Wow, you think I would have written this post a long time ago considering that this is a blog about modest fashion, particularly how to incorporate the Hollywood glamor in a more modest way. For those devoted readers of mine, you know that I very often (weekly) highlight a bevvy of modest celebrity beauties who decided to brave the Hollywood front in more modest and covered attire. But I started to think about the few women that consistently stand out to me as truly modest and fabulous women, both in attire and persona.
While all the women on this list have at one point or another been on a modest dressed list, they were chosen not just because of their ensembles, but also because of the way they carry themselves in the clothing they wear. Many a designer will tell you that the clothes you wear is a reflection of the person you are, and likewise with these women. Most, if not every single of these women have come to embody more than just a "Hollywood personality" but they have become, in one sense or another, a force to be reckoned with in their own way. They have redefined the modern style, everything from clothing, to parenting choices, to movie roles, to charity and humanitarian work. These are women who have made it their business (literally) to be a more modest women in an industry that thrives on anything but. These powerhouses have made it OK to stay covered, to stay classy, and gosh darn it they made it sexy as heck (yes, I'm talking to you Helen Mirren).
In no particular order, I give you the top ten most awesomely modest women in Hollywood (in my opinion).
In no particular order, I give you the top ten most awesomely modest women in Hollywood (in my opinion).
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Ivanka Trump
I love this woman. I love every single thing about her. From her work ethic to her wardrobe, this mama is the very definition of modern working woman. She has money, yes, but she has channeled her wealth into more than being just a rich New York socialite; she has created her own empire exclusive of her famous father and has managed to become the darling child of New York. Her wardrobe is not that of some elitist princess, rather that of a woman who wants to command the boardroom (you certainly can't do that in a crop top and daisy dukes). To those who say they cannot relate to a rich entitled white female (read: republican), think about this: Ivanka is a woman who is a mommy and a wife with a cut-throat approach to business and she has the gumption to do it all in heels and a really killer work-appropriate suit. She is the Original American Dream for women everywhere--meaning, she is not the New American Dream which is to do something embarrassing and ridiculous on TV or on YouTube and strike it rich. She works hard for it and she carries herself with the air of not someone rich and famous but with the air of someone with a true value in what she does. And that's certainly something we can all relate to.
Mayim Bialik
There are very few visible Orthodox Jews in Hollywood, which is why I absolutely love Mayim Bialik. Dont' be fooled though-- just because she is Jewish, and this is a (mostly) Jewish blog, that is not what has made her reach this list (although it helped). Simply by being a modern Orthodox Jew, Mayim has openly and steadfastly held to the laws of modesty according to Judaism, which is wonderful in and of iteself. But again, many people can cover up like she does. It's whats she offers the greater community and society as a whole that has gotten her on this list. She has managed to bridge the world of religious and secular in Hollywood in a way that most people can't even attempt. As a lifestyle-blogger for Kveller, Mayim has put her conventionally unconventional lifestyle on display for all to see (and laud, and criticize, and condone, and condemn) in an effort to make this world (or at the very least, hers) a better place. Her approach to her religion as well as her life has always been her own and she has never once asked for anything from anyone OTHER than to have an open mind to what else is out there. She has never once claimed to be the be all end all of anything. She has never preached, only practiced...and then shared. She makes no demands and judges no one in an industry that is 110% all about judging others. This is a woman who tries to do what she wants and what she thinks is right and then shares that with the world. It just so happens that she does so in skirts.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
How do you choose just one picture of this ultimate modest fashion icon? There are literally hundreds of Kate pictures to choose from because this woman is never without her modest wardrobe. The Princess's style has literally come to define a generation, one I am so happy to be a part of. The former Kate Middleton is nothing short of fabulous in both looks and wardrobe, but she is also the epitome of class and has a set of manners to match. Her down to earth sense of style (she repeats her ensembles religiously) and her demure approach to all things royal, this Princess was and is first and foremost a commoner. She is one lady whose status and position has not defined her, but only enhanced her character and given her a platform for what she has to offer. Her ensembles, while undoubtedly way more expensive than yours or mine, is relatively accessible and easy to mirror. This is someone that EVERYONE wants to look like. Granted, the royals have an unspoken edict to be strictly modest, but the Duchess does so in a way that is relateable and accessible. Her Zara wrap dresses hang on the same racks that mine do, she just has L.K. Bennet shoes to pair them with...and her own prince, of course. She's the fairytale that came true, and she does it without baring cleavage.
Michelle Obama
Regardless of your political affiliation, there is no denying that Michelle Obama has impeccable taste in clothing. She is a strong beautiful powerful woman with a killer body and a wardrobe to match. As probably one of the most visible women in America and the world over, Michelle Obama is a mom and a leading lady (of the non-Hollywood variety) in her own right. Some may argue that she is not a celebrity and therefore does not belong on this list, but its undeniable that the Obamas are every bit a part of the celebrity culture of our day and age. Michelle's looks, like Kate Middleton's, are often copied and replicated for the masses, making these powerful, national women relateable and accessible. She is the First Lady of a new generation of people, and like Ivanka Trump she dresses for her job and for her role--she just does it in color. What I love about Michelle Obama's style is that she has fun with her clothing in a job that is undoubtedly pressure-filled and daunting. The fact that she takes liberties where she can is refreshing in a role that has previously been associated with drab and unassuming. She is undoubtedly a class act.
