.

Rev. Andrew O’Conner is a priest from the Bronx with a social justice mission: unite workers in the Bronx with workers in Guatemala to make eco-friendly clothes from organic cotton.

His line has done very well thus far, with some shorts from his line having been featured in Vogue not too long ago.

Rev. O’Conner modeling menswear with his nieces in pieces from his collection.

You can view more of the collections and purchase items at Goods of Conscience.

“For antiquated living…”

Ric Rac Clothing by Jarred Garza was by far my favorite line at the Thread Show. In fact, we kept taking turns to go visit his booth! You will be seeing Ric Rac Clothing on my site again in a few months…

You can check out Ric Rac’s Myspace here.

I passed by the LA store yesterday and thought “ooh-la-la.”

Her lines are filled with deliciously bright and funky pieces…and I’m lovin’ it.

I’ve always been a fan of Vivenne Westwood. Her clothes are fun and modern, yet very modest and feminine.

My favorite by far:

Vivenne’s lines Anglomania, Red Label, and Gold Label are available for purchase at Net-A-Porter.

Also, check out these cute floral headbands by Motley Handmade…all for $12-15! One of these headbands would be a great addition to your spring/summer wardrobe.

H/T to Eliza Mag’s Blog.

Abigail Lorick is a relatively new designer on the block. Born in Florida, Lorick moved to Paris at age 18 and became an international model.  

Wondering where all of the classic, tasteful, fashion-forward pieces had gone, her first collection debuted in 2008.

Check out some of the pieces from the spring 2009 line:

Pssst: Take a look at her Fall ‘08 collection; it’s gorgeous!

Essentially all of the links in the bridal category will take you to sites with modest bridesmaids dresses, but here are some more for viewing pleasure:

Jessica May Bridal specializes in making custom attire for the entire bridal party, men included.

The website of David’s Bridal has an application that can help you coordinate the outfits of the party.

As far as bridesmaids dresses go, two of my favorite designers are Siri and Simple Silhouettes. The gowns are chic and come in a variety of vibrant colors.

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I absolutely cannot leave out Pronovias in my ten best list—Pronovias is pretty much my favorite bridal brand….ever. I wrote earlier that if you need modest bridal wear you should head to either Utah or Spain, the former because of the predominant Mormon population, the latter for the predominant Catholic population.

It is an untested theory of mine that many bridal designers from Spanish (& Portuguese) speaking countries design styles slightly more romantic than American designers.  This is also true of other ethnic designers, as I have seen some beautiful designs with African and Asian influences.  There is something romantic about modesty, and I think the Pronovias brand has captured this.

They may be too conservative for some, but I like Eternity’s gowns.  They’re very simple with just enough embellishments to do the job.  The current line has a very nice selection of more fitted sheath styles for a “sexy modest” look.

I love the train…

Jessica is a Utah based designer who specializes in custom made modest bridal wear. She works with clients of all sizes and locations.

This gown is on sale for $450.

Monique’s gowns range from being moderately expensive to very expensive, but her pieces are so romantic and beautiful I can’t not mention them.

Depending on the size of your bust, many of her gowns would need to be slightly built up to cover your cleavage (something that is relatively simple and inexpensive to do.)

Like I wrote earlier, the wonderful thing about Jasmine Bridal is that they have a service that will customize practically any of their gowns. You can change the necklines, sleeve types, etc. 

Like Abella Bridal, I think Pamela’s Gowns are very fashion forward, yet still very modest. The spring 2009 line has all of the current trends including a tiered gown.

From an older collection…

 

Sincerity’s collection has a number of modestly cut plus size bridal gowns.

I like these gowns immensely for their simple, modern design.

This gown is pictured on an average size model but is available in plus sizes as well.

If you’re having a winter wedding, I would highly suggest you check out Justin Alexander’s line of bridal gowns.

In addition to the usual satin, taffeta, and satin, Justin Alexander has a few gowns with velvet and rhinestone details perfect for a wedding within the Christmas season.

The line has a number of sleeve and jacket options, so a gown like this could be made appropriate for a mass.

This particular gown comes with a number of detachable options including sleeves, a jacket, and a lace overlay.

I wish all designers would create options like these…

If you’ve dreamt about that beautiful classic church wedding, chances are one of Kathleen’s gowns is exactly like the one you dreamt of yourself in.

The gowns in Kathleen’s line are made largely of lace details on satin or lace on taffeta for that classic and romantic look. These gowns are definitely timeless, so if that’s the look you’re going for, head on over to Kathleen’s Bridal.

The gowns are priced from around $600 – $1000.

I think I’m done discussing theory and giving out advice, so now it’s time to discuss bridal fashions. I will be highlighting my ten favorite designers of bridal fashions with another post for bridesmaids’ dresses and tuxedos between now and Friday.

First up, Abella Bridal!

I think the underlying worry about “modest bridal wear” is that you’ll appear to look like a child. (You can only have so many bows and ruffles before things go awry…) I think Abella’s gowns completely demolish that worry. They are cut modestly, yet designed to be sexy and chic.

The gowns are priced from around $350 – $2500.

Catholic Disney Actress Selena Gomez has designed a line of t-shirts for Palomita Clothing to benefit the Palomita Education Fund, which aims to help Latinos get into college.

Selena said:

It was a rewarding experience to design a t-shirt for the Palomita Education foundation which is dedicated to improving the lives of Latinos through education. It is great to be part of such a wonderful charity.

I’ve decided to make Selena an OFFICIAL MODESTIA CHICK as she is a talented young lady (who wears a chastity ring!) and is engaged in all kinds of humanitarian work. She is the spokesperson for UNICEF’s Trick-or-Treat Campaign and participated in a fashion show for St. Jude’s Hospital last weekend in Beverly Hills:

Check out her line for Palomita:

Who says it has to be itsy bitsy?

That is the tagline for Jessica Rey’s line of modest swimwear.

Rey Swimwear’s 2008 collection is named “Audrey” because we hope to capture [Audrey Hepburn's] sense of style, grace, class, and of course, fun. Each style this season is named after one of her most loved characters- Holly, Jo, Eliza, Sabrina, and Gaby.

I first became aware of Jessica via Facebook when I was invited to attend the event Catholic Underground, a wonderful apostolate started by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal that I had heard great things about, but was never able to attend because it was in New York and not on the West Coast. There are other chapters around the country, and Jessica and some of her friends decided to organize a SoCal CU with the friars. I haven’t been able to attend any events this summer due to my traveling, but as soon as I move back in on campus in a little over a week I intend to make CU a regular habit.

Jessica is a Catholic actress, model, and designer who has been in a variety of television shows and commercials. Perhaps what I think is the coolest part of her resume was her role as one of the rangers in the popular children’s series Power Rangers.  She also gives talks to teens about modesty and chastity. 

I must say that in my time I’ve seen some pretty ridiculous “modest” swimwear. I call some of these lines ridiculous because if I showed them to some of my (Catholic) friends who play water polo or surf, two very active water sports, they would probably laugh in my face. To buy Jessica’s very cute and dare I say practical line of swimwear, just click here. For updates and to talk to Jessica directly, join the Rey Swimwear Facebook group.

For more modest swimwear options, check my modest apparel blogroll to the right.

Happy Shopping ladies, Rebecca.

PS: Jessica and her friend Robyn blog here.

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.