She has some fun giveaways, and has also featured Bellissima! as a guest poster.  You’ll enjoy your visit to her site!  I am also including our guest post here.

Some other wardrobe pieces that are dear to my heart are cute printed skirts! I delight in having a closet full of feminine skirts that have various prints and patterns of flowers, stripes, lace, etc. I have found that these can be both dressed up (for church, a party, etc), by adding a blouse, heels, and jewelry; or they can be dressed down for casual wear, (like running errands, going to coffee etc.) by wearing them with a tee shirt or polo and flats. They are not only a lot of fun, but very versatile and you’ll feel both feminine and stylish!

There are a lot of fun accessories that can be worn to add pizazz to your casual outfits! The long necklaces that are popular right now add spunk to your outfit, and they also elongate to help an outfit or neckline be more flattering. A fun necklace of any length, a bracelet, pretty earrings, a scarf or headband all help to add personality and sparkle to your outfit. They can be the simple step that takes your outfit from bland to beautiful. Remember, we want to show the world that we represent a God who loves color and beauty!

In closing, I believe that it is absolutely possible to dress modesty and beautifully for any occasion at any stage of life. Don’t be afraid to raise the standards by joyfully celebrating the gift of your God given femininity. Also, remember that whether you are a CEO in your home, or of a company outside of your home, dress with excellence, and let your clothes be a reflection and reminder that we do our tasks unto the Lord, and not unto men (Col. 3:23). Dress with discretion and a flair for fashion, be Bellissima!

“It’s just so hard to find them that aren’t…”
“Tacky?” I asked.
“Yes!”

We went on to talk about how so many formals make women look either poured in to the dress, spilling out out of the dress, a display of entirely too much skin, or some raunchy combination of the aforementioned.  “I don’t know what the designers are thinking in (this bride is also a fashion designer, by the way), it’s like it’s all that there is out there!” she shared.

While I’ve yet to be on the hunt for a wedding dress, I too have rummaged the dress racks for modest formals!  I know how hard it can be…  As a matter of fact, a very common question we get here at Bellissima, is “do you sell modesty formals?”  As of now, we have not expanded to include that in our inventory, although we do sell bolero jackets to aid this problem.   That aside, I do understand where everyone is coming from.

So the question is, what should be the standard for formal wear?  Is it okay, because it’s a formal event to have a different set of standards?  Is it okay to wear what everyone else is, because we haven’t found anything better?  To find that answer, we must of course look to God’s Word, to His standards for His daughters!

1 Tim. 2:9 says, “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly”

We know that it is His heart that His daughters dress in a way that is chaste and modest, because it honors our bodies, our brothers in Christ, and it helps to provide us with protection from men with less than honorable intentions.  None of those things are occasion sensitive.  Even at a formal wear we want to be known as chaste and honorable women who represent Christ, we need to honor others in the room, and we want to have that protection that “taking care to cover” offers.  The blessings of modesty do not change, even at a formal event!

I have found that when we seek to honor the Lord in this area, when we “take care to cover”, He blesses!  I cannot tell you how many times that I’ve asked for the Lord to help find a dress for an event, and He does.  He can give some wonderfully creative ideas as well as ways to make your “party dress” both modest and beautiful.  Even if you find a dress that you think is beautiful, that is perhaps immodest, take an extra moment to creatively consider ways to make the dress modest before putting it back on the rack.

For example:
- I have found that bolero jackets seem to have been created to help make formals “wearable” for daughters of the King!   You can wear them with a long formal, even if it’s strapless (the positive thing about a strapless gown is that it is not low cut), and you have a formal that is both stylish and modest.

-Shawls are also helpful for this, given they can be hassle to keep situated!

-You can often get a dress altered for a reasonable cost at a tailor or dress maker.  A friend of mine has even been able to get dresses that were backless to be altered in such a way, using the same material as the dress, that made them completely modest!

-If you are handy with a needle, I’ve found that you can even alter them yourself (although it does require the help of a friend!), add straps, etc.

Be creative, be willing to look outside the box, but most of all ask the Lord for the “right dress” and for good ideas!  Is the Lord concerned about such things, you may be wondering?  I know He is!  In Luke 12:27-28, Jesus says,

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?”

Our Lord Jesus says, look at the lilies, I have clothed them!  And yet, it amazes me to realize that not only did He take the care to simply clothe them, but He clothes them beautifully!  More beautiful than Solomon, who had wealth and fame!

The Lord does care about what you wear and what is important to you, is important to Him.  He loves you so dearly, my friends.  He delights when we bring these seemingly small problems to Him in the same way that we delight when a little child lifts up helpless trusting arms and asks us for help.  Honor Him in your choices, my friends.  Don’t dress with a double standard.  He will bless you!