Meryl Streep
Helen Mirren
DAY-UM GURL! That's all that can be said about this silver fox. When you list all the attributes of this woman-- platinum blonde hair, killer curves, legs to die for and skin like baby's bottom, you would be inclined to think thatI'm talking about some young Hollywood pixie with a waitressing job on the side "just trying to make it"; but alas, Helen Mirren is probably the sexiest woman alive to not be featured in an dirty men's magazine. She has class and couture down to a science and she does so modestly. She makes no secret of her age, but she also makes sure to dress for it as well. This is one modest woman I would do a double take walking down the street, not just because she is wearing something sexy, but because she exudes it. She is the woman every Hollywood actress should want to grow up to be.
Adele
The voice of an angel, the depth of philosopher, the body of the every-woman. That is Adele. I would imagine that when you write and perform arguably the best song in the last 20 years that the fame would go to your head. Nope, not Adele. The woman with a voice unparalleled has managed to become a Hollywood icon for all the reasons every other celebrity in this town isn't: imperfection (or at least Hollywood's version of it). Aside from her prodigious voice (which is beyond perfection), Adele is a what Hollywood calls "a real woman" with "real curves" (read: she is not a size 2). To that extent, Adele dresses and acts every bit the part of an unconventional Hollywood powerhouse, which is why you and I can both relate to her. This is a woman who has experienced heartbreak like you and me (and Taylor Swift), but she has managed to channel her feelings into nearly tangible forms of expression. Where Kate Middleton has dressed today's women, Adele has given them a voice. And boy is it a pretty voice. More than that, Adele seems to have grasped that the human experience goes past the fame and fortune, and that just because her song went quadruple platinum diamond or whatever, she still understands that at the end of the day she went through that pain to become who she is now. Don't be fooled-- Adele has not rejected fame and fortune (that would be silly), but she makes sure that as the mouthpiece of a new female generation, she is going to dress every part the sophisticated, classy and evocative woman that she is.
Jennifer Garner
Talk about one hot soccer mom. This is like a real, genuine, regular person, people! Jennifer Garner is your mom, my mom and your mom's mom (ya, I went there), but she also happens to have a highly public and visible job. With both mom and actress being her full-time jobs, she has managed to excel at both surpemely. Jennifer is somehow able to walk out of her house with spit-up on her shirt holding on to the sticky hands of her tutu-clad daughters while simultaneously being a glamorous A-list actress married to a two-time Oscar winner, and she does all this amidst the flashing bulbs of the ever present paparazzi. Guys, I cry when someone posts a bad picture of me in my best outfit on facebook! Jennifer Garner is like a hero to me. She puts on no airs of superiority, she makes her kids and her family a priority, and she takes nothing first just because of who she is. Her modesty in all aspects of her life is an paralleled. Actress by day, mom always.
Jennifer Lawrence
If there was any one actress in Hollywood that I relate to most it is the lovely and goofy Jennifer Lawrence. This positively gorgeous human being is my idea of the new Hollywood. She always seems so glamorous for a celebrity her age and expresses nothing but humility and graciousness in an industry that could easily knock her down the second she gets cocky. While she is known for wearing as many risque outfits as she does modest ones, it's not as much about her attire so much as how she carries herself. Today's young Hollywood is more famous for cooky hi jinxes, torrid scandals, quickie marriages and divorces, drug- and alcohol-fueled partying and overall selfish, entitled behavior. Not so with J-Law. She numbers among the very few young Hollywood actresses that actually deserve to be there-- I count her company as very limited: Emma Stone, Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried. This is a girl who absorbs the life she leads and all that comes with it and gives it back to the public in the form of true and tried entertainment. She is of the rarest breeds in Hollywood, and at the end of the day she dresses like a woman, acts like a woman, talks like a woman and conducts business like a woman in an business that will often treat her as just another girl.
Tina Fey
Undoubtedly the Madonna of Hollywood funny girls (that is, she is the Queen of comediennes. I like to think Mindy Kaling is the Britney Spears/pop princess of comediennes if we are getting all analogous) Tina Fey has created a persona that extends far beyond her quick wit. The former SNL cast member is not only the mother of lady comics of our times, but also a business woman, a mom and a pioneer. She is an original that is paving the way for women in what was once a boys-only club. Rarely if ever seen in anything risque, this woman conducts herself as exactly that-- a woman. She climbed and worked and fought her way to a place that few women have ventured, and has managed to maintain her position as the resident Queen of Comedy in a modest but tenacious way. Her characters may not always be the classiest but this is a woman who is as classy as they come.
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