How to dress modestly and stylishly

Telling someone how to dress stylishly is a little too broad to explain here, so when it comes to "stylishly" and . As far as "modestly" goes, I'd say:

1. Don't show cleavage. Necks can still be plenty low yet not show cleavage, or too much of it, in an inappropriate setting. (If you've going for "super-modest" then don't wear a low neckline at all.) There are lots of stylish tops and dresses that are stylish and don't show cleavage. If you think there aren't you're looking in the wrong stores, or else looking at the wrong people as examples. Depending on how modest you want to be, you may or may not want a low neckline that stops just short cleavage. Maybe, instead, you'd rather a higher neckline if you want "really modest". "Just short of showing cleavage" doesn't necessarily look immodest. Showing "masses of cleavage" tends to.

Slender, smaller-topped women and girls tend to be able to get away with lower necklines without showing cleavage (often because they don't have any, but that's beside the point). Bigger busted and/or overweight women's cleavage shows higher and sooner with low necklines, and when that cleavage shows there's lots of it. Needless to say, some women prefer it this way; but if it's modesty you want then the cleavage has to go, and there's more flexibility with necklines for smaller women and girls.

2. Wear skirts that don't involve showing underwear if you aren't always tugging at the hemline to prevent that from happening. If you want more modesty than that, wear a yet longer skirt than the minimum-length skirt suggested here.

3. Wear clothes that allow you (and them) to move without showing either underwear or whatever is under it (or ought to be under it).

4. If underwear lines and/or bulges/rolls of fat are showing, it's too tight. Buy a bigger size. This applies both to modesty and stylishness. Neither underwear lines nor fat rolls are stylish with any outfit.

5. Something to keep in mind about some skin-showing outfits is also that the occasion and situation can make the difference between what looks appropriate (or appropriately modest, in this case) and what doesn't. What looks on the immodest side at the local grocery store can look perfectly acceptable at a special occasion. For example, a plunging neckline at the Academy Awards can seem far from "immodest" on the actress wearing it, but the same kind of neckline on a soccer mom at her child's Saturday morning practice can look pretty questionable.

Similarly, a super-low neckline on a hot Summer day can look appropriate, while the same neckline in the middle of a snowy February afternoon tends to make the wear seem more interested in revealing cleavage than in keeping herself from getting frostbite.

6. If a neckline feels or seems a little too low (even if no cleavage is showing) add a stylish little jacket to reduce the look of showing more skin than you're comfortable showing.

7. If you're someone who feels uncomfortable wearing jeans or pants that are stylish but tighter than you like, add a top or jacket that comes down over the bottom - or consider wearing a stylish skirt instead.

8. Be very careful with low-rise jeans. If you're always having to tug at the edge of your shirt and/or if you're feeling a draft you shouldn't be feeling, wear longer tops (or more of them). They are what is considered, "stylish", these days, but if modesty is your aim you may find this particular clothing item not worth the risk they pose.

These few, simple, guidelines allow for a whole lot of clothing items that are stylish yet still modest; and regardless of the cleavage we all see in our local supermarkets these days, the fact is there are plenty of clothing items available that are stylish and yet that don't "scream", "aiming to look outdated and modest."

Note:  This Hub has been revised, so some of the pre-revision comments may not seem to apply to the Hub.