You CAN Dress Modestly...With Style!

L to R: Weekend Away, So Happy Together, Holly Jolly,
Can't Stop, Won't Stop, Hostess, White Winter Hymnal, Ray of Light.
All photos by Adam Quirk for What I Wore

Jessica Quirk has been posting pictures of her outfits since 2008 on her blog, What I Wore.  She has attended events like New York Fashion Week, and been featured in magazines like Glamour, and yet her outfits often display a modesty which would befit any Christian woman.

Many people believe dressing modestly automatically means looking frumpy and out-of-date - but that is not the case!  What I Wore is the only fashion blog I read regularly, and, although occasionally her skirt hemlines get a little short for my liking, she by and large wears outfits that I would wear - and looks great doing it!

The principles a Christian woman should keep in mind when it comes to dress are modesty, femininity, and dressing to please her husband, or if she is still under the authority of her father - wearing outfits which her parents see as appropriate.   Our primary goal should not be to look stylish - but to be a ambassador of Jesus Christ.  I like how Jasmine Baucham puts it:

Flesh-and-blood examples of outward beauty like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn may inspire us to carry ourselves with a little more dignity, but what should really raise our chins and straighten our backs is to know that we are perfectly, matchlessly loved by Christ. (Joyfully at Home blog)

So here are some tips for looking both stylish and modest, all of which you can see in action in the above photo:

• Brighten up your outfit with a bold statement piece. Wear a big necklace, a vintage brooch, a colourful coat, or a cute hat.
• Layer, layer, layer.  Throw a belt over a sweater to cinch the waist, wear a button-up or a striped sweater over a chambray or denim shirt, keep warm with tights under a skirt. 
• Wear long tops over jeans.  Cozy knit cardigans, shift style dresses, and flowy tunics all look great over jeans.
• Look for a long black maxi dress.  I have the same dress as pictured above, and it is a SUPER great piece. It can double as a skirt when you layer a shirt overtop, and easily goes from casual to fancy!
• Throw on a scarf.  One of the easiest ways to take a blah outfit to cute is to wrap a bright, lightweight scarf around your neck. There are great tutorials for various ways to do this on Pinterest, and you can usually find scarves at thrift shops for a few dollars.

Linked up at A Mama's Story, The Modest Mom, What Joy Is Mine,  Growing Home, Above Rubies,  Deep Roots At Home, Raising Homemakers, We Are That Family, Walking Redeemed, Graced Simplicity, Raising Mighty Arrows