CoverUms {review}

Hey!  So, today I'm doing a review of CoverUms!  You might not have heard of these.  Let me show you some pictures.

 

Yeeeeeeah, it's hard to tell what they are from that pic. A CoverUm is something you wear underneath dresses or shirts that have necklines that go too low.  We all have problems with finding the perfect clothes, and then finding out the necklines are too low.  An easy fix, just wear a camisole under it, right?  Well, when it's really warm out it's not much fun to wear a lot of layers.  With CoverUms they only cover your chest, so it you don't get too hot.

It's sort of like a big bib.  Well, it looks like that when you lay it down, but here's a picture of it when you're wearing it.

I pulled the sleeve away a little so you could see the snap.  It snaps right onto your bra straps and looks like the shape of whatever shape the neckline is.

There's a picture that illustrates how it clips onto the bra strap.  It's so simple!

The sleeves on this dress I was wearing kept on sliding off my shoulders, but that's not something a camisole could fix, either.  I put that shrug on over it to keep it from showing anything.

At first I thought the CoverUm would keep coming up out of my dress, but it stayed when I put it on.  The fabric of the dress must have been enough to keep it down.

Best of all, CoverUms gave all A Pinch of Classy readers a 20% off code: TWENTY

If you want to buy a CoverUm you can order it here.  I would definitely suggest this item.  I might buy another one when these wear out.  I hope you liked the post!

What I Wore to The Beach + My Swimwear Story {ClassyGarb}

 

Aloha, ladies!

(Haha, I never actually say aloha, but since this is a post about the beach, well, what could be a better way to start it off?)

 

So, my family and I just returned from our weeklong summer vacation and I wasn't feeling very inspired on what to write or post today. It's always difficult to get back into the flow and swing of things when you've been completely off-schedule for a whole week, you know? While I had several encounters at the beach which gave me ideas on things I might want to write about sometime in the future, (think stalkers, the consequences of both modesty and immodesty, etc) none appealed for today. So instead of a full-fledged article, here's a make-shift outfit post.

 

A while back, we had a post on modest swimsuits and it made me want to do something furthering the topic, since in my short life so far I've already gone through a number of various 'modest swimwear' and have had the chance to somewhat 'review' each one as I had it.  Okay, well duh. If you possess something *of course* you have 'the chance to 'review' it'...that wasn't a terrific way to get my point across, I know.

 

Anyway. My swimwear story. So this swimsuit I currently have, I really like. You can see where I'm wearing it in these pictures, above and below. I bought it two years ago from Meant to be Modest, and had it custom made to my measurements. I had the leggings lengthened to just above ankle length, because at the time I ordered it I was really obsessive about not letting my legs be visible at all. (My views have changed concerning that, since then, and now I'm okay with my calves being visible. I rolled up the leggings a little in these photos.)

 

It's amazing how much your views and standards can change in several years, or throughout your lifetime. I don't really understand why I was so concerned about my lower legs showing, but I do think it was a bit too much.

 

This is me, with my lovely mother, who got her swimsuit from Swim-Modest. That was actually where I got my very first modest swimsuit, at about age 10. (Before that, I wore one pieces and even bikinis/tankinis as a very young girl...back then I had no idea about modesty and even if I had known, I was completely lacking any form of self-consciousness, being just a little kid.) I liked it for a while, but then I wanted more coverage on my legs so Mom and I started investigating other options. We then found Simply Modest., got a pattern, and some sweet friends of ours, actually Evangela and her mother/sisters, had some fabric already on hand and they helped sew me my suit, which turned out beautiful.  

 

 

(Here is the Simply Modest suit, I was about 12 here.)

 

And here is the first Meant to be Modest suit I got, in 2010. I liked this one a whole lot and was sad when I wore it out. (literally)

 

Back to the present again, I would very much recommend Meant to be Modest. Their suits are very comfortable and practical, plus they look cute! I literally can do any sports activity in this suit. I can do flips and cannonballs into the pool without anything coming up which needs to stay down. I can run, climb trees, body surf, you name it...and during the entire time, I don't have to worry about looking or feeling immodest.

 

I think that they next time I order from them I will ask for shorter leggings and perhaps sleeveless bodice, because the only negative is the awkward tan lines I get wearing this...e.g., my shoulders remain all white while the rest of my arm gets tan. I wear tank tops relatively often, so you can imagine how this looks rather...funny, to say in the least. 

 

These swimsuits last a while though. I bought my current one (the blue floral one above) two years ago as I already stated, and it's still practically brand-new despite all the wear it's gotten. After 3-4 years, depending on the usage, the suit material will start to stretch out and become faded, but it also depends on how you take care of the suit. And this one has double lining on the bodice, so it should be a long while before it stretches out bad enough for me to get a new one entirely.  

 

So, while I was at the beach my cousin got some pictures of me at our annual family picnic/reunion. I figured I'd post them because this is one of my new favorite summer outfits and I thought y'all might like to see it.

 

I really like this blouse. It's so summer-y and I love the color scheme.

