Take 2

This is the tucked in, take 2 version of this outfit. This was my first time tucking this blousey top in jeans and I think it will be my last. It looks better out and about or tucked in high-waisted skirts. Or we can solve this problem by me buying high-waisted jeans!! Who wants to go shopping with me?? Because I'm certainly going to need help getting a high-waisted pant over my booty.

I'm wearing Love Stitch blouse ($16), gold necklace from Spain ($30), husband's belt ($10), secondhand BDG jeans ($16), Seychelles mary janes ($15) with a vintage bag ($15).

Blog Crush: Thread Ethic

I recently stumbled upon the modest Salt Lake street style blog, Thread Ethic. I was instantly taken aback by the style featured on the blog and their photography. They make Salt Lake City look better than I remember!! The two stylish ladies don't divulge much about themselves so I had to email them to unveil this mystery.. Turns out they are 2 parts of the sibling piano musical group, The 5 Browns. Now I feel stupid.. As a fellow pianist (hahahahahahh), I should have known!! I've even listened to their music!!! Read on to know more about this sister duo and their amazing style.

Desirae (L) and Melody (R)

Where are you from?

Melody:  Although Utah has been home for the past few years for both of us, we like to claim New York as home away from home (and now a true home for one of us). I spent 9 years of my most formidable years there and feel that New York played a huge part in who I am...fashion and all. We also have a bit of Texas in our past. So all three states, Texas, Utah and New York feel like little bits of home.

Why are you in Utah? School? Work?

Desirae:  Melody and I are both part of the musical group The 5 Browns and for the past 6-7 years the group has been based in Utah. Both of our husbands families are in Utah so we wanted to be close to relatives too. Just this past month though I, Desirae, moved back to New York City where my husband will be attending grad school. As Melody mentioned, we both lived here in the past from 1997-2006 while we were attending The Juilliard School so New York feels quite a bit like going back home. We are excited to be contributing to the blog from both New York and Salt Lake City. I'll be searching for high fashion yet modest looks as I'm out and about in the city and share them with everyone on Thread Ethic.

How do you guys know each other? (This is me being stupid and oblivious!!!)

M:  Obviously apart from being sisters, we work together as musicians. Being a part of our musical group has really shaped who we are in fashion. In our work on stage as musicians, randomly we had quite a few people asking us questions about style. So we figured we'd take it all a step further and work together on a blog to give people more options in fashion. So yes, beyond the familial, we are very much business partners in many ways.

Where do you like to shop in Utah?

D:  Funny enough, our favorite place to shop in Utah lately is Deseret Industries. If you know what you're looking for you can find things that look exactly like they came off the runway, and it is soooo affordable! We also really love Zara, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Banana Republic, and couldn't be more excited about the soon-to-be-coming H&M. We also frequently online shop at Topshop.com, Ebay, vintage websites like vintageous.com, and online stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdales which will put Utah girls immediately within reach of BCBG, Diane Von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein and most designer things they might be looking for.

What are your favorite styles?

M:  We are huge fans of designers like Marc Jacobs and are absolutely loving everything about Valentino right now. Oh and you can rarely go wrong with such power houses like Chanel and Prada. It was kind of amazing to be pretty big fans of Zac Posen and then to work with him so closely. He will always be a favorite in our book. Of course we can't always afford our favorite designers, so we use them as inspiration for looks we can afford. Their inspiration gives us the creativity to try and recreate what they've done on our own and with our own pieces.

What's your history with fashion?
D:  Through our work in The 5 Browns we have had the great fortune to work with amazing high fashion photographers, stylists and designers. The designer Zac Posen actually asked us to perform on the runway of his Fall 2009 show and designed dresses for us to wear. He very generously wanted our input on the dresses and wanted to collaborate our ideas with his. We learned a lot from that experience. We've also learned a lot from watching what solutions stylists come up with to our modesty requirements. Through these experiences we've been able to see what 'high fashion' really looks like close up and in a real way. After all we learned, Melody and I gained the confidence to take on the task of styling our music group for stage and print ourselves and have been doing so for quite a few years now. We feel we've been through a style evolution and are bringing what we've learned along the way to Thread Ethic.

The Not-So-Bold Mixer

I originally wore this polka-dot top with my striped skirt because I wanted to "try new things" - isn't that what fashion blogging is about? ...but then I chickened out at work and changed into a spare white t-shirt I had in my gym bag. It might have even been a little smelly. But that's not important. I definitely felt more comfortable in a t-shirt than in this bold mix of patterns. Which one are you? The bold mixer or the play-it-safer?

