.

Ashlee Simpson was photographed in this very cute maxi dress a few weeks ago, and another blog was able to track it down.

It comes in 3 different color variations for $149 at Gypsy05.com. Throw on a tank underneath and your good to go:

Well, a more modest halter top I should say…since halters aren’t exactly the most modest top you can wear…

As a general rule of thumb I usually stay far far far (far as in lightyears) away from anything labeled “Women’s section.” I’m not 45, so why should I dress like it? But I clicked a random ad for SoftSurroundings.com yesterday, and found this really great halter top that comes in a variety of colors.

Both the front and the back are cut a bit higher, the straps are thicker, and it has a built-in bra for better support.

The only down side is that it costs $59. If I can find a cheaper version I will most certainly let you know about it, but for now let’s be grateful for this one.

Have you ever noticed how the commercials for medicines for herpes, male impotence, and whatever other sexually related disease you can think of tend to be the cheesiest? It’s always some middle-aged douchey-looking handsome guy playing tennis or painting a picture as he turns to the camera and goes, “I have genital herpes.” (Boy, I wish a man would whisper those sweet nothings into my ear…)

In a similar vein, I’m sure you have noticed that the same “cheese factor” goes for birth control commercials as well….only this time it’s a girl kickboxing in the morning and riding a horse on the beach in the evening. One random day about a year ago, I decided to start to pay attention to these commercials. What I noticed is that after a new commercial for the birth control patch or baby-blocking thingamajig to stick up your vajayjay premieres, about six months later that commercial vanishes into thin air never to be seen again. Around the time it disappears, new commercials for class action lawsuits start to appear.

As my unscientific study concluded, the truth hurts, and sometimes it kills. Remember Gardasil, the HPV vaccine that was supposed to be the holy grail for girls everywhere? Those commercials disappeared a while ago:

The public interest group Judicial Watch recently obtained more than 8,000 reports, under the US Freedom of Information law, of adverse events in girls and young women after they were injected with the HPV vaccine Gardasil.

The reports reveal everything from massive wart outbreaks to seizures, paralysis and death.

Ten deaths have been reported since September 2007, bringing the total to 18 since the vaccine was approved for use in 2006.

In this year there have been 140 reported “serious” complications, 27 of which were categorized as “life-threatening,” as well as ten spontaneous abortions and six cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a very rare (1 in 100,000 in a healthy population) immune response to foreign antigens such as infectious agents or vaccines, that paralyzes the afflicted person.

And may I remind you that Gardasil was the vaccine they were trying to push onto junior high schools.

Mary Mother of God, please pray for us. We’re killing ourselves for the sake of orgasms.

Pax Christi, Rebecca.

Yes, I have decided to give my secret away. You ready for it?

The Racerback….not the regular cotton tops, but the ones from the activewear section in department stores. I bought tops like the one below in every color imaginable from Target, and have been putting them underneath halter tops, see-through dresses, and the like ever since.

Since the fabric stretches and the tops are made to hug your body by design, they don’t weight you down. (I never liked regular camisoles.) I also bought some tube tops made out of similar fabric to put underneath more formal dresses. For me, the activewear section where I’m supposed to be buying clothes to work out in has been the best place to buy undergarments to make any outfit more modest.

So now you know my secret…

One of my favorite online stores that I have made many purchases from is having a 15% off sale. Get these looks and more at Alloy.com:

There was all kinds of cuteness at last night’s Hollywood premiere of Will Smith’s “Hancock”:

Actress Tia Mowry…who is especially pretty and glowy as she has just returned from her honeymoon with her new hubby, actor Corey Hardict

Yes, you two are cute.

Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith (Will Smith’s wife)

The entire Smith family…teaching the little one to be cute and modest too I see…

Actress Lisa Ray

A gorgeous color, but I don’t know if I can deal with those shoes…

Unrelated red carpet honorable mentions:

Two of my favorite reality stars Angela and Vanessa Simmons of MTV’s Run’s House. Cute looks, and their show is hilarious.

Ladies, meet Christa Taylor:

Christa Taylor is a 21-year-old Christian designer dedicated to producing high quality chic and trendy clothing that allows women to be fashionable without being suggestive. She resoundingly rejects the notion that modesty must be frumpy and has set out to disprove that notion through her clothing line. Christa operates her business as a family enterprise involving two brothers, her father and two sisters. She is also committed to donating at least 5% of her sales to the poor and towards advancing social justice around the world.

I’ve checked her site out, and she’s got some pretty cute stuff. I was particularly drawn to this Nautical blazer, currently priced at $51.50:

I’m also resisting the urge to purchase this Peruvian dress, currently priced at $55.

With cute designs and a rather outstanding personal mission, Christa Taylor is modestia-approved.

Happy shopping girls, Rebecca.

PS: A couple of other designers have recently come to my attention, and I will be highlighting them as well in the coming weeks.

Rejoice girls, rejoice! The high-waist cut (and her cousin the wide-legged pant) have returned to Jerusalem like Jesus on a donkey…triumphant and glorious…

I liked the skinny jeans trend, and yes I do own a few pairs, but I’m full-figured and the skinnies weren’t always my best friend. Admittedly, we had a bit of a love-hate relationship (depending on how many times I had gone to the gym on any given week.)

So I was very happy to see that high-waisted skirts & jeans and sailor-inspired slacks have hit the racks again. One of the reasons I like the high-waisted jean so much is because it can be worn many ways, with a t-shirt as well as with a blouse. The versatility gives me goosebumps….

Admittedly, not everyone can rock the high-waist, or at least the high-waist with a top tucked in, so be careful.