by Kosher Casual Team | Jan 2, 2025 | Kosher Casual, Layering shirts, Layering Tops, Leggings, Long Sleeve Tops, modest clothing, Modest Fashion, Religious Modesty standards, Winter, Winter Layering, workout clothing
Winter is rearing its ugly head again this year and if there is anything I disliked (growing up in the Midwest) it’s the cold, a lot. I know I’m making the unavoidable sound so dire seeing as it rolls around every year yet I still dread it. It’s hard to look chic and sophisticated when you are wearing a ski hat, a bulky sweater, mittens and snow boots!
The thing is, I dress modestly and that includes no pants! Over the years I found it is truly is possible to stay warm in a skirt in the winter months – and still look stylish by layering! This winter there are plenty of different ways to layer your outfits to create some great on-trend looks. Whether you prefer light layers or heavy statement looks, there’s no end to the choices you have when it comes to creating a layered outfit this winter. Here are some of my go-to solutions:
Cropped Jackets over Long Layers:
Pair a cropped puffer or denim jacket over a long cardigan or tunic. This creates a visually interesting contrast of lengths and textures. Pair this with a pencil skirt either knee length or midi. Keep the waist area defined while staying modest and cozy.
Dresses over Pants:
Layer a cozy sweater dress over slim-fit trousers, leggings or fitted wide-leg knit pants. Add a belt to cinch the waist if needed. Fleece-lined leggings or tights under skirts or dresses add warmth without adding bulk.
Color Blocking:
Work a different take on color blocking by layering some colorful garments. Don’t shy away from bright hues this winter – adding splashes of color (even with black) to your look will liven up an outfit. Just remember to choose complementary colors and limit it to two or three hues
Oversized Scarves as Ponchos:
Use a large wool or cashmere scarf draped over your shoulders like a cape, securing it with a brooch or belt. These offer a cozy and stylish alternative to bulky coats, especially if you like a looser silhouette.
Skirted Leggings:
Opt for leggings with attached skirt overlays, paired with knee-high boots. Add a tailored coat for structure. This adds depth and keeps a sporty, cool aesthetic.
Layered Shirts and Sweaters:
Wear a long sleeve shell under a button-down shirt, then layer with a knit vest or oversized sweater. Keep the shirt’s collar and hem peeking out for dimension. The tailored layers and a smart combinations of textures can match your preferences for minimalism with a creative twist.
When looking at layering tips for winter, it always a good idea to do trial runs beforehand to make sure your outfits really work. These are just some ideas for you to consider when it comes to winter layering tips. Get excited about winter fashion and have a really “cool” winter!
by Kosher Casual Team | Sep 18, 2024 | cropped tops, Layering shirts, Layering Tops, modest clothing, Modest Clothing Accessories, Modest Fashion, tank top, Uncategorized
Practical and Creative Modesty Solutions!
Finding creative solutions for modesty can be a bit of a challenge. These key items extend the usability of your wardrobe across different seasons and occasions. Wearing modest clothing can help women feel more comfortable, confident and secure.
NECK
- Mock Neck and Turtlenecks: These tops provide full coverage and can be paired with various outfits.
- High-Neck Blouses: Elegant blouses with high necklines can be both stylish and modest.
- Dickies or detachable shirtfront or a small fabric insert worn to fill in the neckline. A dickey is a way to add versatility to a look, without adding bulk.
- Statement Necklaces: Layered necklaces can cover the collar bone a while adding a stylish touch.
CLEAVAGE
- Mock Tee-shirt collars or Sleeveless Crop Tops. Mock collars and sleeveless crops can give a polished and professional look without being too formal. They provide a layering without bulk.
- Camisoles or Tank Tops: Wear a camisole or tank top underneath your low-cut top. Choose opaque fabrics and higher necklines for fuller coverage.
- Scarves: Lightweight scarves can be draped or tied around the neck to cover the cleavage. Scarves not only cover cleavage, there a great way to add a pop of color and a bit of drama.
ARMS
- Three Quarter sleeve Layering Cropped Tops: Layering a cropped top over a longer top can provide coverage while adding a trendy element to the outfit.
- Detachable Sleeves: Sleeves that can be attached to sleeveless tops or dresses as needed.
- Boleros or Shrugs: Short jackets that cover the arms and can be worn over sleeveless dresses and tops. Covering the arms offers protection from the sun and can add depth and interest to an outfit.
TUMMY
- Bodysuits: A bodysuit with a modest neckline can provide full tummy coverage under skirts pants or sleeveless dresses. Bodysuits don’t “ride up” and provide a smooth or seamless finish.
- Peeking Underneath: Let a tube top or hippie peek out from underneath a cropped sweater or top, paired with a high-waisted skirt. This adds an extra layer of modesty and interest to your outfit.
