Below are some great links to sites that have "modest clothing" information or products. It was shared on "A Quiet Heart Journal," not long ago (a now-deleted blog I used to write on). Hope you can find a link to a site you will recommend to someone you know and care about, who may be having a rough time of finding retail clothing stores that offer "modest" clothing, in the truest sense of that "term."
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Jan. 8, 2008
Modest Clothing Links
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Jeremiah 33: 3 John 15: 4-5, 7-12, 14-17
I Corinthians 13 Ephesians 1: 15-21 and 2: 1-10
and 3: 14, 16-21 Colossians 1: 9-14
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As you can see below, there are quite a few "modest clothing" links, as shared from the Biblical Womanhood website of Crystal Paine, shown below. !!! She has done a great job gathering them, and I asked her if it was okay to share them with you. Please visit her site at: http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/modestclothing.htm And leave her a note of "thanks" to let her know that you do appreciate all the work she did, to pull this list together!
I will add some, in a separate post, but these are so good; it is hard to add to them. I do have some more saved, elsewhere. So ... hope to look through those, check them against this list, and will then "post" those, for you all.
Dressing *modestly* (that "term" must be defined more specifically), is what our Lord wants us to do, both men and women. Each of us has acquired a specific viewpoint, due to various things in both our upbringing, and our spiritual convictions our Father God has added to what we learned while growing up. I will include my own definition of clothing oneself modestly, in a separate post.
Many of us were raised by parents who, for some reason, moved into the realm of what many of us would now call "a secular worldview" of life, and of how we should live. I was raised that way. They were raised right, I have discovered (according to those I asked, of their sisters). At least, as well as it appears they could have been, in their various farming families. Though I do not know enough specifics to be able to figure out just "when" and "how" my parents came to their own, very different conclusions, of how they should dress, what kind of music they should listen to, and what kinds of more modern ways (and goals) of life they should strive to achieve or follow, I do see, in retrospect, that they must have rejected some standards and values their own parents had taught each of them.
I can only find that each of my parents were interested in the way "others" did things, ... others who were outside their own family's sphere of influence and love, and outside of the Biblical teaching they were given by their parents (some of whom were born before 1880!). They were very interested in "modern conveniences," partly due to the many "new" items that began to be produced, in the U.S., during their growing-up years ... in the 1920s and 1930s. There were so many things, and if one were to listen closely to the advertisements, and believe anything said in them, then one might ... if one did not already have a close and serious spiritual relationship with God and with His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ ... be deceived into thinking that, to be happy, one should at least "try" some of these "new" products. I use this as one example of the influence of one's culture on what one may come to accept, over time, through indoctrination of sorts. (if I may say it that way; it came through advertising, magazines, newspapers, movies & in the 1950s, through tv)
Knowing that at least one of my parents grew up in a large family of 13, which also was not middle class, but would be considered rather poor, I can only imagine that this one may have figured that, to be happy in life, one must strive to "overcome being poor." I know that one of them worked, when it was not truly necessary, but to "get ahead." They both chose to work hard, in their early married life, which did work for them, as far as they seemed to understand. And I am not saying that 'hard work' is wrong or bad. I only mean that I do wonder if it was truly necessary for my own Mom to work outside the home, while my sister and I were still quite young. Was there a real need, financially, for her to do that? Or was it her or my Dad's desire for "more," or to not end up "in a bad financial situation," due to them watching their own parents go through the Great Depression in the U.S.?
They were taught some "worldly" ways of thinking, after they "had grown up" and were not living near their parents. You must understand, though, that when my parents married, they were both over 34 years old. That does make a difference. They did not meet while one of them, or both, was living with their own parents, at their family's home! They had both been out working, and in different places from their parents' state of residence, for a number of years, before they got married. They had received some strong influences from the world, before they met. My Dad had served in the military, in at least part of two wars, before they met, so in his life, this also influenced his thinking. They both, as adults, listened regularly to music that is worldly, and builds up the human flesh, more than it builds up the believer's spirit. God designed music to be used to glorify His Name and to be used while worshipping Him (The Lord Almighty, The God of Israel).
