I’ve loved this fashion series, and I can now understand why so many women put up pictures of their outfits online. I like the suggestions you provide, and I looooove when people say they like a clothing item I have. I don’t have a lot of confidence when it comes to fashion, but I feel like this series has helped me to take risks and explore interesting combinations. The best change has been my move away from wearing so much black. This certainly coincides with my weight loss, but I agree that I look so much better in tones that aren’t quite so harsh.
I have decided to make a change though, and move away from using the phrase Fashionably Modest to describe these posts. As you can see, this one is titled Style Files. Certainly not original, but I felt like devoting my brain power to other areas instead of coming up with a unique title.
I made this switch because I’ve recently become disillusioned with the way modesty is interpreted in the LDS Church, the way this interpretation generates shame, and how it is often used as an excuse for judging someone else’s choices. And being modest isn’t just about clothes, it’s about homes and cars and lifestyles too. I don’t know what the exact definition of a modest lifestyle is, I guess it would be different for each person, but it’s something I’d like to work toward and I think using it as a title for a series on what clothing I wear reinforces the idea that it’s about nothing more than not wearing a low-cut top or a skirt above the knees. It’s something I’m still working through.
I’m not changing the way I dress, just the way I interpret and use the term modest.
Shirt: Ann Taylor, thrifted
Jacket: thrifted
Jeans: Not Your Daughters
Shoes: Born
I have a thing for vests lately. I want to buy more of them.
I’m also going to stop attaching prices to the description of my items. I’m tired of keeping track of what things cost and looking them up for my posts, so from now on you’ll just see where I found the item, and possibly the brand.
Oh, and I’ve taken a few pictures of T1 in a few of my favorite outfits he has. I think those “mini style files” posts will be really cute. 
January 17th, 2012 on 9:08 am
I’ve been looking for a vest like that for myself (did you know: shopping in Australia is not great?), so naturally I love yours! This is one of my favourite outfits you’ve posted.
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January 17th, 2012 on 9:08 am
I think the new name is very appropriate
I like your vest! I have such a large ribcage I can never find jackets or vests to fit properly.
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Gwendolyn Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 8:26 pm
I like the change too! I struggle with explaining to others my commitment to modesty in all aspects my life, even other Latter-Day Saints, and then my personal views on clothing, especially concerning dressing appropriately for places and various situations. (That’s the one that makes me a little insane.) Thank you for writing when things are thrifted…it’s great inspiration for my own shopping trips!
And Jacqueline, I have the same problem with my ribcage, plus I have “football” shoulders so all my jackets and dressy shirts have to be bought too big and then tailored/taken in…it’s so frustrating!
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January 17th, 2012 on 9:25 am
I like your interpretation of modest too
I use to post my outfits and costs and such. Then I realized it’s hard to remember it all. I don’t blame you for stopping. I think most people are looking for inspiration above all else.
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January 17th, 2012 on 9:38 am
If I shouldn’t be walking out the door — I would write a long comment but I think you absolutely hit the nail on the head and I love that you said that modesty is about lifestyle and cars — I really like that. I think I am going to text Sean that now.
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January 17th, 2012 on 9:55 am
I love your boots. I have a pair of Born sandals and I adore them: they are stylish and comfortable. Now I wish I lived somewhere where wearing boots was actually practical!
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January 17th, 2012 on 10:31 am
Love Born shoes – they are so comfy! I have a pair of their sandals I can wear on all day excursions and they have never hurt my feet.
Also, I just wanted to comment that I like the renaming, I think it’s a positive change! I’ve noticed that in the Mormom wife and mommy blogs I read they often correlate the word ‘modest’ exclusively with dress and don’t know/realize that it’s also a way of living and being – having a modest lifestyle and being humble about one’s self/lacking vanity.
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vintage_paige Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 10:53 am
I also think it’s a positive change and I’m so glad you’re not part of the modest=inches of coverage brigade. I’ve always found blogs solely devoted to modest fashion full of pictures to seem somewhat contradictory.
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Sarah Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 11:14 am
Exactly! Those bloggers who post numerous pictures of themselves posing and preening while espousing modesty always left a bad taste in my mouth.
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January 17th, 2012 on 11:26 am
What a great revelation! It’s something I hope you share with your community, because it’s always bothered me that Mormon women call it modest, but they devote so much energy to how they look/vanity.
You look great! A suggestion in regards to vests, if you want to wear more of them, maybe find a style that is closed at the waist. It would slim and elongate your figure.
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January 17th, 2012 on 11:27 am
I’m glad you are including ‘thrifted’ where applicable even if not including the amounts (which I agree aren’t really necessary). I was following a blog of a LDS gal who I thought had great outfits (things I would wear) but I got disillusioned after awhile because everything was Anthropologie, Neiman Marcus, and various other pricey places. Not that I think it’s at all bad to spend a bit more for good clothes (for the most part, you get what you pay for!), but I just can’t/won’t drop a few hundred dollars several times a month at those shops.
I need fashion inspiration that incorporates the good stuff at Nordstrom *AND* the thrifted, Target, Old Navy stuff too.
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January 17th, 2012 on 12:01 pm
While I am not a big fan of vests, I think you pull it off great. The boots look killer with it as well!
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January 17th, 2012 on 12:01 pm
I love your ideas about the different interpretation of modesty, and I totally agree that modesty is more than how you dress. I’ll be interested in hearing what you come up with on that topic in the future.
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January 17th, 2012 on 12:37 pm
That vest looks great on you!
