.

Awesome song. Awesome version. And Hayley, the front woman of the band, is a perfect example of modest style with an edgy twist.

Well, fall has already been here, but it’s been so hot in LA that it hasn’t really felt like it. But now it’s getting colder and we finally get to see fall/winter fashion reflected in daily life.

Fergie (I hope she keeps the dark hair!)

Emmy Rossum at a GQ event

Demi Moore at the same event

Kristen Bell

Camilla Belle at Paris Fashion Week

The Jason Wu Preview party last night:

Amber Heard (A perfect holiday party outfit…)

I’ve just returned from my first ever silent retreat at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center run by the beautifully joyous Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles. I was really excited about going on the retreat 1) because I hadn’t been on one in over a year and 2) the retreat master was a CFR. Plus, with all of the drama that has happened over the last few months, it would be nice to have a little silence, right?

Well, low and behold the very first thing I learned on retreat is that silence is difficult….like…really difficult at least for me.

I arrived at the retreat house Friday evening and after registration and orientation the move into the retreat and official “silence” began. I found myself trying to schedule out my night—read the bible, do some praying, go to bed early, etc. to pass the time. I did the same thing Saturday morning, but after our first conference (when the retreat master spends some time preaching on a topic) I realized I wasn’t really being silent, but far from it. And so, I went to my room and put away all of the books I had brought with me to read (since reading isn’t silence either) and walked around the property. I would say it was about 20 minutes or so of just walking around the campus gardens when I was finally able to stop thinking about the million and one things on my mind. That same day I entered St. Francis’ Garden when a beautiful blue bird landed quite close to me. Then a squirrel did the same thing. I realized then I was not rushing about or anxious. I had actually achieved some level of silence and peace and henceforth the animals were not afraid to come near me.

The sisters gave us a handout with some saintly thoughts on prayer, my favorite of which is St. Teresa of Avila’s “bookmark”:

“Let nothing trouble you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing;
God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.
He who possesses God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.”

How much silence do you have in your life? By “silence” I don’t mean just not talking, but a truly deep, quieting of the mind and heart where there is no “doing” only “being.” It is in this type of solitude where we can clearly hear God.

A point brought up during one of the conferences was that beyond the more obvious reasons why silence is difficult (i.e. busy schedules, technology) silence is also difficult because we may not necessarily believe what we find in this silence, that there is a God who loves us just as we are. It reminds me of the difference between a “professed” and “operative” image of God.

A professed image is what we claim to believe about God. For most Christians, this would be that God is a loving, all-knowing tri-partite deity, etc. But not everyone who says this actually believes it. A Christian individual may actually have an operative image of God where God is an absentee Father that you can’t really trust, Santa Claus who only shows up to give us what we want, or some sort of judgmental king that sits there waiting for the slightest sin as an excuse to send us to the fiery depths of the place that shall remain nameless. *wink wink*

Our retreat master told a true story of Catherine de Hueck Doherty, a Catholic woman that ran a home for poor immigrants from Communist countries in Canada. One morning, one of the laborers reported that they only had enough coal for the midday meal—after this last bit of could they would not only be unable to cook dinner for the immigrants, they would be freezing in the Canadian winter. Catherine went into the dining hall and told everyone to stop what they were doing so that they could pray that God would deliver them coal by 3 pm that day. In the corner, one of the immigrants, a young man that happened to be a communist and an atheist, yelled out that they were idiots for believing God would help them, since there is in fact no God. Catherine went back into her office where he periodically popped in, just to make sure she wasn’t calling anyone for help. (Catherine was a former Russian Baroness that had plenty of connections and wealthy friends.) As Providence would have it, a truck showed up at 2:59 pm with a load of coal for the home. Years later, Catherine received a First Mass card and a letter in the mail. It was from that same young man who had become a priest.

Spending more time in silence, or shall I call it solitude, which is wholly different from loneliness, can help us trust the sovereignty of the Lord. The intercession of the saints can also aid us in this trust, but also help us in developing a sense of pious humor. Another conference story is a perfect example of this:

St. Therese of Liseux’s mother called her the “Little Imp” which of course is a small monkey. One of the friars that has a particular devotion to St. Therese refers to her in his prayers as “Little Monkey.” One night, the CFRs were on retreat when that same friar, addressing St. Therese as his Little Monkey, asked for her to deliver them some bananas on their retreat. Not a minute later, the maintenance man for the retreat house showed up with a crate full of bananas he wanted to give the friars before he left for the night.