But, as I have learned from many who are wiser than I am about finances, and about living for God first, I now know that several of the principles my parents lived by, and that they used to try to "get ahead" (so as to be enabled, when older, to live on a cash basis), ... and to live "very comfortably" ... were not Biblical. They were taught, I suspect, some time before or during the 1950s or 1960s, that using credit cards and "taking out loans" to make large purchases would build "good credit." They were told that this would be quite desirable, to help in buying a nice home, etc., etc. Most of us who are married have heard these words!
But have we been taught that this is against what God teaches all through Proverbs, and elsewhere in His Word? Hasn't God gone even further to teach us, in His Word there, that we should also not sign or make a promise to co-sign any "note" (made by a borrower, to pay back one who lends to him), to pay the debt owed, in case the borrower, somehow, cannot do it, later? We are forbidden to do this. We are also forbidden to borrow, ourselves. That is a hard concept to "not fall into the trap of," when one is newly married, and many expenses seem to come up so quickly.
So, credit and debt, we are told by our Lord and God, is not desirable at all. It only makes us a slave to the one who lent us the money, ... if he has not given it to us freely, without any expectation to be repaid. In that case, it would be a "gift." But that is not what my parents were learning from the world. They were learning that it is okay to go into "some debt," .... A mortgage, perhaps? But can that be called "some" debt? That's quite a large amount of money to try to pay back, very quickly! More about this, later.
About the "Modest Clothing Links" :
Dressing modestly will be the subject of my next post here. It is so important, that I can tell you from personal experience, in my years of life before age 20, and even in my life experience -- through observation of young people within the past 10 years and less -- that one only "asks for" and "gets" much trouble, from not listening to God's Holy Spirit's urgings or promptings, about clothing oneself with enough of our body covered to not, in any way, cause any man, young or old, to think immoral or lustful thoughts.
We are responsible for how we are seen, in the eyes of any man! Yes, they are wrong to allow their eyes to dwell on how any woman or young lady looks. But why are they looking at the woman / lady that way? Because she is probably not dressed in a way that truly pleases God, her Father, The One Whose temple she is (as a true believer in The Lord).
As you see, I mention here that she is a temple of God, of His Holy Spirit. So, you see I am referring to ladies, young and older, who would call themselves true believers. Not those who are in darkness. Why would they (true believers in The Lord), of all women, dress in a way that would be called provocative or that would excite a man's senses or hormones? Why would a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ dress in a way that would make Him (The Lord God) ashamed to see her? ... in a way that He would say makes her look like a prostitute? ... like the 'heathen'?
Some may say: It is quite hard, these days, to find clothing that looks as modest as we moms would like our daughters to wear! Yes, I do understand! But have we put it to prayer? Is our heavenly Father able to meet that need? Does He want to protect our daughters in this way, from "danger"? If it is so "difficult" to find modest clothing, then how important is it that our daughters not be approached by a man who has immoral thoughts in his mind, because of how she is dressed?
Do we realize that some have been raped, or nearly raped (a man who thinks for a while, willingly, about what his mind leads him to think about, due to how a young lady is dressed, "has" raped her, in his mind and heart, as Yeshua -- Jesus -- has taught us), honestly, due to being dressed, day after day, in a way that causes young men who daily see them, to have such a hard struggle overcoming their own lustful desires for immorality, that the young men can hardly hold themselves back from doing what even they know is wrong? What is it worth, to us as moms and as dads, to work along with God, to protect our daughters from such awful memories, that satan wishes to use to try to plague them for the rest of their lives, possibly?
How do I know this is truly an important issue? Because of the lack of high-enough dress-code standards at the junior high / middle school and the high school, where I attended, for six years. Because of my parents' misunderstanding of the results, in my generation, of my dressing in a way that is (as I now know) Biblically wrong and does not give honor and glory to God. It was quite worldly! And provocative! Because even my own church family did not hold us young ladies accountable for how we dressed, while at youth activities, either !
Because of our own parents' lack of knowledge about what God's Word taught, ... through some lack of spiritual understanding on their part, maybe along with their choice not to daily walk as closely alongside Jesus as they could have, if they had had the desire to, ... I was tempted to do things I should have realized were dangerous, morally. Because, though I did not realize how much "in danger" I was, I did not honestly realize what I was doing wrong. Should have. Did not like being looked at so much by young men whom I thought were just being so "rude" or immature.