- Layering Shell Top Layering tops can help make sheer or cropped garments suitable for more conservative gatherings or professional settings.
LEGS:
- Layering Dresses: You can pair shorter dresses with a longer layering dress underneath. Love that sleeveless tunic you saw online? Pair it with a layering dress for a modest complete outfit.
- Capri or Leggings: Wear leggings or tights under skirts and dresses for added coverage. Choose opaque, patterned, or textured styles to add interest.
- Layering Slips: These innovative slips can be found online and are essentially a fabric layer attached to the bottom of a regular slip.
Choosing modest clothing with these tips in mind can help enhance your natural shape and create a balanced, polished appearance. By incorporating these creative solutions into your wardrobe, you can achieve the desired coverage while maintaining a stylish and personalized look.
by admin | Sep 15, 2016 | cropped tops, Layering shirts, Layering Tops, long sleeved, Modest, modest clothing, Modest Fashion, tank top
Cropped Tank Top
Leafing through the clothing racks at the average department store, women who choose to dress modestly sometimes don’t find much to choose from. Tops are a particular source of trouble, because so many of the available shirts are designed with necklines that reveal too much cleavage.
But there’s good news – a low-cut top can be brought up to standard, so you don’t have to pass it by after all. If you’ve found a shirt that works in terms of its color, fabric, sleeve and hem design, there are plenty of ways to doctor the neckline, so it can become a real asset to your modest wardrobe.
Here are 5 neckline fixes to try:
- Head out to the thrift store and purchase a colorful tank top that harmonizes with the color of the top you want to adjust. Look for something that’s much too small – a children’s tank will do. Then cut out a triangle that can be sewn inside that plunging neckline. You can also attach this add-on coverage with snaps, to allow for different color combinations.
Kosher Casual’s TeeNeck®
- For a more delicate look, a lace-edged triangle will do the trick. This will also dress up a casual top.
- If you don’t have the time or inclination to get out needle and thread, commercially-available neckline extenders known as “TeeNecks” are a great option. Pop these over your head, then wear the shirt you need to fix on top. TeeNecks give you the coverage you need, without adding bulk.
- Layering that low-cut top over another shirt is an obvious way to breach the gap between the fashion designer’s vision and your standards of modesty. If the weather’s cool, layering a full shirt can add cozy comfort. It not, choose a cropped top. Cropped tops are built to stay stably in place, while adding coverage only where it’s needed.
- Sometimes skimpy tank tops – the type you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing in public – can actually serve as a modesty solution. Try wearing a tank top backwards as an under-layer (after removing any tags that might show). This brings the neckline up to where you need it, and turns a low-cut shirt into the basis for an outfit you’ll be happy to wear.
by admin | Jan 12, 2015 | Cardigan, Dress, Layering shirts, Layering Tops, Long Sleeve Tops, modest clothing, Modest Fashion, Tunic Tops, Winter
Some women love it when the mercury drops, because it gives them a chance to wear those heavy-duty sweaters that only come out of the closet during the coldest months of the year.
Not me.
I make my clothing decisions based on both modesty, and on my personal fashion sense. Personally, I feel prettier when my clothes offer a sleek, feminine line. And guess what? Despite the red-carpet images sold to us by Madison Avenue and Hollywood – shivering celebrities in barely-there evening gowns come to mind – we women can dress fashionably in winter… and stay warm!
Women’s Tunic Top – Short Front Long Back
Lovely Layers
Let’s go from the bottom up. Modest dressers can stay toasty by relying on three-quarter and long-sleeved shell tops. These items – which, during the summer months, help bridge the gap between an outfit’s too-low necklines or too-short sleeves, and our desired coverage level – do double-duty in winter. Not only do they keep us cozy and warm, they can also add a fashionable dash of color.
When choosing what to go on top of that first layer, I like to reach for something with a graceful, interesting shape – like an unbalanced hemline or mullet cut tunic. Both these tops look great over a boot-length skirt.
Loose Knit Cardigan with Pockets
Topping it Off
There are lots of fashion-conscious options for top layers (not to be confused with outerwear; see below) in winter. From open-front cardigans to belted sweaters, they give me a modestly feminine shape, while keeping me warm.
Stepping Out
Of course, winter weather requires a winter coat. But if you’re like me, while you don’t want to freeze, you don’t want to look like the Michelin Man, either. High-tech fabrics like Thinsulate keep the bulk down, so making belted outerwear a pretty option. So ladies, remember: whatever the forecast, think fashion!
by admin | Feb 13, 2012 | Knee-Length Skirt, Layering shirts, Layering Tops, modest clothing, Modest Clothing Accessories, tank top, Uncategorized
Shopping for modest clothing with a buddy isn’t just fun—it could save your wardrobe. You could be one layering shirt or modest accessory away from total fashion disaster, but not if your trusty shopping buddy is there with you.
