Princess Letizia of Spain carries herself with grace, dignity and a timeless beauty without compromising her modesty.

For a woman in the spotlight so consistently, she has never once worn a flagrantly immodest outfit.

I am inspired!

At Christa-Taylor, we are proud of our community and we relish opportunities to partner with like-minded empowered Traditionalists. (What’s an empowered Traditionalist? Find out here: >)
With that said, we are excited to announce our largest community event yet: a full scale dress design contest. The winning design will be part of our Spring 2010 line, and the chosen designer will receive one of the completed dresses compliments of the C-T staff.

Judging the Work:
Christa, and a few members of the design team, will select the top three design entries. These designs will then be featured on our website and (this is the best part) YOU, our friends, will get to vote on your favorite.

Submissions:
All submissions must be entered by July 25th, when the voting will begin. The winning designer will be selected August 15th.
Only one submission per person will be accepted.
Mail submissions to:

Christa-Taylor Design Contest
PO box 65820
Vancouver, WA 98665

All Submissions must include the following:
-Sketch, front and back
-Name,
-Mailing address
-Email
-Phone number
-Age

-All finished/designed products become the property of Empowered Traditionalist, LLC dba Christa-Taylor.com.
Christa-Taylor reserves the right to make changes to the finished design

Guidelines:
Here’s what we’re looking for:
-Vintage inspired, in basic colors.
-No patterned fabric (i.e. stripes, plaids, florals)

-Keep the standard. The design should be self-sufficient, you don’t have to wear a tshirt or camisole underneath it.
-No formals. This is a dress to wear and to wash in everyday life. No prom gowns please.
-Fabric swatches, if you have a fabric idea, send it along; the design team would love it.
-Patterns (as in a dress makers pattern) are preferred, but not necessary. If you develop a pattern, by all means- send it! We will return it as per your request.

Spread the News:
-    Facebook: Tell your friends, join the Christa-Taylor fashion group: Christa Taylor Facebook Group

-    Twitter: keep us posted on how your design is coming! Christa Taylor on Twitter-

-  Blog about it, we’re here to transform traditional fashion. Or visit our blog to stay in the know: Fashion Blog

-    Ask us for promo materials, blog banners and buttons are available for your use. Email: customerservice@christa-taylor.com, put: “DDD promo materials” as the subject.

________
vintage inspired fashion, modest fashion

Hey girls-

Any and all of you who had questions regarding the appropriate use of makeup-

would you please visit my other blog and post your questions regarding makeup in the comment section of the makeup post?

It would be helpful as I write on this topic.

Thank you!

Christa Taylor

Check out the Modesty Carnival over at the ET blog!

Modesty Carnival launches tomorrow!

Seventeen year old Jocelyne Ottou has recently been involved with TRENDS a program for young women emphasizing the value and importance of both modesty and fashion. She serves as the national spokesperson for TRENDS.

I asked Jocelyne a few questions about her stance on modest fashion- Here are her answers

Has understanding of modesty and/or style boosted your confidence?
Not only has it boosted my confidence, but it has also allowed me to modify certain defaults and negative aspects of my personality. Understanding modesty opens up the doors to the understanding of plenty of other virtues.

Why do you think Modesty is important?
Because without modesty, beauty loses all its grace.
“Modesty: the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.” -Oliver Herford

Do you think Modesty can be stylish and chic?
Definitely. A hundred times more than vanity and ’sexyness’.

If there was one thing you could say to women your age, what would it be?
I would probably cite what Pia De Solenni so gracefully did;
“There is power in the beauty of a woman’s image. It is up to her to use it wisely.”

Thank you Jocelyne!

Extra Terrestrial? …think again.

If you like what you see at Christa-Taylor you are probably an Empowered Traditionalist.

What is an empowered Traditionalist you might ask?

An ET is one who confidently stands on traditional values of modesty, and femininity in the face of opposition.

An ET strives to break the lie that states that to be modest you must compromise beauty and attractiveness.

An ET embraces beauty and femininity and kills frumpiness.

An ET is smart, because she purchases timeless styles and rejects the trends to purchase cheap new fashions every season, saving bundles of money
An ET is a trend-setter, in the best sense of the word.
An ET stands out. Since she does not let the winds of fashion effect her decisions, she actually wears cuter apparel- she stands out compared to what every one else is wearing. (those Captivated Modernists).
An ET is one who loves to dress well

An ET is wise. She understands that character vs. immodesty attracts the best men.

An ET is attractive in all the right ways.
An ET has clothes that fit her personality and her body type
An ET loves to surprise people with her style

An ET sets the trend in modest style yet without succumbing to the pressures to buy apparel that compromises your convictions.

Christa-Taylor, fashions for the Empowered Traditionalist

I’m going to introduce you to a few new faces, women, working for the common goal of raising modesty awareness and encouraging style in the process. They are currently involved in a new Canada based program called TRENDS. After talking over the phone and via email I get to share some background and why they think modesty and fashion is so integral.

Ulricka, from Montreal coordinator explains more about their mission:

Me: Tell us a little about who you are and what you do…

Ulricka: My name is Ulrika Drevniok and I am the coordinator of TRENDS Montreal and completing my final year of a Master’s in Nursing at McGill. But, what does the coordinator do, right? As coordinator, I work to organize various aspects of our group: everything from searching for guest speakers for our meetings…to choosing fashion show outfits and ordering pizza! That is to say, there are a lot of different things that I do. However, my main task (and the one I like the most) is leading the discussion sessions that we have at our monthly meetings. We talk about things like the human person, love, self-respect — even our dress code! I am the coordinator, but I know where TRENDS gets its real fuel: TRENDS is run by teens, for teens.

Me: Can you tell me a bit more about the vision behind TRENDS?
The vision behind TRENDS is based on the idea that fashion should communicate who you are as a person. We think of ourselves as rebels. We want fashion that reflects our worth and dignity as human persons, but we need style, too! TRENDS was formed as a means of informing ourselves, and others, about what should really be important in fashion

More answers on the way…

Meet an Empowered Traditionalist…

Veil designer, Dorene Vandermeer,is another ET in action, not only does she love “creating”, but she’s committed to doing it for the right reason.

“My background in Art, my love of sewing and my deep appreciation for the gifts God has given me are poured into each piece I create. I long for each of my patrons to know this; each veil I create I make, I am feeling God’s pleasure. I love God and His Son Jesus Christ and I also want for you to see how much He loves you. When I send off a veil I really do it unto my Heavenly Father.So unto Him I give my very best, so that you may see His Glory.”

Dorene Vandermeer, at Unveiled Bridal Designs, is the artist behind our stunning hat veils featured in several of our fall/winter photographs. She designed 4 unique veils exclusively for Christa Taylor- and I think you’ll agree she did a fantastic job. Thank you Dorene!

I will certainly not let those veils just sit on the shelf, I fully intend to wear one or two of them this Christmas season to one of our holiday events!

(not to mention that they would be the perfect unexpected accent to your prom/formal events!)