I'm wearing a JCPenney scarf (free), JCPenney top (free), Forever 21 skirt ($6), thrifted wedges ($10), and vintage bag ($15).

A Male Perspective by Corinne and Jake

Hi pretties! Corinne from The Lookbook here! Over at The Lookbook my husband and I like to talk about the funny things that happen in our marriage and of course, pretty clothes! I'm so excited to be here in Elaine Land... But today I think my husband's words will help you more than my own. That's because the majority of you reading this blog are probably women who read fashion blogs written by women... So today I thought it'd be nice to hear something from a MAN. Yes, a real life man who happens to care about fashion. That man is my cute husband. He's such a babe, isn't he? Ok distracted already. Take it away, sweets.

Hi ladies. Jake here. Today's topic: body shapes. I know what you're thinking, "What could a man possibly know about fashion for different body shapes?" Well, I know what looks good and what doesn't. Isn't that enough?

Tip #1

Love the body you have. Have you ever seen Glee? I'm sure you have, you are all girls. You know the black girl, Mercedes Jones, or Amber as she is known on the show? I'm sure none of you would call her slender or think that she has the typical model figure. You know what though, she is still attractive. You know why? Because she is confident and demonstrates that she knows she isn't a size "0" and she has moved on with life. She is happy. She is confident. And she dresses well. The most attractive thing a woman can be is confident; and that has nothing to do with pant size, bust size, or any other size.

Tip #2

Don't wear too much make-up. I don't like when my wife wears a lot of make-up. I think girls in general can definitely tone down the amount of foundation, blush, eye-shadow, and lip gloss they put on. My motto for make-up is this, "Use it to accentuate, not to hide, your face." Make people see the part of your face that is yours, not the part that comes from a little plastic bottle. In Italian they use the phrase, "I trucchi di faccia" instead of the English word "make-up". Literally translated this phrase means, "The tricks of the face". I think they got it spot on. Let your own qualities be the highlights of the show, not whale blubber and chemical colorants. Gross right? Exactly. Trust me, your face is much more attractive.

Tip #3

Universal truths. Here are a few ideas of things that I think look good on every body shape. Layers. No matter how tall or short, squat or gangly, layers look good. Use them. Buy blazers, and cardigans, and shirts, and blouses, and sweaters. Then combine them in different ways. Layering is great. Also, find fun accessories. I've never heard of a girl say that she didn't like fun earrings, or a nice necklace. That is because ALL girls like them; because ALL girls look good in them. They are feminine, and they don't depend on your body type. So use them. My last idea; dark denim jeans. I'll be honest, I love seeing my wifey's legs and rump all the time, but dark denim just makes them even more attractive. Invest in a pair because you will wear them all the time. You won't be able to resist because you will get so many compliments about them.

I hope you pretty girls found this helpful. Until next time,

xo Husband (I did that for my wife)


Wife here. Isn't he the cutest? Ok so come visit us over at The Lookbook and follow our blog if you like what you see! Thanks for letting us visit Elaine!

xo Corinne

Slip It In

Brandilyn sent me this skirt a while ago and I just busted it out. (Thanks, B!!!) I've been meaning to wear it underneath a dress or skirt like a slip but I couldn't figure out the perfect belt-shoes combo and I still don't know if I've figured it out! It's like a science, I tell you. And I forgot to study. So I'm thinking of doing a do-over of this outfit.. What belt and shoes would go with this dress-skirt combo??

I'm wearing a thrifted dress ($5), vintage belt ($5), Panache skirt (gift from Brandilyn), JCPenney pumps (free), and vintage bag ($15).

My I-didn't-shave-today pajamas

Chase and I had to run a few errands that day and so I rolled out of bed like this, naturally! Kidding. It was a Saturday and I wanted to be as comfortable as I could while we were checking out our NEW APARTMENT!!! We are moving this weekend!!! ..and we still need to pack. I figure since it's three blocks away I can procrastinate as long as I can. Is that how it works?

I donned my church pajamas as Kari called them because I forgot to shave my legs. Okay! I didn't shave them for a week...possibly two. But that's not important. Jeans were out of the question - it was too hot...like 80 degrees! So I wore my church pajamas with denim on top! I'm still in my knot-tying phase as you can see. Don't worry.. I only have one more button-up so you'll have to see this at least five more times. What do you guys wear when you "forget" to shave your legs?

I'm wearing H&M sunnies ($1), thrifted Gap shirt ($4), Forever 21 necklace ($3), refashioned Forever 21 maxi skirt ($5), Walmart sandals ($10), and vintage bag ($15).