As I was sitting at the retreat listening to this story, I thought to myself, “Therese, you never do anything funny like this for me.” Well, fast forward a few hours later after the retreat had ended. My group of friends was about to part ways and leave to go home when one of the sisters came out running with a box full of food. Of all the food inside the kitchen including cookies and other goodies, what did she hand us? Bananas. (I didn’t think anything of it at first but then started laughing out loud on the drive home.)

Now this is a trivial example, but this example and the previous one about Catherine proves that there is a God that hears us right here and right now. He knows our needs and wants, and has a plan for each of us. Jesus said Himself:

“Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7)

Overall, the retreat was amazing. I ended up breaking my silence Saturday night because it was one of my CU girlfriends’ birthday and we had a little party with cake after the rest of the retreatants went to sleep. (And yes the nuns knew about it! They were so sweet in letting us do that for her.)

If you’re interested, I totally recommend you check out the Carmelite Retreat House. It’s GORGEOUS and they are oh so very fun to be around, and completely dedicated to helping lay people increase their spiritual awareness.

Ever since I saw Bright Star a month or so ago, I’ve been wearing a lot of outfits that just scream “Fanny Brawne!” LOL, but seriously, ruffles, high necklines, cotton and linen day dresses…who can deny that Fanny is just plain fabulous?

And so, I did some searching and compiled a list of Fanny Brawne-ish pieces you can consider buying or emulating:

- Victoire Sweater, via Soft Surroundings

- Wide Sash Wrap, by E Shakti

- Cropped Blazer, by BB Dakota

- Ruffled Trim Shirt dress, by Eshakti

- “Lois Lane,” by Shabby Apple

I am sooooo about to order this ruffled scarf from EShakti:

Ok seriously…where can I find a field like this to sit in? I’m joking…but no really…

Because it’s Monday and we all need a laugh…

And there’s a “Catholic” version as well:

If you’re in the LA area in the next few days, my friends over at Los Angeles Pregnancy Services are hosting a benefit dinner Thursday evening at a ritzy hotel in downtown LA. Famed Catholic speaker Jesse Romero will be giving the keynote speech.

LAPS is slowly converting from a “center” to a “clinic,” the difference between the two being medical staff and medical equipment. Research has shown that a simple ultrasound can have an incredibly powerful influence on the choice between abortion and life for a child. But LAPS, and Catholic pregnancy centers like LAPS go so much further than pre-natal counseling—LAPS provides financial assistance, parenting classes, adoption placements, chastity talks, NFP courses, etc. LAPS also provides post-abortion counseling for women who need it.

This is all to say that LAPS is doing some amazing work. I’m pretty sure the deadline has passed to RSVP for the actual dinner, but if you can, please consider donating to the center that is saving so many lives.

In other news…I see that “The Butterfly Circus”, winner of the 2009 DoorPost Film Project, is making its way around the blogosphere. Catholic Underground LA will be screening the film followed by a panel discussion with the actors and director this Saturday. (For you swooning ladies, I’m pretty sure Eduardo Verastegui is coming.) If you’re not my friend on Facebook, look to the sidebar, add me, and I’ll send you an invite to the event.

~Rebecca

PS: I haven’t had a chance to get my still camera fixed yet, but I will try to take some photos of my outfits for each event.

I’m a little late on this one, but I just got the shots. If you don’t already know, Camilla is playing the titular role in “Mary, Mother of Christ” that starts production in the coming months.

I’ve seriously been listening to their debut album all weekend. The sisterly duo from Portland, Oregon are the daughters of Christian missionaries. The experiences from what I imagine can only ensue from such a lifestyle shines through their lyrics—the wonderment of God and the beauty of a relationship with the Lord mixed in with a little feminine angst. Musically, they remind me of Tegan and Sara, another pair of sisters I’m a big fan of, but I think Tal & Acacia have a bit more soulful depth to their voices.

Wake Me is available on Amazon & ITunes for $5.99.

…Because I hate cap sleeves…and I know you do too…

I’ve decided that the 2nd annual Modestia Bridal Week will take place the week of Nov. 2nd. For you readers that were not around last year, Bridal Week is the one week out of the year where I dedicate all posts to everything bridal, from appropriate bridal attire to marriage theology.

