Students saw how to be modest and trendy at a fashion show in the Wilkinson Center Terrace Wed., March 13.

Women's Services and the Student Honor Association hosted the fashion show to promote modest dressing and good body image.

"Basically we are promoting modesty and the fact that you can look good when you are dressed nice," said Kerri Hatch of the Student Honor Association.

The theme of the fashion show was "The Style of a Supermodel, the Standards of a Saint, Fashion for Every 'body'."

Fourteen models, both male and female, showed off fashions people can wear for all occasions this spring.

"This was not just a female fashion show. It highlighted body image, fashion, and modesty for everyone," said Mandi Crockett, the program director for the show from Women Services.

All of the models were volunteers and wore their own clothes to show a person can find modest and fashionable clothes in their own closets.

"We tried to get a diverse group of models to represent body image and modesty," Hatch said. "There were models of different races, body shapes and sizes, and gender." The diversity of the models show that everyone can be fashionable Hatch said.

The clothes highlighted spring fashions including formals, a wedding dress, active wear, causal, and some outfits from Desert Industries.

"We did some research on some of the fads in the fashion industry and tailored them to be modest and affordable," said Crockett.

Becky Fowles, 20, a junior from Vail, Colo. majoring in public relations, said the fashion show was very informative.

"You don't have to spend a lot of money to be modest and look cool," she said.

Not all the students who watched the show were impressed with the clothes selection.

Although Rachel Murdock, 20, a junior from Austin, Texas majoring in psychology, said she liked some of the selection available and found some of the styles to be outrageous.

"I never knew there were so many ugly, Mormon bridal gowns out there," she said. "I personally would never wear them."

The Student Honor Association and Women's Services said the purpose of the fashion show was not just to display modest clothing but reinforce the beliefs and values BYU students have.

Crockett said they also hope the model show will help prevent future problems.

"Women's Services deal with a lot of issues that stem from immodest fashion like eating disorders, immorality and body images," Crockett said.

World standards do not always help, she said.

"We are frustrated because there are a lot of different advertisements and role models who don't dress modestly. We believe that you can be modest and look good no matter what size or shape you are," Crockett said.

Both Crockett and Hatch said they think the latest trends and fashion images are not always the best clothes to wear.

"It's easy to get lost in the worldly concept of what is cool and what is not. We are just trying to have a friendly reminder of modest dress and how fashionable it is," Hatch said.

Jennifer Alder, 20, from Beaverton, Ore., majoring in math education was one of the models for the show and volunteered to wear active gear and formal occasion dress.

Alder thinks trying to find modest clothes in the spring and summer can be difficult.

"It is hard to find modest clothes and there are a lot of things we can buy, but we may have to shop a little harder and pay more money," Alder.

John Harrison, 23, a junior from Provo majoring in economics, also modeled for the show and said she thinks modesty is important.

"I don't think it is that much of a problem at BYU, but there is that one or two percent who don't always dress modestly," Harrison said.

Some of the students who attended the fashion show gained added insights.

"Seeing students like me wearing appropriate clothing brought the honor code to life," said Tiffany Collins, 20, a sophomore from Suwanee, Ga. majoring in elementary education.

She said the clothes were a good representation of what she has in her closet and sees on campus.

David Matthews, 22, a sophomore from Sandy, Utah Co., majoring in psychology, also learned valuable information from the fashion show that will help his dating life.

"I learned different fashion terms like vintage and A-line so now I can relate more to girls on dates," he said.

Prizes to Jamba Juice, the BYU bookstore and a gift certificate for fifty percent off a wedding dress purchase were some of the prizes and drawings handed out.

The success of the fashion show may lead it to becoming a yearly event.

Copyright Brigham Young University 13 Mar 2002