Last weekend, I had a chance to see Christa Taylor at a local fashion show here in Maryland. It was hosted by Mount de Sales, an all-girl Catholic school in Catonsville.
To be honest, I only found out about the event a few hours before it started. Christa sent me an informal invite to come when I asked what in the East Coast she, being all the way from Oregon, was doing in my area. I was so glad to support her by being there. I delayed my plans that night of hanging with my husband, Rob, and his best friend from the Air Force (or his “wing man”), Tim. I did not regret it at all! A visit from an Air Force buddy might be occasional, but meeting Christa was too precious and rare to miss. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity, especially after Rob’s coaxing (and driving), so I paid the door fee and scurried around to find a good seat. I ended up at the outskirts (a.k.a. bleachers) of a high school gym where it was held.
Let me tell you, this gal is such an inspiration! If I could just live near Portland, I would love to have coffee with her every morning and chat about life, faith, and modest fashion. Talking with her after the show, I thought it was interesting to see that we had such quaint similarities, from being aesthetes of modesty, to our testimonies. She wasn’t at all sententious, being a spokesperson to many but very humble and genuinely amiable. It’s such a rarity to find someone with so very similar a heart and goals. I am tremendously blessed, for she is such a treasure!
She had on one of her own creations from her clothing line and shoes from DSW (yes, I remember details). Bunched-up material never looked more elegant. I wore the “Baltimore Hon” hairstyle that night and told her the history and culture behind the movie Hairspray, the word “hon,” and the beehive hairdo before Bumpits. I will be taking her hint and writing a whole blog post about the origins of the hairstyle soon.
Last weekend’s catwalk wasn’t really meant for modesty. The goals of the evening were raising funds for the school as well as building the students’ self-confidence. It was a godsend that Christa was invited to speak. The message of modesty she presented from scripture added meat to the bones of the fashion show’s frame. I believe you can be beautifully modest and confidently wear your clothes, but you shouldn’t confidently be too “comfortable in your own skin,” because this can be abused. Much like our faith, modesty gives us freedom instead of bondage—freedom from sexual enslavement through media’s fashion and the freedom to have confidence to shine through purity.
Despite being a nondenominational Christian, I went to a private Catholic school similar to Mount de Sales back in my grade-school days. I knew that confidence wasn’t what I really needed. I just wanted it. Being in uniform everyday made me sick of being shut out from the fashion world, and I was just itching to get out of those mundane clothes. I was rebellious and I’m sure I was just like these kids, dying for casual days when something like a fashion show would come up. I’m certain that my thoughts weren’t far off from what others had being in monotonous uniforms all day. I wanted to be literally confident in my own skin, so when given the chance, I wore what pleased the majority by indulging in revealing clothing. I had put on another uniform—the uniform of immodesty. What I really needed was to be modest, preserving my dignity while pleasing God with “lust-busting,” higher standards in clothing. I didn’t learn that lesson until I was in college. It sank in deep, and I wish to have that same lesson learned by the high school students of today.
Hear Christa talk about modest fashion in the video below. This is the view I got because I came in right on time (a.k.a. fashionably late) and wasn’t able to get a good seat. The video is at least audible… and quite inspirational! The rest of the videos from the night are found here.
