BYU NewsNet - Consumers seek classy look in modest clothing

While most people are cutting back on spending in the current economy, designers and retailers are certainly not cutting hemlines short or holding back on extra fabric.

Web sites of various retail stores that carry modest clothing such as Mikarose show women wearing knee-length dresses with a higher neckline complete with sleeves.

“I personally don’t like to have a ton of stuff underneath when I wear a dress,” said Michaella Lawson, owner of Mikarose, available at several locations in Utah. “What I always look for is just a full dress that I can wear that looks classy and comfortable without all the layers and so we just decided to specialize in just making dresses, everyday dresses to semi-formal dresses.”

Shabby Apple, another retail company that specializes in modest dresses, started out two and a half years ago when both co-owners could not find modest dresses to wear.

“It was summer and both of us lived on the East Coast and neither of us could find dresses to wear,” said Athelia Woolley, one of the co-owners.

In addition to modest dresses, Chelsea Rippy, owner of Shade Clothing, located at six locations in Utah, designed long, layering basics to promote modest standards while remaining fashionable.

“I wanted to be modest and stylish but the shirts were short and see-through,” Rippy said. “With the long, layering basics, we merged the two worlds together. It covered where I wanted to be covered and allowed me to look neat.”

While modest clothing seemed scarce a few years ago, the recent economy has moved several retail designers in the direction of modest clothing.

Lawson said she noticed there is a trend of more modest looks in some stores.

“I went to Banana Republic a couple of days ago and they had a ton of dresses, and they’re longer than they used to be,” she said.

With the poor economy, many people are looking for pieces that are more versatile and for conservative silhouettes, Rippy said. Modest dresses give you the option of wearing it both to a party and to work.

“It’s a mix of modern and classic,” Rippy said. “They don’t want to buy things they won’t wear next year.”