A group of Kansas teens have taken a stand on the
latest sexy fashion trends by organizing a campaign to
bring more modest clothes to department store racks.
The young women from The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints from the Red Bridge Ward of the
Olathe Kansas Stake, decided to take action last
December after repeated shopping trips for formal
dresses failed to yield them modest, yet stylish,
clothes.
One mother decided to voice her concerns to
Nordstrom's customer service desk and was surprised
when they asked the girls to put together a
presentation and include some examples of dresses they
considered modest.
The girls spent four months researching, preparing
the presentation, designing and making dresses and
lining up the fashion shoot.
On April 17th the girls' work culminated in a meeting
with a Nordstrom store manager, clothes buyer and
other store executives. The girls presented their
ideas in bound folders with their company name,
EVALUATE, on the front. They also modeled dresses
that defined their interpretation of modest styles
that they wish they could find in department stores.
The teens quest for more modest fashion has sparked a
grass roots movement around the world from young women
also wanting less revealing clothing to choose from.
Reports of the fashion show at Nordstrom ran on the
front page of The Kansas City Star and the story was
picked up by the Associated Press, Knight Ridder and
New York Times wire services. As a result, 90 minutes
of a Kansas City talk radio program was devoted to
discussing the topic of modest clothes; two of the
girls were interviewed by the BBC in London; and an
LDS periodical, The Church News, also ran an article.
Since the wave of publicity, the girls have received
e-mails from around the world offering encouragement
and support.
The teens plan to take the petitions they receive and
distribute them to fashion industry executives, hoping
to change the landscape of current trends.
