Empowered Traditionalist

Feb 01 2009

Content vs. Mood

Published by Christa Taylor at 9:08 pm under Homemaking, Modesty

By Rebecca Woodbury

Let’s face it: it’s easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to clothing, isn’t it? After we’ve made the decision to “go modest,” we are confronted with hundreds of stores to hunt through to find those few pieces that cover us up in all the right places. Plus, we like to spend our money wisely, so there goes following all the cute new trends. Oh, and then it always feels good to save our pennies and splurge on a piece by a Christian clothing company. And the more we delve into the world of fashion, the more confusing it gets. We have to think about face shapes, body types, color palates, and the list goes on. What’s a girl to do?

As I’ve redesigned and rethought about my wardrobe over the past few years, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time thinking about the whole modesty/clothing issue, and a few thoughts jump out at me.

First – as I’m sure you know, modesty is a heart issue. I’ve seen girls in floor-length denim skirts and properly loose, long-sleeve T-shirts act incredibly flirtatiously, while others in revealing mini-skirts and clinging blouses have manners that are so sweet and discreet. Our poor men! Neither of those options is very respectful to the other gender, but unfortunately, they both occur all-too-frequently. So practically, a main thing to think about when you’re getting dressed is the mood of your outfit. When someone looks at you, what do they think? Do your colors combine in a way that shouts, “look at me!”? Or are you combining a couple styles that make you look super sassy and seductive. We can get so concerned about the content of our ensemble (skirts at least one inch above the knee, sleeves exactly two fingers wide, etc) that we forget to think about what kind of ideas our clothes can spark.

As with most things, however, selecting clothes to wear consists of a fine balance. Of course, we also need to pay careful attention to the content of our outfits. There is never an excuse for revealing underthings, showing too much skin (in any place!), or being careless with our skirts when we sit. Here’s where resources like The Rebelution’s Modesty Survey are great helps – while we need to stay away from legalism, it always helps to have general guides as to what is immodest and what is ok. Dads and teenage brothers are great helps too.

But once we’ve got those basic “modesty checks” taken care of, getting dressed should be fun! Here, too, the balance between mood and content can help us look stylish and still be wise about our choices.

I, for one, cannot afford to chase every trend. Sometimes I’d love to buy a super-trendy piece, but I usually force myself to pass it by, remembering the times I spent a lot of money on something I could only wear for one season and regretted it. On the other hand, only buying “classics” like white button-down blouses and straight-leg jeans can get quite boring after a while! That’s when it’s time to get creative!

A nice trick for starting an ensemble is to do some quick research online. Find pictures of trendy outfits (I usually skip the runway pictures and concentrate on real-clothing blogs … but maybe that’s just because I’m not completely hardcore!) that you like, and think about which makes each combination work. Find common threads in popular clothing choices, and isolate certain aspects of clothing that are “in” for the time. For example, Winter 2008-09 was marked by some aspects like skinny jeans, wide-leg trousers, cardigans, tights, high-waisted skirts, certain dress silhouettes, etc. You’d probably see a lot of pictures of people rocking a bunch of these trends together – like, skinny jeans under a fluffy dress with a cardigan on top, held together by a crazy-cool belt. Coming up with a different outfit like that every day would require a closet full of trend-conscious clothing, which most of us can’t afford. My solution? Think mood. The example I gave above would definitely give off a “retro-but-cute-rocker-chic” vibe. But, surprise surprise, you can get that same vibe with less trendy clothes. For instance, take the fluffy dress you bought last spring and pair it with just any sweater you can find around the house – an old cardigan your gramma left by accident on her last visit, or maybe a cardigan of your younger brothers (btw, menswear is another trend that’s in right now, so if you can steal a family member’s old clothes and do some simple tailoring, you’re all set!). Put on a pair of your favorite all-purpose jeans underneath, and you’re set for the day.

Another fun way to be trendy and still not have to completely reinvent your wardrobe every season is by thinking content. Save up enough money to buy one or two small items every time the weather changes. Update last winter’s wardrobe with something like a pair of tights (which you can find super cheap), and a trendy cardigan that can last forever (because cardigans will always be wearable and never look dated), but in a color that’s currently “in.” Buy a color of tights that match a lot of your skirts and dresses, so you can wear them all winter long, and make sure the cardigan will go well with your skirts, dresses, and jeans. That way, you’ll have two trendy items that will give all your “old” ensembles an updated look, without having to completely replace everything.

The final thought I’d like to share is that the most important thing to think about is your mood and content. When you’re walking around town with the girls, studying at the library, or washing dishes in your kitchen, what mood are you in? Does your face shine in confident serenity, or are you constantly checking everyone else out to see how you fit in? As you engage in conversation or thrum through a magazine at the doctor, what kinds of things run through your mind? Are your thoughts God-focused, or you-focused? Are you more willing to invest time in planning your outfits or in praising your Savior? I feel convicted myself as I write these words, and I know it’s so much easier to focus on things like clothing, but I think God has other issues for us to think about as well. Being modestly attractive, emphasizing the beauty of the feminine gender in our physical appearance, is certainly an excellent and important endeavor, but women’s’ worth certainly doesn’t stop there. Among other things, we must shape our emotions to be controllable and authentic, and we must fill our minds with useful wisdom our family and friends can benefit from.

In short, my friends, we daughters of the King must strive to make this the capstone of our attitude and appearance:

To God be the glory – great things He hath done!

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