I was born on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in the year….(just kidding!)

Well, where to start?  I’m 25 and married to my college sweetheart, who I’ve been with for 7 years and I’m absolutely crazy about.  We don’t have children (yet), so I work and go to school along with running a business from home.  It’s a busy life!  My fashion influences have mostly been my mother and my sisters who each have very different (but beautiful) styles.  I definitely have a conflict between my left and right brain, because I’m both extremely logical and artistic.  The two sides tend to battle it out.  Because of that, my personal fashion outlook is sophisticated with a twist.  I love pairing the clean lines of ‘expected’ pieces like a little black dress with more visually interesting and unexpected pieces such as a feathered headband.

Wow, that’s a toughie.  I’d have to say Stacy London from “What Not to Wear.”  She always looks sophisticated and put together, and her outfits give her presence without being silly or overpowering.  Stacy really nails everyday elegance, and I love that I’ve only seen one episode where she’s worn pants!  Classic, feminine, and elegant is always a win in my book.

Talking about why modesty matters is long enough to write a book about, but what modesty has done in my life is a bit easier. Modesty has been such a long journey for me, and I’m a constant work in progress.  At one point in my high school years I took care in dressing modestly and received a lot of criticism over it…I will never forget one of my high school friends asking me why I dressed like a forty-year-old.  I simply wasn’t strong enough (in my faith or myself) to take a stand at that point in my life, and when I went to college I found myself looking for validation in the ability to get a man’s attention.  It’s absolutely embarrassing to see some of the things I used to wear.  It wasn’t until I was married that I was open to hearing God’s request for modesty and realized how much influence my clothing has on my role in life.  Through modesty I’ve been taught to value myself as a person instead of a piece of meat…He has taught me to seek validation in Him and to appreciate the loving looks of my husband instead of the lustful eyes of other men.  Modesty is a continuing journey, though, especially when you were not raised in a home that requires it.  I still find myself looking for validation at times, or justifying in my mind why I should be able to wear something that I know isn’t appropriate… at times the problem is even that I find myself dressing modestly because I’ve gained weight or to please others instead of keeping my eyes on God and then my husband.  Thankfully with each stumble the Lord picks me up, dusts me off, and helps me try again.  It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve finally learned how to be modest without looking like I’m forty.

Only three? You’re killing me here! I suppose it would be my layering tank tops, black pointy-toe pumps, and a great pair of dark wash trouser-cut jeans.  I did a post on TFF when I first started that outlined the basics for a closet, and I wear all of those items so frequently that I find them all to be essentials.  A great wardrobe is like building a house…you have to have the structural pieces there first before you can worry about making it pretty.