For His glory,
~Marianna

Among Nancy’s teachings is an excellent series on modesty, where she not only targets the outward look that we are portraying, but she targets the most important thing, the heart.  Do we have a modest heart to match our modest outward form?  And vice versa.   You can purchase her “Attractive Christian Woman Pack”, which includes her radio series (which you can listen to online anytime as well by searching for it), and two booklets The Look: Does God Really Care What I Wear and Becoming a Woman of Discretion.   

The Style Quiz

1. According to the Bible, the primary purpose of clothing is to cover the body.

2. There’s nothing right or wrong about particular clothing styles.  It’s all just a matter of taste and personal opinion. 

4.  Since the Bible says God looks on the heart, what we wear and how we appear aren’t that important; it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

5.  Our clothes and appearance reveal a lot about our values, our character, and beliefs.

6. What I wear is not really anyone else’s concern.  I should be free to wear the kind of clothes that I like and that I feel comfortable wearing.

7.  Modesty means dressing in a way that is outdated, dumpy, and unattractive.

8.  If a girl doesn’t wear trendy clothes that are at least a little revealing, guys won’t notice her.

9.  Except for guys who are “over-sexed,” most men are not really affected by the way women dress.  Most guys don’t even notice how women dress.

10.  I can’t help it if guys struggle morally because of what I wear.  It’s up to the guys to control their minds.  I shouldn’t have to change the way I dress just because they can’t control themselves.

11.  Parents shouldn’t impose their standards or beliefs about clothing on their kids.  They should let them make their own decisions, even if they don’t approve of what their kids are wearing.

12.  Christians are free to dress as they wish, because we’re not under the law, but under grace.  It’s legalistic for parents or youth leaders to establish guidelines or standards for the way young people dress.

13.  Christian women should never wear clothes that are revealing or that look sexy (i.e., clothes designed to arouse sexual desire or interest)

14.  There are some public settings where it is okay for Christian women to wear clothing that exposes their private parts (e.g., thighs, breasts).

15.  A woman can be covered from head to toe and still be dressed immodestly.

16.  A woman can wear modest clothing and still be an immodest woman.

17.  Most girls and women do not understand the meaning, the power, or the benefits of true modesty.

The Style Quiz Answer Key

1. True. God designed clothing to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness, which became shameful after they sinned.

2. False.  Choosing clothing styles is not just a matter of personal taste and opinion.  Clothing choices should be based on biblical principles. (e.g., modesty, moderation, and gender distinctiveness).

3.  False.  The Bible doesn’t spell out specifics of “right” and “wrong” clothing choices.

4.  False.  You can’t separate what’s on the inside from what’s on the outside.  The external reflection of the heart.

5.  True.  A woman’s clothing and appearance are a powerful non-verbal communicators of what she believes.

6.  False.  Everything we do- including the way we dress- affects others.  As believers, we have an obligation to be sensitive to others and to avoid anything that could put temptation in the path of another. 

7.  False.  We may not be able to wear all the most popular trends, but it is possible to be fashionable and modest. 

8. False.  It’s a matter of what kind of attention you want, and from whom.  The right kind of guys will be drawn to women who are modest- inside and out!

9.  False.  Even godly men can be easily enticed to lust by the sight of an immodest woman.

10.  False.  We may not be completely responsible for how guys thing, but we are responsible for modest appearance so we do not tempt them to sin.

11.  False.  Parents are responsible to provide guidelines, instruction, and where necessary, restraint for children who are still in their home.  (This does not mean that parents should not give their children freedom to express their own tastes, when those preference do not violate biblical principles.)

12.  False.  Every area of a believer’s life is to be lived under the authority and lordship of Jesus Christ.  Grace gives us the desire and ability to please God.  Parents and spiritual leaders are responsible to provide wise, biblical leadership for those under their authority.

13.  False. It is absolutely appropriate for a woman to be sexy (in private settings) with her husband!

14.  False.  “Place” does not determine modesty.  Unfortunately, when it comes to swimwear and formal wear, many Christian women do not even consider the issue of modesty, or they are content to settle for a standard that is “relatively” modest- i.e., modest compared to what “most people wear”- rather than asking, “Is this truly modest?”

15.  True.  A woman can be dressed from head to tow and still be immodest, if her attire is revealing, clingy, or too tight.

16.  True.  Modesty involved more than just our clothing.  It includes our attitudes, the way we talk, and our behavior- how we walk, use our eyes, engage with others, etc.

17.  True.  Unfortunately, many Christian girls and women have never taken the time to discover God’s will concerning biblical modesty.  They do not realize the great rewards and blessings modesty will bring to them and to others.

Copyright: Revive Our Hearts.  Excerpted from The Look: Does God Really Care What I Wear? by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.