 

I just loved this view! It was so cool, the trees and shoreline combined like this.

 

My hair was a mess, because it was hot out, yet quite breezy. And in this last photo I had actually just gotten my face painted...Don't laugh.

 

What I Wore

 

Blouse: Absolutely Famous - Sears

Skirt:  St. John's Bay - JC Penny's

Flip flops: Union Bay - Bealls

 

 

Well, I hope y'all are having a wonderful summer so far! Time for some feedback: What do you like to do for swimwear? Do you have a 'swimwear story'? And what would you like to see in a future post?

 

Blessings,

A Modest Solution for Tube Top Dresses

Ok.

 Originally I was planning on doing a review on a book that talked about things such as modesty and loving your family and a mix of other topics, but something happened yesterday and I just had to post about it! For many years I have wanted a long blue dress, that is modest. Sadly, there are not a lot out there that are modest of the kind that I prefer.

Well yesterday as my Mom and I were searching for some clothes for my youngest sister Liberty, I found a gorgeous blue dress! But there was one problem, and it was a BIG problem.....the dress was a tube top dress. (You know, the one that goes up right to under your arm and has no sleeves) Of course, I had to admire the style and color before moving on, but I definitely was NOT going to buy it, then my Mom came up with a wonderful idea! The store we were shopping at had a large variety of jackets     which covered up what it needed to cover on me pretty well. I was so thrilled!  Even though I was really in need of an mp3, I willingly bought the dress and jacket instead.

 When my Mom originally gave me the idea of posting about this on APOC, I was not sure what this had to do with modesty, but she told me that the jacket was a wonderful modesty tip on how to still keep those beautiful dresses that you love so much, that might not cover up enough. I believe that the jacket definitely did do its job. I put it on several times (All my siblings wanted to see it, and when you live in a large family all of them are usually not around at the moment you need them!) and all my siblings and family thought it looked great. I did notice one problem though, I have asked my sister Mikaela, who is the crafty kid (In a good way!) in our family to sew some straps onto it, very thin straps so that way you do not see them through the jacket but at least something to help keep the dress from falling down! You might consider that too if you try out this idea. :) 

My amazing Mom took some pictures of me the other day in the dress so I could add some examples. I am sorry, but I was only able to add two. Please excuse me if I do not look the happiest...I have the hardest time smiling for more than 3 seconds....it hurts my cheeks for some reason. Here they are. 

What do you think? Is the jacket a good idea or not? Have a wonderful day! 

Modest Resources

I love making my own clothes.  More like I love the idea of making my own clothes, seeing as I'm not especially talented when it comes to sewing, nor do I have the time to sew; a bad combo.  I've compiled a list of sorts that I've either had good experience with or have heard good reviews about; and hopefully you too can find useful.

Ready-Made

~Maurices~

I love Maurices' skirts!  They tend to be on the pricier side (about $40 for their denim skirts), but they last forever.  I bought a denim skirt there last summer and it's my favorite skirt I own.  Their longer skirts tend to be looong.  They hit me around my ankles (I'm 5'6"), so if you're shorter be ready to shorten it.  They offer quite a few knee length skirts also.  Most of the longer skirts I have a harder time finding in store, so the internet might be your best bet.

Maurices also sells blouses, cardigans, tanks, jewelry, etc.  The shirts tend to run a little tight and low for my liking.

~New Creation Apparel~

I won a New Creation Apparel skirt in a giveaway about 2 years ago and it's still going strong.  They're skirts also run a little more expensive than what I like to pay, but the skirts are durable.  They have a sales section for their skirts that would be worth paying attention to.  They also have a good variety of maternity skirts, jackets, vests, and tops.   The skirts tend to run small, so order up a size or two than what you normally wear.

~Ringger Clothing~

I have never ordered clothing from here, but have heard good reviews about them.  They offer a wide variety of modest skirts, dresses, jumpers, and blouses.

~Simply Modest~

Simply Modest is like an online thrift shop with modest clothing.  They sell gently worn or new modest clothing.  They offer clothing for infants, girls, ladies, and pregnant women.

~Princess Modest Swimwear~

I haven't ordered from them before, so I can't say how their stuff fits or if it's durable or not.   I have heard a couple good reviews about them though.  Most of the women's suits have leggings that go down to the knees with a skirt over top.   

Patterns

~Fresh Modesty~

I love the way Olivia Howard is able to take items that might be a little questionable modesty wise and turn them into something new and modest.  She has two e-books out right now: one on denim skirts and the other on how to make your own modest swimsuit.  She also offers a couple tutorials on her sewing blog and modest inspiration on her main blog.

~Modest Handmaidens~

Modest Handmaidens offers a wide variety of patterns, usually lower than the price of what you could find them at their original website.  They offer patterns for everyone in the family ranging from pants to skirts, quilts to home accessories, headcoverings to aprons. 

~Candle on the Hill~

They offer patterns for the whole family.  We've ordered several patterns from them before.  The patterns tend to run small and sometimes the instructions aren't the best, but once you get the sizing right the items turn out great.