Mini-Skirt to Modest Skirt

I have this great skirt that I absolutely love… this mini skirt from Forever 21. Doesn’t it look itty bitty on the model??

Ever since I saw Sydney in her striped skirt, I knew I had to get my hands on one! And I did…for $7.

BAM!! Scary face. And awkward puckering. And whoa! It’s longer than the one on the model?

What the what???

The skirt has a fold-over waistband which the model folded over and I didn’t. Modesty problem solved! I also got my skirt a couple sizes bigger so it would reach my knees but there was all that puckering business! I didn’t ask for this!!!! So I took matters into my domesticated hands.

I made my husband pin the sides to get it nice and tight. I figured since it was made of jersey it would just stretch out anyway. And it does…until I wash it and dry it again. It’s a sick cycle.

Lesson? A lot of stores out there have some tiny skirts. Check to see if they have a fold-over waistband but don’t fold it over! Get it in a couple sizes bigger and take the sides in to make it fit your hot bod. Now go rock the mini skirt with a bit more modesty!

See the original post here.

Tying the Knot

Yes... I tied the knot again. HAHAH. I'm so funny. Wait! That wasn't a pun..........

Chase and I were running late for church again. (No, we'll never learn!) So I threw on the first thing I could think of which was my newly discovered button-up tying skillz. I like the way it turned out despite being rushed (by Chase). I even remembered how to do a crownbraid! Huzzah! ..albeit it was messy and hair was poking out everywhere..but messy hair is in, right?

Yes, I am naturally this awkward and shy... More awkward than anything else though. Thanks, Kari, for taking my pics!

I'm wearing an Anthropologie necklace (free), Gap shirt ($12), handmade skirt from a curtain ($3), and JCPenney pumps (free).

Husband + Me = Our Wardrobe by Melissa

This is Melissa. She and I go to church together along with Kari! She always looks so adorbs at church and I finally took a pic of her as proof. I also had a chance to take a peek into her closet and she has less clothes than me. No.lie. I don't know how she does it but I had to have her on here to tell you her tricks and secrets to using the most out of a small wardrobe as well as stealing your man's clothes!

Hi, my name is Melissa. I live in Los Angeles with my husband and my Chinese Shar-pei Gracie while going to dental school. Living in this huge city means our apartment is tiny and overpriced. To boot my bedroom closet is even tinier which makes my wardrobe look big – kind of. Okay so excluding my pile of scrubs (which is my daily wardrobe), my collection of regular clothes (which has become my weekend wardrobe) makes up a small wardrobe. To maximize my wardrobe I stick to a couple simple ideas:

1. You can never have too many bold solid colors. (makes mixing and matching fun and easy).
2. Stripes, stripes, stripes and more stripes! I love stripes (makes layering fun)
3. Bright/patterned shoes can always make an outfit go from blah to fabulous!
4. Textures instead of prints (Prints scare me. One of these days, I’m going to have Elaine help me break my rule and find a fabulous print). Oh, and I have a minor obsession with ruffles and sequins.
5. My go-to accessories are scarves and tights (favorite pair of tights right now are purple and green-sounds scary I know) 
6. Finally, I borrow from my husband’s wardrobe. My favorite things to borrow are his white Hanes t-shirts, his thick belts, his button up shirts that are a little bit too small for him (makes for a comfy oversized shirt for me!) and his ties. 

Yes, that is what I said. I wear ties. How jealous do you get when you see a man in a striped shirt and a printed tie and it looks amazing?!? Weren’t stripes and prints totally in this season? I know I’m always admiring a good shirt and tie match-up. And, lets be honest, some of those match-ups on the mannequins at Macy's look a little feminine. Skinny ties, I think, are best on women (we have such smaller necks) with a single Windsor or Oriental knot (again small knots for feminine necks). Next up: Maybe a bow tie. I’ll buy it for him ;)

In these pictures I am wearing a dress from H&M, a striped shirt from Gap, a skinny belt from Ann Taylor, and a polka dot tie from my husband’s side of the closet tied in an Oriental Knot. I don’t know if this will help, but here are things I would wear to give my outfits a little sparkle.

tattooed tights, bright colored tights, patterned tights

orange sandals, pink flats, leopard flats, red woven flats

Oh-this might help visually explain what I like to wear….maybe. I don’t know if my explanation makes sense so here ya go.

Bold colors, textured top and shoes. This is what I was trying to say…..

Exit Glamour!

My skants are back! That's officially my new favorite word thanks to Cat. I fixed the button but it just means I have to starve myself all day to wear these. And that's never going to happen. Not when chocolate chip cookies exist.

