts.  The one on the top is from a higher end department store, and ours is underneath it.  (We do need to take a better picture of this skirt with a model in it, not just a dress form.  However, this is the skirt worn by one of the models in our segment above.)

Skirt from unnamed big box retailer. 
It measures 19", and is made of Poly/rayon/spandex just like ours.
Sells for $69.50

Our Edyn pencil skirt.
It measures 27" (and can be
altered for a shorter customer).
It is also made of Poly/
rayon/spandex.  It sells for $32.

Another example would be the Peter Pan collar. We have seen so many of these blouses on the market, but most of them are sheer and sleeveless, or have such a short cap sleeve that many women can't wear them.  We did a version with the trendy collar, but in a blouse that includes sleeves and can be more easily worn alone.  The one on top is in a trend forecast, and the one beneath it is what we carry in our store.

Blouse with the trendy Peter Pan collar.
The sheer yoke, sleeveless style,
and very tight fit in the body
body make this  top not only
inappropriate for a modesty
conscious person, it isn't very flattering on
most figures (unless you are tall and skinny : ).

Our version of the blouse.
It is in an opaque fabric,
has a sleeve, and is a more modest
cut in the body of the blouse.
It also looks good on a
variety of figures of "real" women.

2.  Stay current with popular colors and fabrics, but do them in versions that are more opaque, washable, durable, and affordable.

We try and plan our tops, and a fashion color or two of skirts, to reflect the popular colors of the season.  We favor solids over prints, but even with our incarnations of blouses and skirts we will include a print that reflects the color trends of the day.  Often there will be a style of blouse that we love, but it is very sheer.  Even though we carry sheer products from time to time, we try to always carry layering tees to wear under them for modesty--or even better, if we can put our own version of a blouse into production under our own label, we try to find new fabrics that are opaque enough they can be worn alone.  Often, what makes something inappropriate is the sheerness of the fabric, not the cut of the blouse.  

Sometimes designers make a beautiful garment that would even be opaque enough to be modest, but their pieces would go for $300 to $1000.  This is not just because of the design work, but because their beautiful fashion is made of real, delicate silk and hand sewn.  It really isn't practical for everyday folks to wear things like that, and the cost is absolutely prohibitive for most average consumers.  Changing the components, and making for a mass market changes the price quite a bit.  Ex: take a $300 beaded cashmere cardigan, and make a version in nylon/bamboo inspired by the original for about $45.  The feel of the fabric will be similar, but one is machine or at least hand washable and much more wearable and affordable.  

3.  Always fill in our styles with new cuts of classic basic pieces that will stand the test of time.  

Another way to keep things fashionable but classic is to produce basics.  This would be where really traditional skirt styles done in updated cuts would come in.  An example of this is our knee-length aline skirt.  The aline skirt in general has been a great skirt for women because it flatters a variety of figures.  However previous to 2000 it was more common to wear things on your natural waist.  In time, women have discovered that often it is more comfortable to let things simply rest on your high hip.  It elongates the look of the torso (sometimes) and you don't have something binding you in the middle.  So, the classic, traditional aline that sat upon the waist would no longer feel relevant to a customer used to wearing things lower.  Simple.  We redesigned our aline skirt to have a waistband cut on the bias so it stretches for the customer to wear high or low, and voila!  You have a classic, basic that has been updated and made relevant for new customers.

We also will always carry the basics in our skirts.  Black, brown, navy, taupe, wine, gray, charcoal...  These are the basics that will always be relevant.  We can add a couple of colors for variation, but the classic neutrals will always be popular and round out a wardrobe.

It is easy to re-dress a basic, old skirt from your closet with a new brightly colored top, scarf, or sweater.  So, the skirt doesn't need to be re-done, you just style it again with something new.  

So, how do we keep current, but stay covered up?  Bottom line, when we can't find something that works, we make up our own.

That is a little of what we do.  As always, we try to have something for everyone.  Come in and check out our new line today, or better yet, check us out online 24 hours a day! 

www.sistermissionarymall.org

The blouse is back!

Pirates, Peasants, and Poets

Anyone who grew up in the 70's and 80's remembers the blouse.    Even though this item of clothing has its roots in menswear (think pirates, peasants, and poets...) they are primarily womenswear now.

With its updated 1970's fashion, the blouse was the quintessential clothing piece for a polished woman in the corporate world.  The 70's and 80's were the "dress for success" era, where if you "dressed" like you were upper management, you were more trusted and could move up in the company.

1970's pattern

(Which, by the way, is still how perceptions of success are perceived today...and also the reason that it matters how sister missionaries dress!)

The blouse basically became a woman's version of a men's dress shirt.  We wore them in silkier fabrics, with feminine details (like lace collars, and bows) and they were cut to flatter and drape on our shapelier figures.  They were so popular and durable, that for years, every DI, Salvation Army store, and Saver's was full of these polyester blouses.

Well, guess what!  The blouse is back!  It has actually been back for a couple of years now, but we are finally seeing the trend here in the conservative west.  (What that means is that we are finally gutsy enough to wear them even though our eyes have been telling us we are wearing what our moms wore...)  Anyhow, there are a lot of advantages to the blouse that make it very popular again today.

Here is a list of why the Blouse is a great addition to your wardrobe:

1.  Many of the fabulous styles can be found in washable fabrics that are easy to wear, and easy to care for.  So, the runways feature the blouses done in silk, while we can find them done in polyester.  Polyester has become so well done these days that it is hard to tell often if it is silk or not!  The fibres actually have to be tested with a "fire test" to see if the burn or melt--burning meaning it it is silk, and melting being polyester.  So, wear that polyester with pride!  You look fabulous!

2.  The cut of the blouse is more appropriate for real women.  Going the way of the Dodo bird are the fashions that highlight the "yoga" body that most of us don't have.  (that is of course, unless you are actually on your way to yoga, which apparently I am all day everyday when I'm at home in my yoga pants...) The blouse is not as fitted as the tailored "mens" style clothing we have been packing ourselves in for the past 15 years.  We have lumps and bumps as women, and the blouse drapes more comfortably over them.  You can actually look and feel thinner because you aren't wearing some little knit ditty that makes you look like...well, a stuffed sausage.

3.  No more busting buttons!  One of the best things about a blouse is that often the style doesn't button up front.  It is hard to have a great fitting blouse that buttons over the "bumps" of the bust!  Nothing like playing peek-a-boo with your top because you can't keep your placate closed on your shirt.  Unless a shirt is tailored just for you, it can be tough to keep things "locked and loaded."  A blouse solves this, and all the while letting you enjoy the cool comfort of a woven fabric.

4.  The fashion trend now allows us to dress down our nice blouses by pairing them with jeans.  This is a nice departure from the buttoned up, corporate, Sunday best version of the blouse that makes them fun to wear.   For Sister Missionaries, of course the fashion choice is clear.  However, that means that the blouses you take on your mission can be repurposed a little while later at home!  (and believe me, these blouses will survive, despite your best efforts!)

Here are some great blouses we are carrying right this minute at our store!  

We designed these babies ourselves, and carefully chose the fabric and construction to make them comfortable and durable for Sister Missionaries.  They fit well, are easily altered, and built to last.

This top comes in a nice Rose, Sky Turquoise (pictured), Smoky Taupe, and Berry Red.
If the elastic in the sleeves bothers you, we can take it out.  

This blouse has coordinating cuffs on the short sleeve under the blazer.
Currently this blouse is only available in Cream with black trim.  

Here is that same bow blouse under one of our favorite blazers.

There are more to come!  Just keep in mind that "The Blouse is Back!" We are so glad!  You will not only feel better in a blouse, you will look better too.