Most of us know that it’s helpful to have a friend when we hit the mall. For example, I’m a hemming-and-hawing shopper, so I need my sister with me to give me the push to actually buy something. And a good SB (Shopping Buddy)—will always answer honestly when you ask, “Does this look good on me?”
But shopping for modest clothing is extra tricky. Often, we modest dressers are creating outfits of our own design. We see an amazing sleeveless dress, just perfect for [insert name of occasion, or just day of the week, here] and we decide to “modest-ize it” by pairing it with a layering shirt underneath. Or, hmmm….would it look better with a cute cardigan on top? SB to the rescue. And because that sleeveless dress was meant to be, well, sleeveless, we’re never quite sure if the colors coordinate, if we’re “pulling off” the look. But your SB—she’ll tell you if you’re rockin’ it…or not.
Long Tank Top
Then there’s the adorable V-neck sweater with a plunging neckline. Would the black tank top look better underneath? Or the white tank top? Your SB can help you decide.
There are more and more websites out there that cater to the modest dresser. You can buy an adorable sweater without a plunging neckline. Or an amazing dress with sleeves. But we don’t want to confine ourselves to only “modest clothing” stores, wonderful as they are. We want the freedom to buy clothing from any store in the world and turn it into something we can wear, modestly and confidently.
So we stock up on bolero jackets, tank tops, cardigans and layering shirts of all shapes and sizes, to create our own “modestly modern” wardrobe. A good SB helps you find those perfect layering pieces, or a hey-I-never-would-have-thought-of-that-but-it-looks-amazing outfit.
Saving your wardrobe, one tank top at a time.
What about you? Are you a go-it-alone shopper? Or do you believe, like I do, that two shopping heads are better than one?
by admin | Feb 6, 2012 | 3/4 sleeve, Layering shirts, Layering Tops, Modest Clothing Accessories, Modest Fashion
Quick—how many types of sleeve lengths can you name? If you can only come up with “short” and “long,” it’s time to update your slee-vocuabulary. Worn as layering shirts, shell tops or on their own, you can play around with different sleeve lengths to expand your wardrobe options.
Walk into many stores today, especially stores that specialize in modest clothing, and it’s like the Baskin Robbins of sleeve lengths. So many choices!
Let’s take a look, starting with the shortest and working our way down the arm.
- Sleeveless. This is your classic spaghetti strap shirt. Not overly modest, but it can work beautifully as a layering shirt, like underneath a V-neck sweater. Spice up your sleeveless shirt collection with the addition of a Bolero SleeveOn® mini shrug. The bolero is a comfortable, light accessory to cover those arms and shoulders without sacrificing style. A long tank top is also a perfect addition to your sleeveless wardrobe and looks great under a shrug or cardigan.
- Cap sleeve. Ahhh, cap sleeve shirts bring me back to my youth. Those cute little shirts with fluttery sleeves that j-u-u-u-st cover the shoulder! But cap sleeves don’t jive with a more modest wardrobe. For modest fashionistias, try wearing your cap sleeve shirt as a shell top under a jacket. Or, whip out your oh-so-fashionable-and-functional bolero to cover up your arms while letting your shirt sparkle.
- Short. The classic length, usually ending right below your shoulder. But no reason to write them off because you like something covering your arm. A classic short-sleeve shirt can have infinite uses: It can play shell top to a jacket, or layering shirt over a long sleeve shirt (play around with different colors and shades if you’re feeling bold.) With a short sleeve shirt, the bolero can function as an over-the-shirt jacket, or an under-the-shirt layering shirt. In the summer, when you want as few layers as possible, Sleevies® come to your rescue. A pair of Sleevies® under your short sleeve shirt creates a modest sleeve length.
- Right above the elbow. Eureka! My personal favorite, especially for summer. It covers the arm between the shoulder and elbow, but stops right above the elbow. A modest look that lets you stay cool.
- ¾ length. Different stores and different manufacturers have differing ideas about what makes a shirt “3/4 length,” so you definitely want to try it before you buy it. A shirt of this length could end anywhere from right below the elbow to right above the wrist. Go for the below the elbow length if you want the right fit. Modest and so super-easy, 3/4 length shirts are a must-have for your shirt wardrobe.
- Long. The other classic length, which comes down to your wrist. (Tall shoppers beware: Make sure the sleeve covers your wrist. I have had one too many occurrences of buying a long sleeve shirt without trying it on and seeing that it ends just above my wrist, a fashion no-no.) A fitted long sleeve top coordinates with any skirt and is an easy, modest fashion choice.
What are your favorite sleeve lengths? Do you prefer the ease of a simple long or 3/4-length sleeve, or do you love to layer?