I love the idea of tying button-ups at the bottom thanks to Jenni! This outfit made me feel old (like classic-old, not like grandma-old - actually, I can see it now..) and glamorous...like Katharine Hepburn, which is weird because I've never seen any of her movies. But I did see The Aviator. Does that count?

I'm wearing a Gap shirt ($12), vintage culottes ($6), JCPenney pumps (free), and a vintage bag ($15) with vintage earrings that you can't see ($1).

the behind...MY behind to be exact

Where to find modest formal dresses

Got an email from Hannah last month (sorry it took so long, Hannah!!) about where to find affordable modest formal dresses for her high school formals:

It's really hard for me to find a modest dress for my high school formals - I'm 16 and I'm 5'11''. Do you know of ways to either made a dress more appropriate (to cover shoulders) or good places to buy modest dresses that aren't too expensive? At my age, I have a pretty limited budget, but I still want to keep my dress modest. Unfortunately, most dresses tend to be thin-strapped or strapless... so any insight would definitely help me on my dress hunt! Thank you so much!!

Honestly, I have NO IDEA! I wore the same cheap dress to all my Homecoming dances and I only went to my Junior Prom and I bought a modestish dress from Utah and got the sleeves altered.

You could always go to Utah like I did and get a fashionable and on-trend modest dress but they're a bit on the pricier side:

Beautifully Modest

LatterDay Bride & Prom

A Dressy Occassion

For a cheaper option instead of buying a new dress is to go to your local thrift and consignment stores to see if there are any formal dresses that you can clean and fix up at home.

If your friends are getting tired of wearing the same dresses, have a dress swap!

If you find a dress you love but it is immodest, make it modest by also buying a bolero or shrug to cover your shoulders or a lengthen the hem with another skirt underneath.

For more information, check out ModestProm.com. It looks they really did their research when it comes to where and how to buy modest formal dresses. They even have links to modest dress and bolero patterns!

Now let's hear your tips!! Share your advices and modest dress shopping experiences below.

Elaine in Bloom

I've worn this flower necklace quite a few times. Okay, 12 times to be exact.... I made this necklace two years ago (!!!) because I was inspired by this girl from The Sartorialist and it's about time I right-out steal her outfit. I know, I know.. I should've bleached my hair blonde. I was too busy getting my half-tuck right. It's an art. Srsly.

I'm wearing a Gap dress I cut into a top ($8), Gap Outlet jeans ($26), handmade flower necklace ($3), and JCPenney nude pumps (free).

A Modest Summer by Bryton

Hello Clothed Much readers! My name is Bryton Morse and I’m the author of the blog in morse code. Just a little blog that documents my little family’s life on a day to day basis (I call it my scrapbook). So I am happy to be guest posting today about something that I live everyday—modesty. Modesty can be a challenge especially in the summer heat, and even hotter if you’re chasing a little one around. Most people think that the only thing they can wear in summer, and keep their modesty, are knee length shorts. Totally fine, those shorts, but I’m here to add a little variety to your summer wardrobe. I don’t know about you, but I like to have options, and the illusion that I am wearing something new every day, so here are some items that will keep your summer modest:

Maxi Skirts

Airy and lightweight these can be worn to the pool or dressed up for a late night party. (summer nights can be hot too!)

Paperbag Linen Pants

The breathable fabric and ankle length keeps me cool and comfortable. And might I add, I love the high waist. My favorite new trend.

Boyfriend Jeans

I know its summer when my skinny jeans stick to my legs. So instead, I go for something baggier but fashionable.

Knee Length Skirts

Let’s not forget about the skirt. A staple for the summer wardrobe—cool, modern, and feminine.

Good luck clothed much readers, and even though we are in the middle of summer, most of these looks can transcend into fall. Great for those on a modest budget… (ahem, me…)

Thanks Elaine for letting me crash your blog and, don’t be shy, stop by in morse code to say hello!

-Bryton

Sweatpants at work?

This is the second installment of the "... at work?" series. This is where I test my work dress code boundaries. You can see the first one here. Now I'm just begging to get fired.. But they're so comfortable! ..like pajamas! ...work pajamas!! Have any of you guys pulled off the sweats at work? Yeah? We can be unemployed together. <3

I loved my work pajamas so much I wore them twice..! Possibly the following day. You'll never know. ...unless you saw me both days. Then you would. But you probably didn't. Or did you? Stop stalking me!

toe tap

I'm wearing H&amp;amp;M sunglasses ($1), a Target tunic ($16), gold necklace from Nordstrom Rack ($5), JCPenney yoga pants (free), and JCPenney pumps (free).

and one to add to the Elaine hall of fame