Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Retro Modern Modest Dress Sophisticate

There is no better time then now to rock the modest fashion for women.  Inspirations have been overflowing in reality and TV, and we enter 2020 strong with the retro modern sophisticate look across the top-notch designer board.  Watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Google “Princess Kate outfits” to get the best of the best wardrobe ideas.  Whether you’re dressing for a wedding, heading to work, or stretching out on Sunday, modest attire is at your finger tips.  But you don’t have to break the bank to get the Look.  Below the knee skirts, below the elbow shirts and sweaters, and “one-and-done” dresses abound at Boden.com.

This “Nancy Ponte Dress” is on clearance at Boden.com, priced at $51.99.


Happy modest shopping!

- Sophie

Monday, February 17, 2014

Making Everyone Happy



Is it possible to make everyone happy at your wedding, especially when there’s a mixed bag of personalities (and religious views) within and between you and your fiancés families? The short answer is no, so stop kvetching and throw the wedding of YOUR dreams, despite what the forces around you might desire.  But let’s say you really want to try to make everyone happy.  When it comes to throwing an Orthodox Jewish Wedding there are certain topics that may become heated discussions.  I recently went to an Orthodox Jewish Wedding that did a superb job of finding a balance for everyone, and I would like to share some learnings:
·         Modesty and Wedding Guest Attire:
o   How do you enforce “modesty” at your wedding when guests come from many backgrounds?  This is what my friend did:
§  Favor of your Reply Card:  My friend sent a wedding invitation it included a favor of reply card that stated the following at the bottom of the card:  “We request that you please dress modestly”.
·         The Mechitza and Dancing – mixed vs separate:  Some religious families prefer completely separate rooms or a wall that folds to separate men and women from each other during the dancing/ Horah.  How can you make everyone happy if the idea of separate dancing at your wedding is something you will not consider?  This is what my friend did:
o   For most of the dancing there was separate dancing using trees as the mechitza.  The bride mentioned to relevant family members ahead of time that there would eventually be mixed dancing, during the last hour of the wedding.  This helps give a heads up to relatives that will either love (or hate) having it mixed.
·         Mixed Gender Seating at the Ceremony
o   Some wedding venues may not have a center aisle to walk down where there is a section of seats to the left and a section to the right, making it difficult if you want/need to have the men and women seated separately.  This is where your bridal party and/or venue staff can take an active role.  My friend’s wedding was in a synagogue that did have a center aisle; however, it did help that the venue staff were standing at the doors to the ceremony area handing out ceremony programs and guiding men and women to their respective seating areas.
·         Mixed Gender Seating at the Reception
o   The general theme among Jews holding by different practices is that the more religious may want separate gender seating.  You may not want this.  So, what can you do to make everyone happy?  This is what my friend did:
§  Table Placement:  The L-Shape of the reception area where tables were placed became a strategic placement of where wedding guests were seated.  At the far end of one part of the L-shape there were religious families separated by gender.  The other part of the L-shape was mixed gender seating.  Such placement ensured all parties to feel comfortable at their respective tables.
§  Benching:  When it came to benching at the end of dinner, my friend had her rabbi find a neutral area to make the “benching” announcement and gather guests that wanted to participate to be near the bride/groom for singing the sheva brachot.
·         Ultra- Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Traditional Jewish, Reform
o   Sometimes there are “extreme” Jews within the bride and grooms families.  These Jews may feel passionate about where they stand as Jews to an extent that could impact the harmony of your wedding.  What do you do?
§  Acceptance is Key.  Maybe the reform Jews in your family hate the idea of wearing a kippah, or dressing “modestly”.  Maybe the ultra-orthodox Jews are discontented by the idea of mixed dancing.  You cannot control how they feel, so don’t even try.  But what you can do is embrace them and embellish their differences.  This is what my friend did:
·         Under the Chuppah, she gave honors to a variety of Jews…a very well-respected religious rabbi with curly sideburns, wearing a shtreimel hat and black and white garb gave a bracha with the thickest Yiddish accent you ever heard and did it with all his heart; not soon after, a not-so religious relative gave a bracha reading from a transliterated Hebrew/English paper in order to pronounce the Hebrew correctly.  It was touching and beautiful to see both extreme Jews under the Chuppah sharing the same mitvah of honoring the bride and groom.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Bridal Gowns with Long-sleeves: Monique Lhuillier Fall 2013 / Spring 2014 Bridal Collections

It seems modest gowns continue to be part of today's trend in bridal fashion.  Monique Lhuillier's latest collection offer brilliant long-sleeve wedding gown styles that has set a strong path for other designers to follow.  While Monique Lhuillier may not exactly be within every girl's wedding dress budget, her designs can serve as an inspiration when choosing your modest bridal gown. 
Be inspired!  Happy shopping, and Mazel Tov on your upcoming wedding!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Modest Summer Dress Ideas

Hot summer days can mean suffering with sticky, sweaty outfits for the Orthodox Jewish gal.  How do you keep covered when all you want to do is jump in a pool to beat the heat?  I explored this quandary myself and found some reasonably priced fashionable dresses perfect for Summer that can work in a multitude of settings, including your friend's upcoming Orthodox Jewish Wedding:

Versatile Day and Evening Dress:

Perfect Dress for the Wedding Guest:

The Little Black "Modest" Dress:



FYI - Designers such as Tahari, Karen Kane, Tucker and Kamalikulture seem to include modest options in their seasonal portfolio of styles.

Enjoy!

Questions or comments?  Email me at sophielev@live.com or write a comment. 




Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Checklist of Jewish Wedding Items

Planning your Jewish Wedding can be overwhelming if you are not aware of all of the items that are needed, along with the timing to check these items off your To Do list.  I have created a spreadsheet of several Jewish-related items and associated timing (click on the tables to expand).  Please feel free to provide feedback or ask questions about this list.



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Perfect Affordable Modest Dresses for Everyday or Evening Play


Finding fitted long-sleeve chic modest and affordable dresses that can be worn for everyday or evening play seems like mission impossible.  Then along came Boden.  Personally, I never heard of this UK clothing store until I mysteriously got on their mailing list and recently received their Winter 2012 catalogue.  I was pleasantly surprised!  Whether you're looking for the perfect little black (modest) dress or fashionable long-sleeve dresses that can be worn to work or for play, Boden's got a great selection of styles at reasonable prices.  Catch their sale at http://www.bodenusa.com/

Here are some favorite modest chic dresses (all of which are currently on sale at BodenUSA.com):


Was this blog useful?  If so, don't be shy!  Feel free to comment or email me.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Under the Chuppah: A Bride’s Prayers

The preparation prior to the day of your wedding includes so many minor details it is easy to forget the big picture – you are getting married! The day of your wedding should be one of celebrating the unification between you and your soul mate, not one of stressing about trivial things that may not go as planned on your wedding day. That being said, I believe one of the essential ways to tap into the spiritual side of your wedding day and embrace getting married is Under the Chuppah. 

Walking around your husband-to-be seven times is an important opportunity to give blessings and say prayers that seal a stronger bond between you, your chosson and Hashem. Out of all of the details you may want to think about on your wedding day, embrace the time you spend under the chuppah walking around seven times and praying to Hashem. Your prayers are personal and there are many thoughts that may come to your mind. I thought of what I wanted to say ahead of time, printed it out and brought it with me under my chuppah, which turned out to be very handy. I also wrote a list of names to say when praying for others. 

This is a personal thing to each bride, but here is an outline of some essentials based on A Bride’s Prayer for Sepharadim and Askenazim Jewish Women by Rabbi Michael Haber: