Here at Pearl & Clasp, we are all about class and quality. Pearls reflect an age-old, timeless beauty that can’t be outshone by more modern styles. As such, when we saw this article in the NY Times, we couldn’t be more thrilled! Modesty is making a serious comeback by breaking into mainstream fashion.
Inspired by the wardrobes of religious Jewish and Muslim women, clothing lines featuring wide-legged trousers, knee length skirts, maxi dresses and even accessories like headscarves and hijabs are becoming easier to find. Mimi Hecht and Mushky Notik, for example, are a pair of Hasidic Jews with a real passion for fashion. Sisters-in-law, they created their own line, called Mimu Maxi, in an effort to fill a significant void in today’s fashion world. Their collection reflects their “religious but worldly sensibility,” offering a solution for modern religious women who want to look and feel good, and fit into the “real world”, while adhering to their own code of modesty. “We keep the Sabbath, and we also love Beyonce,” Notik explained.
Mimu Maxi’s styles feature muted colored dresses and simple, understated pieces that are popular both within religious circles and without. In fact, similar styles can be found in numerous boutiques and designer collections that have no connection to religious women. As a result, the store is attracting customers from a wide variety of backgrounds, branching out of religious Jews and Muslims and into more secular crowds. Out of approximately seven thousand buyers, nearly 50% are not Jewish, and at least a quarter have absolutely no connection to religion.
Mimi Hecht explains: “We see the word — and hashtag! — ‘modesty’ really growing and taking on speed with religious women. But then again, to non-religious women, the word ‘modesty’ sometimes sounds archaic, even ugly. We are doing our part to change that, to show that modesty can be beautiful, fun, even sexy.”
According to Notik, religious women can be “fun, and funny, and open, and have the same struggles, and enjoy the same things as everyone else. That’s a big epiphany for some people.”
Mimu Maxi’s Instagram account works overtime to prove that this is indeed true, with controversial pictures, captions and emoticons. It has gained more than 18,000 followers, and is constantly growing in popularity.
What do you think of #modesty? Can it be applied to today’s fashion world?
Until next time,
P&C
XOXO