In addition to actual gowns, last year I focused on the importance of modest bridal attire. This year, I think I’m going to do some apologetics on Christian marriage in general. I’m currently taking a class entitled, “Christian Marriage & Sexuality.” Instead of learning, I’ve spent most of my time in class correcting misconceptions about Christians, sex, marriage, and that pesky “sexist” little book we call the Bible. As a result, I will be spending some time on these topics too. (As always, questions and suggestions for topics are welcome.)

I was taking a look at the links I have posted in the modest bridal section, and it occured to me that this trend of throwing cap sleeves on dresses has really got to go. This year I will be highlighting mainly unknown designers that are creating beautiful, trendy gowns with style and class.

~Rebecca

Naomi Watts and Kerry Washington were out and about at the 57th Annual San Sebastian Film Festival to promote their new film “Mother and Child,” (which sounds very interesting might I add.) These promo shots for the film caught my eye:

I’m loving each of their outfits. Kerry Washington has a very feminine, typically very modest style. Not sure how I missed this one, but here is a random shot of her at the Calvin Klein Spring 2010 show from a few weeks ago:

Given that I live in, work in, and pretty much breathe the entertainment industry, I’ve decided to publish a movie guide each month for you ladies. I won’t cover all releases (if you have a request, shoot me an email) but will specially focus on releases with female characters.

BRIGHT STAR – Out Now
Writer/Director, Jane Campion (Female Director Alert!!)
Starring: Abbie Cornish & Ben Wishaw

Bright Star is the true(ish) story of the romance between famed writer John Keats and his neighbor Fanny Braun that inspired his poem Bright Star.

I saw it last week….and I cried. When I say cried, I don’t mean I got misty, I mean that there were legitimate tears falling. I didn’t think this was going to happen given that I already knew what the end of the story was, but alas it still pulled at my heartstrings. I don’t want to give too many details about the story away, but I totally recommend this flick. In addition to it being entertaining and breathtaking cinematically, the fashion is AMAZING. Go see it and bring a tissue box. Seriously.

WHIP IT – Out Now
Director – Drew Barrymore
Writer – Shauna Cross
Starring: Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Eve, Marcia Gay Harden

I haven’t seen this one yet, but as a big fan of Ellen Page, I do plan to. Plus, I’m curious to see Barrymore’s directing skills.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE – Out October 16
Directed by Spike Jonez
Written by Spike Jonez & David Eggers

I have to admit I’ve never read the book, but every time I mention this movie to someone, typically the person salivates. It’s a cool concept; I plan to see it.

AMELIA – Out October 23
Directed by Mira Nair
Writer: Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan
Starring: Hilary Swank, Ewan McGregor

An Oscar Winner + An Awesome true story = What’s not to love? The tag line for the film is “Defying The Impossible. Living The Dream.” Well, I can’t wait.

As an aside, last night I went to a screening of “The Waiting City,” a movie about a couple that travels to India to claim their adopted baby, and in the process must confront their troubled marriage. I met Claire McCarthy, the writer/director of the film last week after mass through some Catholic film friends, and was highly impressed by her talent and ethos.

The Waiting City just had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival two weeks ago, and will be released in America at some point next year. I was emotionally moved by the film, and definitely recommend you see it once it is released. You can check out the trailer here.

Believe it or not, it’s still kinda hot here in LA. I’m still wearing my summer clothes during the day! I’m actually kind of jealous of those of you that live in colder climates because my cute fall clothes are just sitting in my closet. I’ve been able to wear some of my outfits at night, but it’s still a little too hot for me.

In any case, here we go:

Halle Berry

Emmy Rossum – Love her bag!

Anna Paquin

Kimora Lee Simmons – Despite this being a horrible photo, her dress is gorgeous.

Khloe Kardashian – This is one of those outfits you can throw on at 7 am before class and still look incredibly chic.

Jessica Alba – Her outfit is missing some accessories, but is still cute.

Molly Sims – Her top looks like it fell, but her skirt is very cute.

Drew Barrymore – Cute tunic!

Thanks for hanging in there everyone.

Things are a little bit better. My hospitalized aunt has woken up and is getting stronger little by little each day.  I really appreciate the prayers and well wishes sent to me via email and Facebook.

I don’t think I mentioned this, but my car was totaled in an accident about six weeks ago. I just got a new car over the weekend…when someone hit my mother as she was driving in the new car after having just registered it a few hours before.  It looks like the car may be totaled, so I’m probably going to have to buy another car. LOL!

Although things have been very dramatic the past few weeks, God is always present in our circumstances, right? For the record, I am doing very well, so don’t worry.

~Rebecca