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January 17th, 2012 on 12:55 pm
I agree with your point of view on modesty. I am so sick of hearing about modesty only in reference to clothes. Some of my friends are this way when everything else in their life is about excess. I know as LDS we are supposed to dress modestly but so many members seem to forget we are supposed to live modestly as well. I like to visit fashion blogs that show everyday styles that translate well to my life. I take more in general ideas of how things work together than this or that exact piece in this exact outfit.
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Jenna Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Yes, I need realistic outfits to look at. I don’t have the ability to visualize and translate very abstract runway style stuff into everyday life. Plus most of my stuff comes from Ann Taylor, Gap, Old Navy, etc, because it’s secondhand stuff bought at the thrift store. I want to get ideas for how to pair really basic stuff like that with accessories.
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Katy Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
At BYU, we had specific dress rules and while I largely didn’t mind them at all (I’m not at ALL the type to want to show more skin – the world can thank me for that…:), it did bug me how literal everyone took them. A whole ‘letter of the law’ as opposed the ‘spirit of the law’ thing.
For instance, skirts and shorts needed to be knee length, but girls would wear knee length skirts…with mile high slits up the front. But they patted themselves on the back for wearing a knee length skirt (even though with the view they gave you, they might as well have been skirt-less:).
Did I really care exactly what they wore and if they were perfectly modest or not? No. That’s their business, but what bothered me was that we need to do a better job about teaching modesty – it’s more than a prescriptive list. It’s an attitude, an overall behavior. We need to teach the “why” and how the idea of modesty influences other parts of our life as well.
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January 17th, 2012 on 1:54 pm
Long time reader but a first-time commenter. I just had to drop in and say that your shirt/vest look absolutely fabulous on you! It gives you this gorgeous shape. You’re absolutely lovely!
Additionally, I’m not Mormon, but I love reading all of your posts on Mormonism and the LDS faith. So thank you for exposing me to a new faith I might otherwise never have known much about!
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January 17th, 2012 on 2:40 pm
Maybe a size up with the vest? It looks like it’s straining around the boob area. I have that problem a lot with button down shirts.
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January 17th, 2012 on 3:20 pm
When I think of modesty, I usually think of just dress, but you’re so right. Thanks for new insight!
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January 17th, 2012 on 4:36 pm
Jenna, you are looking lovely and the jeans are so great with those boots. However, that vest is doing you NO favors. You are too busty for that look and the button looks like it wants to run free. I think you like them because they show your small waist (right?) so why don’t you try something more “current” style wise like cardigan with a skinny belt around your waist (a la J.Crew)or a high waisted skirt (so long as it stops just above your knee)? This will make you look modern, hip, and less like a busty waiter. Just my $0.02.
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Jenna Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
I do like that it shows off my waist! I also feel like it’s a way for me to wear close fitting undershirts that distract from my belly a little bit.
I’ll try it on again, but I don’t know. I wore it here and I don’t feel like I look like a waiter. I still like it I think. http://thatwifeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/c5a9cda.jpeg
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Suzy Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Hmm. It does look WAY better (cute! and I never thought I would say that about a vest) in that photo and I think it is because you are wearing color (shoes & shirt) and the button down gives it more of an edge than just a white shirt. I do like that button down and the pointy shoes. I think the way it falls in the post picture makes it look “splayed open” which reads “doesn’t fit.” Other ways to make your waist look thin are: vnecks (no cleavage please), belts at your waist, high waisted skirts and wrap dresses.
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Shawna Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
This isn’t my favorite outfit you’ve posted, but I think it’s still cute! I do like the vest a lot better with the button down shirt vs the fitted white shirt, however.
I love the new name, and I agree in that prices aren’t necessary.
Thanks for sharing!
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Andrea Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Totally agree! I think there are better ways to flatter your beautiful curves (I am a curvy, busty girl too and a BIG fan of belted cardigans and high waisted skirts). I think the vest widens you through the hips.
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MissPinkkate Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
I agree- the way it opens makes a triangle with your stomach/hips as the widest part. Not flattering.
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January 17th, 2012 on 6:09 pm
Interesting! I’d love to hear more about modesty if you feel so inclined.
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January 17th, 2012 on 6:28 pm
I totally agree with the last few comments. I think a belted cardigan or even a fun belt over a long shirt would be another alternative to the tight vest trend you seem to be embracing. Otherwise, I’d recommend going a size up. You’ve got the cleavage, flaunt it! But I don’t think this is your best look (unless you loosened it up a bit). Love the overall look otherwise.
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January 17th, 2012 on 6:31 pm
PS I also appreciate the title change. Sometimes I feel it a little offputting for people to call themselves “fashionable” or even modest. Sometimes I feel it seems a little arrogant, especially when what one person deems fashionable may not be to another or definitions of modesty may vary. I think this implies more of a friendly attitude of wanting to share and get input with the new title.
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January 18th, 2012 on 5:25 am
I always got a kick out of “fashionably modest” because to me that’s “work clothing”, and how I dress 99% of the time. (and I don’t consider myself modest)
I agree with the comments about the vest being a bit showy for the breasts. This would be to tight for me for work. Of course, I’m an A cup, so it’s easy for me to say that. I give you credit because I think it’s much harder to be fashionable, modest and large chested.
I agree you should consider wrap shirts or skirts if you haven’t already.
Keep up with the weight loss, you’re looking good.
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January 18th, 2012 on 4:05 pm
Love the jeans and the white tee, and big puffy heart love those boots.
However I don’t think that vest is doing you any favors, it looks a size too small.
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February 2nd, 2012 on 1:21 am
Hey Jenna! I haven’t been by your blog for awhile and just wanted to say you look awesome!
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