Remember when it used to be a no-no to let your slip show? Well, not any longer. Believe it or not, it is some Orthodox Jewish women who are revealing that undergarment.
And we’re not talking about just an inch of material peeking out from under a hem. We’re talking about the whole slinky thing on full display.
According to Vogue, women everywhere have hip Orthodox Jewish fashion labels to thank for the sexy slip dresses seen on runways this season. Surprisingly enough, frum fashionistas were among the first to venture out onto the streets wearing clingy lingerie styled as dresses or tunics.
Of course, Orthodox women are not wearing these risqué slip dresses all on their own. They’re layering them on top of long-sleeved shirts and leggings so that nothing shows that shouldn’t be showing. Some Orthodox women are going the opposite route and wearing the slip dresses directly, but are covering the revealing bits with bulky fur capes, leather or men’s tuxedo jackets, or heavy cardigans.
In fact, Mushky Notik and Mimi Hecht of Mimu Maxi (a brand popular with observant Muslim women, as well) warn that the slip dress doesn’t work if you pair it with other light-weight items.
“It needs to be dressed up with pairings that have more weight. So a thin cardigan or silky blazer is a no, whereas an extra-chunky knit cardigan is a total yes,” Hecht told Vogue.
“We like to say, ‘Don’t work with the slip, work against it!’ Exaggerating the thin, slinky nature of the slip with heavier pieces only makes it more of a statement, and shows that you wore it with purpose, not as a last resort,” she further explained.
Australian Orthodox Jewish designers Chaya Chanin and Simi Polonsky of The Frock have designed their own modest version of the slip dress. Like what you might see in the Rag & Bone ready-to-wear fall collection, their garment is silky and rather curve-hugging.
But unlike the knee-length full slips with plunging, lacy necklines and spaghetti straps, The Frock’s Signature Slip has long sleeves, an ankle-length hemline and goes all the way up past the collarbone.
This is 2015, people. Gone are the days that cutting-edge fashion is just for the religiously nonobservant and lingerie is confined to the bedroom. Underwear is out there — at least until this fashion trend slips away and is replaced by the next must-have look.
And with modesty going more mainstream, that could very well be dictated by what young women are seen wearing on the streets of Crown Heights a few months from now.
“As Orthodox Jewish women we can take inspiration from anything. Just because we’re modest fashion designers doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate it,” Hecht is heard saying in a Refinery 29 video about Mimu Maxi.
“You can make anything modest,” added Notik.
Even your unmentionables.
