As a modest dresser, I’m grateful that designers are incorporating items in their collections that could seamlessly blend into my everyday wardrobe. For a large part of my life, I spent extra time sewing up slits on dresses, going up in sizes to get a looser fit, and resort to ordering modest clothing from questionable international sites. Now, the modern day consumer’s desire for comfort has resulted in more loose-fitting, oversized, and covered-up options on the market than ever before. On the runways, we got everything from skirts-over-pants layering at Maryam Nassir Zadeh to ethereal maxi gowns at Peter Do, who continues to reign as the designer grabbing everyone’s attention during fashion month.
As much as I am grateful for the recent shift in the sartorial world, it’s hard to ignore that even when the global modest fashion market proved to be worth hundreds of billions, there was still a lack of attention towards us until something we’re wearing just happened to go mainstream.
There’s still a long way to go for modest representation, and that’s why I’m taking the matters into my own hands and styling the biggest modest trends for the S/S 2022 season below. There is no cookie-cutter image for a modest dresser, and everyone has their own definition, so while i took my own spin on these six trends, the options for you are still out there. Keep scrolling to get inspired and try out the trends for yourself. You won’t regret it.
Since layering is a huge part of modest fashion, pairing multiple colorful pieces together has always come as a challenge to me. After seeing the array of saturated shades that have come down the recent runway shows, I realized the rules aren’t as strict as I was making them out to be. I followed Amy Smilvoc of Tibi’s advice, who says color should be “one, ton, or none”, which means an outfit should consist of one color (or its similar shades), a ton of color, or none at all. Here, I’m obviously using that “ton” category.
Growing up, preppy fashion didn’t look like what it is today. Back then, the fitted polos and khakis weren’t exactly the best options for a modest dresser like me. But now, It’s back with a little bit of a rebellious touch. Whether it’s an oversized knit or loose-fitting trousers, the new take on the aesthetic is what moves it from it’s past iteration to it’s present day compatibility. As someone who’s liked certain aspects of the preppy look but prefers an edge to things, this comeback works right in my favor.
No hate to the micro-mini skirts, but when the maxi length started popping up on the runways, I sighed a breathe of relief. As a modest dresser, maxi hemlines aren’t just a trend but a crucial part of my everyday wardrobe. Now that they’re more available on the market, I’m experimenting with them more than ever. It’s my instinct to pair a billowing skirt with a fitted top, but I added an oversized jacket to mix up the proportions.
I’m tend to caught up in looking for “fun” modest-friendly pieces that for a long time, I ignored a necessary part of anyone’s wardrobe—basics. When the laid back “luxury” look became more popular, I realized I was missing out on a variety of pieces that would give me simple yet sophisticated ensembles. Once I added a few more blazers, pleated trousers, and staple accessories to my arsenal, deciding on an outfit in the morning became a whole lot easier. While the pieces under this trend may not be revolutionary in design, there’s no doubt they look elevated.
When I used to think of vacation wear, my mind always jumped to bikinis, breezy coverups, and revealing details. I love admiring everyone’s vacation looks on the ‘gram, but I’ve struggled with translating resort wear into my modest lifestyle. After digging through many of the recent resort collections, my solution to my problem is woven accessories galore, uniquely patterned dresses, and linen everything.
I’m not going to lie, when I first saw this trend up-close at NYFW, I got flashbacks to wearing jeans under dresses in middle school. I was nervous to try this daring trend out again but I have to say, I’m on-board for this comeback in 2022. It gives modest dressers more styling options, and I used it as an excuse to create a color pairing that’ll match my bag.