No one taught me what I was doing, which was causing them to say what they were saying to me, in passing. I had no idea what problems I was causing! And I was supposed to be a young believer! I had, just before this, surrendered my life to The Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in Him as my Lord & Savior! This did not set a good example as one who wanted to protect Jesus' reputation, in the eyes of those who were unsaved!
I was so blind, spiritually, back then!! I wish I had been mentored, spiritually, by someone who feared God as I now do, someone who took God very seriously! But God knew all of that would happen. He knew those who were teaching me also lacked knowledge, sufficient knowledge, to help all of us (back then) as young ladies, to do what we should have done, to give God glory, in how we clothed ourselves. And, yet, He also knew He would teach me, over time, what was right in His sight. ! And He would want me to pass on to others what He has taught me ... not as a "legalistic reaction" to what happened in my life after age 12, but a more spiritual, "Christian worldview," of God's perspective, in wisdom, on how we should clothe our bodies.
It actually "frees us" to live for Him, and concentrate on doing more effective "good work" for His Kingdom, when we are not pursuing a lifestyle or worldview that keeps us locked in to a corrupting system of thought, that only leads to disaster and destruction of what "matters." In other words, "clothing ourselves modestly" actually frees us! If we dress "like the world" urges us to, then we are actually "bound" to a belief system the devil (the deceiver) has been promoting for years.
I will share with you more about that, in a separate post. You can find many other believing ladies and moms who have shared about this topic online, and in books. I hope to share more links to the sites the Lord has led me to (later), on the subject of clothing our bodies modestly, to please the Lord, and not ourselves. ~ blog owner's notes ~
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The Modest Clothing Links below can be found, by you, at the site link here
* NOTE added January 31, 2008: This blog owner does not endorse every image, every clothing style, or how every model used to demonstrate how clothing looks on a real person, used by the owners of any of the ministries or companies that Crystal Paine originally listed, in the list of links below.
* I have removed several of the links she had, due to at least one company contacting me, which alerted me to the lack of understanding of what is a true soul (heart) attitude of Biblical modesty, in the clothing styles and designs for ladies' clothing offered on at least one of the sites.
* Thanks to those whose actions God uses to work in us to remind us that we must be very careful what we have on our blogs, as "sites" we say we want you to "go to" for finding truly modest clothing you may be looking for, to purchase! ( aagh!! )
* I will have to be much more careful, next time, before listing websites others have approved of! God holds each of us responsible for the good or evil we "cause" in the lives of others, who trust us to show wisdom and Godly discernment in all we do.
* God my Father in Heaven (as January changes over to February) now has me studying more about the history of clothing and the specifics that The Lord YHWH God taught in His Word, that give His children particular direction and knowledge about what pleases Him, about how they clothe their bodies. He does give us specific information, but we must dig, study, and do enough research to know assuredly what our Creator wants us to know, in order to honor Him and bring glory to His Holy Name, by properly (and in the attitude Yeshua demonstrated) and sufficiently covering our bodies, the temples (now) of His Ruach ha Kodesh, The Holy Spirit.
And He teaches each of us at our own level of understanding, so whatever I share only reflects what level of understanding I am at, right now. It does not mean I think I am further along than anyone. Am just "where" I am at. I can't know more than I know. But He is continuing to teach me more, week by week, day by day.
* In my next "post" related to this topic, you can look for some thoughts I'll share with you on "what we should think about as we consider how to clothe our bodies, the temples of the Holy Spirit," that is, if we are true believers in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (the Lord Jesus Christ). They include some questions we can ask ourselves, about who has the right to choose the kind of clothing they wear, even as adults, but also as young ladies who live with our parents. These thoughts will include how our thoughts affect us and lead us to make choices we can ask God to guide us in. (or not) Please, ladies, seek God's advice (counsel)!
* I do hope the links below will lead you to sites you can find "truly modest" clothing designs on, for sewing garments you wish to wear, or for buying ready-made or custom-sewn garments, that you can use to reflect the Light of the glory of God, through your face, and body, and life. Our inner attitude, however, is what our dear Lord is looking at. He looks at our heart attitude.
