Modesty Through Another Lens

It's time to rethink the notion that less is more. With modest fashion, reclaiming your body has never looked so good.

By Haneen Elmeswari

Published Tuesday May 9, 2023

When people think of modest fashion, they think of stuffy buttoned-up collars, awkward hemlines, and bland color palettes. Isn’t it about time we erase this narrative and think of modest fashion as a more holistic and inclusive space for personal style? Not only can dressing modestly make you feel lively and confident, but it's empowering in its unique way.

The word “modest” in fashion has often been placed with other words like restriction, regression, and a lack of freedom. The discussion surrounding modest dressing is that for many people, dressing this way isn’t a choice. It’s been used as a tool of control and a way to make people feel ashamed for simply having bodies. 

However, in the last decade, this idea has completely flipped, as many people are confronting their traumas and finding joy in dressing modestly again. They’re choosing to disrupt the status quo, making space in an industry that has often ignored their existence. 

With a market value of $295 billion and an estimated growth of $402 billion by 2024 according to the 2022 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report, modesty in the fashion industry is booming with popularity and innovation. It caters to people of all ethnicities, cultures, and religious backgrounds. Although modest fashion is more popularized in Eastern cultures, more Western designers are recognizing its power. 

High-street retailer, Mango, has been known to regularly release modest-friendly tunics, kaftans, and maxi-dress collections, and in 2017, Nike introduced a high-performance hijab. Companies also want to make the experience of modest shopping more efficient for their consumers. Net-A-Porter has taken the lead by offering shoppers a modest category within the website's clothing menu, filtering out all womenswear that aesthetically fits the bill for all buyers.

The proof is even in our finances, with spending on modest fashion increasing by 5.7 percent in 2021, pushing its value up from $279 billion to $295 billion. In the last decade, modest fashion has proven itself a force not to be ignored but embraced. 

Although its growing popularity has only become mainstream now, the truth is that women have been dressing modestly for centuries. From the kaftans of the Ottoman Empires to the return of long denim skirts at this year's NYFW, modest clothing can be found at every point in time. Women from many cultures, ethnicities, and races have a rich history of dressing modestly and finding contemporary ways to still enjoy current trends and feel fashionable. 

Modest fashion has also powered its way through mainstream media. Fashion history was made by the first hijab-wearing model, Halima Aden when she graced the runway for designers like Max Mara and Alberta Ferretti. Orthodox Jewish designer, Batsheva Hay, also turned heads when she debuted her first ready-to-wear modest clothing line at NYFW in 2016. 

There's no way to ignore this movement, as innovation and creativity pour out of it.   

These designers have chosen to play with modernization through the confinements of modesty, playing around with silhouettes, colors, and patterns. Aden has often been dressed in body-con maxi skirts, and an oversized coat, all monochromatic, creating a clean yet striking effect.

Hay takes the opposite approach, choosing to use color and patterns to elevate her simple yet whimsical silhouettes. Cheery florals and polka dots are her top choices. 

It’s the breath of fresh air that fashion truly needs: a new way of dressing that’s inclusive of all people. Modest stylists are also flourishing with creativity, from combining sheer dresses with boldly printed bodysuits to cargo shorts with platform, knee-high boots, they’re creating a contemporary, modest wardrobe that's sinking its teeth into the market.

Nawal Sari, an influencer and modest fashion mogul, began to turn heads in the fashion industry after launching her TikTok in 2017, branding herself “your relatable hijabi next door.” As her following grew to over 130,000, she began to receive praise for her modest take on streetwear fashion. Her styling combination of luxury pieces with vintage gems that are trendy, modest, and body positive, started scoring her invitations to sit front row at designers like Gucci and Versace. 

When scrolling through Sari’s feed, the memo is loud and clear: layering is your best friend. A simple button-down under a milkmaid dress; a cropped, knit sweater thrown on top of a ruched top; or a mini-skirt worn on top of baggy trousers can take an ensemble that seemed unwearable and transform it into something stylish and eye-catching.  

After recently speaking with Who What Wear, Sari’s best styling tip? “Don't be shy with the layering, and definitely don't forget your big sunglasses,” she advises.

Hijabis are not the only ones teaching us the power of modest style. Maha Gondal, a modest fashion stylist and influencer who recently modeled for the Coach x Champions collaboration has found that playing with silhouettes is the best way to elevate a modest look. 

Sharing her daily outfits on TikTok, Gondal started becoming one of the many faces behind the rise of modest styles. 109,000 followers later (and counting), she’s one of the app’s most popular up-and-coming style creators, known for loving both a comically oversized fit, wearing garments that emphasize the shape of her hips, and her sleek video content. 

Gondal’s golden piece of advice to share for first-time modest dressers? Try mixing patterns and textures. If done well, they can really complement each other. Wearing a blazer or a long jacket or coat can also help create dimension and add shape to any look. By covering most of your body, you'll not only feel comfortable but also make the outfit modest.

Sensuality isn’t separate from modesty; they can be enhanced through each other. Opting for a fitted, figure-hugging dress, or a bodysuit that accentuates the shape of the shoulders and neck is the perfect way to draw eyes in a way that feels less like you’re being undressed by them. 

The oversized silhouette has been hot for a minute, with designers creating collections in sometimes ludicrous and wacky proportions. It started in 2017 when Kris Van Assche, formerly at Dior, put out a tailoring-heavy collection with loose, cropped trousers. Bottega Veneta kept the trend alive in their Spring/Summer 2020 collection, showcasing some of the “biggest” clothes we’ve seen in several seasons.

This is a reflection of the modest movement’s impact on the market. Trends are finally starting to reflect the cutting-edge styling we've been seeing from modest consumers like Sari and Gondal. 

Dressing modestly has also been known to do wonders for some women’s confidence. Many cultural movements now are focusing on teaching people to embrace their sexuality and self-expression, and while that’s a valid way for people to want to present themselves, it doesn't work for everyone. 

Many people gain their confidence through knowing with a clear conviction that their body isn’t receiving all the attention, but rather, themselves as a whole person. There’s comfort in knowing that people are choosing to engage with you not because your body looks great in that dress, but because they’re genuinely interested in you. 

Dressing in a modest fashion has been accredited to making people feel more confident in a space, feeling more physically comfortable in their clothes while also feeling more body positive. And they’re able to have just as much self-expression and fun as someone who has opted to show some skin. 

The most important point to understand is that both ends of the spectrum are to be respected and validated. The girl in the mini dress is just as important and beautiful as the girl in the abaya, and they both have the right to have fun with their self-expression and identity. 

Modest fashion is adventurous, playful, sensual, artistic, and expressive, regardless of what anyone may say. It’s been used by people all over the world to grab a room's attention at their desired level of exposure for centuries. 

Once the basics of styling are understood, the world becomes your oyster and modest fashion is your pearl.   

Orginally Published in Blush Magazine