CASEY writes:

I have read up on your discussions about the difficulty of finding traditionalist attire in the modern world and thought you and your readers might appreciate another recommendation. Shabby Apple is a retailer I recently discovered that offers very tasteful, modest clothing. In fact, I think it’s the best clothing site I’ve ever come across! Their motto is “Beautiful Dressing Shouldn’t Be Complicated,” so they clearly recognize the ridiculousness of having to purchase cardigans and sweaters separately in order to cover oneself; and the average dress length hits just below the knees. The only general downsides are that most of the dresses are pattern-less, probably not ideal for housework, (as you mentioned before patterned dresses show less dirt) and are a tad bit expensive (though they still appear worth investing in). I’ve messaged them about my wanting less single-colored dresses, so maybe if more women do the same they will put the idea to work. Also, sights in the maternity section warm my heart! Here’s a beautiful image:

—- Comments —-

John responds:

I’ll make note of the site for my wife. I should note that I am a fan of the rather expensive and not quite so conservative hemline collection of Anthropologie. They get “classic cute/not overly flashy” real well.

Mark L. writes:

I looked around the Shabby Apple site, and I’m sorry, but I just don’t see how Casey or anyone else with eyes can find these dresses modest. I mean, compared to what? I’m not advocating going Amish or frumpy, but ladies, this stuff is fit only for a nightclub.

Laura writes:

I like the colors and some of the cuts, but I have to agree with Mark. There’s very little with long sleeves and most of the skirts and dresses are very short.

Meredith writes:

Along the lines of sites for dresses would be Modcloth. You can filter your choices by length and price. I especially love that they name the dresses such as “About the Artist” (one of my favorites) which makes window shopping on their site entertaining. There are lovely things out there, you just have to know where to look.

Casey writes:

Yes, maybe I should have emphasized the underlying message when I said “the average length hits the knees.” I’m about 5’3″ so most of the dresses would hit below my knees. Making some of the dresses work depends somewhat on one’s height. And this site is like many of the others in that you have to search out for the good pieces; in general it’s considerably better than what I’m used to seeing, which would be my answer to Mark’s question. But no, of course it’s still not ideal, unfortunately. That link to ModCloth shows their more concealing dresses, but you still see the same short-sleeved theme (much worse than Shabby Apple). Also, beware: from my own experience, ModCloth’s quality is rather cheap.

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