Pink Carpet: Modest Fashion Trends
Stay on top of modest fashion trends by walking the Pink Carpet with LDS FormalWear! We'll keep you updated with advice, trends, and articles on what modesty means to us. Check out the quick links below to get you where you want.
Sweet Summer Sales
Modest Cocktail Dresses
Find the Right Size
Attention Fashion Victims
Cutting Costs
Words from an Apostle: Elder L. Tom Perry
Walk the Pink Carpet
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Sweet Summer Sales!
We're always on the lookout for stylish, modest fashions at a great price. Shabby Apple is one of our favorite places to get that perfect modest dress. No need to add a cover up or sweater, these dresses are full of style and class. Hurry and head over today and you'll get 20% off every dress in stock when you use coupon code SUMMER20. Don't miss out!
Modest Cocktail Dresses
Do those words even belong in the same sentence? A modest cocktail dress . . . around here we like to refer to them as "mocktail" dresses. They're the perfect length right to the knee and of course have sleeves! If you're searching for that perfect dress, check out our latest dresses and head over to our more shopping page for even more places to find that not-so-little black dress.
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Find the Right Size
Finding the right size is one of the trickier parts to shopping online. “How will I know it's going to fit me?” is the question so many of us ask. Different dress brands often have different ways of sizing. You can usually find a size chart on the dress maker's website. Eternity gowns, one of the most popular modest dress retailers, offers a chart online with detailed instructions on how to take your measurements. David's Bridal also has a similar feature.
When contacting a seller, ask them the name brand of the dress and if they can take measurements of the gown. Then take your own measurements or have them taken by a seamstress. Most seamstresses will take your measurements free of charge.
When measuring yourself or a dress, you'll want to pay attention to the bust, waist and hip measurements. Remember that taking a dress in is a lot easier then having it let out, because you never know if there will be enough fabric to let out.
To measure the bust, hold a tape measure around the full part of the bust, under your arms but NOT under the bust. Measure the waist at the narrow part of your torso. This is usually in-between your hip bone and the bottom of the rib cage. Try bending to one side, where your skin creases is your natural waist. Your waist is NOT likely to be where you wear your pants, so don't measure there. Hips are measured with feet together at the fullest part of the hips, even if it is near your thighs.
Following these tips and consulting the seller and manufacturer of the dress can help save the hassle of finding out your dress is too snug or too loose.
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Attention Fashion Victims
You've seen 'em, you've cringed and you've promised yourself you would not be a modest fashion victim. Now you don't have to! There are so many options today for modest and glamourous formal gowns, you just need to know where to find them.
Your first stop when shopping for modest prom or formals should always be LDSFormalWear.com where you can get fab designer names for a fraction of the cost. Our dresses start at about $20, when retail stores can only offer you a sash to cover those spaghetti straps for twenty bucks.
At LDSFormalWear we recently capped dress prices to $300 for free listings, and even though we still think that's too much- we're working to keep prices low for you. If you find a dress you love but the price tag is too much to handle, contact the seller and see if they are willing to negotiate. Often times the dress is just sitting there, taking up space in their closet and they'd be happy to get a few bucks from it.
Another great resource for finding that perfect modest dress is our Business Listings section. These stores pride themselves on carrying lines of modest fashion. They know what it is like to go through racks and racks of clothing only to find that nothing meets your standards. Call them up, visit their website or drop in a store near you to see how they can help. Lots of stores can help you in person or online.
The last, or the first, depending on your ambition level is to sew or customize your own gown. Not only can sewing or altering give you a truly one-of-a-kind look, it is perfect for using as a Young Women project and a great way to develop your talents. Don't be afraid to buy a dress and take it in for alterations either. A few years ago I looked all over for a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding. I was not finding what I was looking for. I wanted a cocktail type of dress (or should I say mock-tail?) but I guess they just don't make those for nice Mormon girls.
I found a dress on sale for $20 and called around for someone to add sleeves to it. For the dress, the fabric and the labor, the dress ended up costing me $40. Even at $40, it was still way less than most semi-formal gowns. The moral of this story is, don't let yourself be a modest fashion victim. There's plenty of resources out there to help you on your journey. Modesty isn't about looking like you came straight off the wagon trail comin' west- it's about being you, being comfortable, being beautiful and being glamourous.
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Cutting Costs
Face it- prom, weddings and other formal events are expensive! Shopping and selling dresses at LDS FormalWear gets you started in cutting costs. Here are some other tips to keep the cash flowing!
- Sell dresses from previous events
- Buy another gown from LDS FormalWear rather than buying new
- Make boutonnieres with your girlfriends the night before
- Host a spa night for at home manicures and pedicures
- Enter your date into a drawing for a free tux at the local tux shop
- Take pictures with a digital camera and have them developed into all the sizes you pass out to friends
- Impress your date by making a pre-prom dinner
- Get hair and nails done at a local beauty school
Words from an Apostle: Elder L. Tom Perry
Elder L. Tom Perry, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, recently had a few words to say about modesty in dress. In his October 2008 General Conference address he reminds us of the story of the tree of life in the Book of Mormon. While many righteous people were pressing forward to partake of the fruit of the tree, there were those whose “manner of dress was exceedingly fine” who mocked them. Step back and think about what's happening in this story, “the fashion-conscious mockers in the great and spacious building were responsible for embarrassing many, and those who were ashamed 'fell away into forbidden paths and were lost” (1 Nephi 8:27–28).
Do you let others decide and dictate what you will wear? Or have you made your own decision based on prayer and pondering? Elder Perry reminds us that wearing modest clothing brings spiritual blessings. “Our dress and grooming send a message to others about who we are, and they also affect the way we act around others.” Elder Perry offers this promise that when we are modestly dressed “we also invite the Spirit of the Lord to be a shield and a protection to us.”
Elder Perry also cautions us to not try “too hard to be unique in [our] dress and grooming to attract what the Lord would consider the wrong kind of attention.” If you'd like to read Elder Perry's entire talk, check it out at LDS.org or find it in the November 2008 Ensign.
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Walk The Pink Carpet
Walk the “Pink Carpet” with LDSFormalWear.com. We're looking for high school and college students to be one of our modest fashion interns. This is a perfect way to spruce up your college applications and resume.
If you love to keep up on fashion and modest options for today's young women and enjoy writing short articles, we want you! Send us an email telling about yourself and what you enjoy. This is a volunteer opportunity that offers flexibility and gives you a chance to get your writing noticed and published on LDSFormalWear.com.