* Our clothing should draw attention only to our faces, ladies! Our faces are designed to cause others to think about God, our Creator and Redeemer, whose Light should shine through our faces. (our countenance)
If you are a believer, you may remember the story of the first martyr, Stephen, whose face looked like that of an angel (the book of {The} Acts {of the Apostles} 6: 15), even to his false accusers, who had him stoned to death.
If our clothing does not do this, then where are the eyes of those around us directed to look, on our bodies? You can learn more in the next post on this blog.
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Modest Clothing Links:
www.FashionablyModestPatterns.com - Modest and fashionable patterns. Including a signature swimwear pattern for girls and ladies.
www.NewCreationApparel.com - Women’s apparel, classic but modest, quality fabrics, exquisite tailoring, reasonably priced, 100% satisfaction guarantee.
www.SierraBrooke.com - New and used women's clothing that is classic, modest, and affordable.
www.ModestApparelUsa.com - A wide selection of beautiful dresses and more - ladies, girls, maternity, nursing wear, and more.
www.TheKingsDaughters.com - Custom-made, high quality clothing for women, girls, babies, and little boys.
Fashionable Designs for Today's Ladies - Seamstress who has come highly recommended to me. Lovely patterns.
The Rabbit Hutch - Thrift store treasures, homemade creations, and more - all very reasonably priced.
www.DressingForHisGlory.com - Skirts, culottes, skorts, swimwear.
www.ForModesty.com - Nice selection of fashionably modest clothing.
www.CozyCollectionsInc.com - Good selection of skirts.
www.WorksoftheHeart.com - Modest clothing and fabrics.
www.TaylorsScarletThread.com - Beautiful dresses and high quality work. I have personally received four of their products and been very impressed. - Crystal
www.MadewithTLC.com - Modest clothing, heirloom items, formal attire, and more!
www.SimplyModest.com - Casual to formal, all priced $9.99 or under!
www.PracticallyPrettyDesign.com - Gorgeous feminine dresses for little girls.
www.LittleTouchofElegance.com -Very lovely things which are modest and not "frumpy." Skirts, blouses, maternity wear, a girl's swimsuit and more!
www.LiliesApparel.com - Modest clothing and modest bathing suits.
www.Daddys-Little-Princess.com - Modest clothing, prairie dresses, nightgowns, and more.
Biblical Garden Clothing Collection
www.ModestHandmaidens.com - Custom-made, ready-made, and gently used modest clothing. Patterns and fabric also available. Very nice selection and well-laid-out website.
www.7SistersSewing.com - Custom-made clothing for ladies and girls by, you guessed it, seven sisters. Bloomers, maternity wear, quilts, and aprons, too.
www.SeamsLikeYesterday.us - Maternity wear and baby things.
Modest Slips at Gehmans Country Fabrics - modest slips for ladies, teens, girls and toddlers
www.JumpinBloomers.com - Jumpers, bloomers, aprons, nightgowns, and more.
Handmade by Cole - Bloomers and more.
Plainly Dressed - Amish and Mennonite clothing
AdornedWithModesty.com -Used modest clothing
www.PaulinaCarmel.com - Comfort, style, modesty.
Modest Swimwear:
Check out our modest swimwear pattern here.
www.DressingForHisGlory.com - Skirts, culottes, skorts, swimwear.
Swimwear Solutions - Modest swimwear pattern and ready-mades.
Patterns and Fabric:
www.Sensibility.com - Modest, authentic, period patterns available for women and girls.
www.CommonSensePatterns.com - Large selection of modest patterns.
www.CandleontheHill.net - Large selection of patterns, cloth diapers, homemaking and crafting books, and more.
www.BakerLane.com - Patterns for mothers.
Embroidery Treasures - Fabric, quilting notions, embroidery supplies, and more!
www.GehmansCountryFabrics.com
www.PaisleyPincushion.com - Dress and apron patterns.
www.WorksoftheHeart.com - Modest clothing and fabrics.
www.VintageSewing.info
-- "Vintage Sewing Reference Library, Inc. offers free online access to public domain sewing books."
Other Companies Which Often Have Modest Selections:
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