Modest style...it's not what you think

I’m madly in love with Mormon fashion bloggers right now.

I stumbled upon them while researching style bloggers for work, and I feel like I’ve discovered a whole new world of super-cool kids I want to emulate. I just can’t get enough.

I don’t want to eat. I don’t want to sleep. I just want to scroll through the modest style Pinterest boards for outfit ideas!

But it’s not for the reason you might think. I’m not Mormon… or really, any particular religion for that matter.

No, my reason is very different for wanting to dress “modestly” (that’s the big word in Mormon fashion – modest style). For one, attaining a certain age and becoming a mom (in close succession) caused me to give a bit more thought to dressing appropriately. But also, I made some lifestyle choices in my early to mid-30s that require me to cover up, pretty considerably, in my work attire.

To put it plainly: I’m a hella tattooed mama. I have spent more than 100 hours under the gun (stopped counting at 100… it’s likely quite a bit more than that, but I honestly have no idea). I got most of my art years ago, but I still love and have absolutely zero regrets about my forever art collection. I wear my artwork proudly, though privately. Becoming and being this heavily inked both contributed to, and perfectly express, who I am on the inside.

But that said, I also work in a fairly conservative, corporate field. I was a career PR pro long before I was tattooed like a sailor. And you know what? My career also contributed to, and perfectly expresses, who I am on the inside. That was a huge revelation for me in my 30s: at first, I felt like my tattoos were a way to secretly rebel against my corporate day job, but they’re not. They are just one side of me – just as my 8 to 5, career-focused side is a facet of me, but not the whole me. And boy, did becoming a mommy make me aware of that fact!

So back to modest fashion. I love it! Especially the modern vintage aspect – like the dresses on Shabby Apple, which make me want to set fire to my closet so I can start all over with their amazing throwback dresses. I know there are haters out there who love to make fun of the Mormon/modest fashion bloggers craze, but not me. I am so thankful that I found them. I finally have realistic style icons I can emulate within the confines of my own particular coverage requirements. My usual attire of a t-shirt with or under everything is SO boring and I am SO over it. Now I have so many new sources for ideas and inspiration. I am thrilled to finally expand my work attire repertoire to become more modern, fashionable and stylish.

Gee, all I need is a windfall of several thousands of dollars so I can build an entirely new wardrobe from scratch in modern, modest, vintage style. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Where do you go for fashion and style inspiration? And are you a fan of modest (and Mormon) style bloggers, too? I’d love to hear in the comments below.