Classic Evening Gowns from L'Wren Scott

(Photo Credit: version altered by Fashion Belle on left, original image on right from L'Wren Scott Fall/Winter 2012 Collection.) Recently I saw an interview on YouTube with Nicole Kidman, a fashion plate for feminine and couture clothing selections, who says she wears L'Wren Scott "not always but a lot." So, I headed to the L'Wren Scott website to check out the current designs, and this stretch velvet evening gown caught my attention. The color is a deep bordeaux, one of L'Wren Scott's signature colors, similar to the color of lipstick she created for a 2010 holiday makeup collection for Lancome. The draped stretch velvet fabric in this dress provides more modest coverage than a clinging knit or thin silk fabric would. With a raised neckline, illustrated in the photo I've altered at left, the style would be elegant and fairly modest. The jeweled accessory could be tilted to follow the line of the higher neckline for added styling.

It is common for designers who produce lines with each piece selling for several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars to include more elements of modesty within their collections than lower-priced labels targeted just to teenage or young adult female customers. One reason is that extra fabric for coverage simply costs more. Thick fabrics and styles with linings are also expensive. Department store labels can offer styles at low prices when the cuts are skimpy and the fabrics thin because that translates to lower material costs, the largest percentage of production outlay. Also, more expensive styles are more generally affordable to a mature customer, who has learned that covering up frequently presents a prettier effect in real life than that of a bare silhouette. High-end designers keep this in mind as they create collections for marketability to that customer group.

Although the designs of former model L'Wren Scott are not exclusively modest, modesty informs some aspects of her work more than that of the average designer's, an evidence that she has retained some of the influence of the emphasis on modesty from her upbringing as a child adopted into a religious family in Utah (noted in a Women's Wear Daily article). Another point of interest is L'Wren Scott's view of trends, as cited on Wikipedia, "Scott asserts that her label is built upon a philosophy of timeless style, rejecting the concept of trends in favor of creating versatile, classic pieces that can be worn in a variety of ways and environments." This concept is held by many who appreciate modesty in clothing paired with classic, elegant looks. L'Wren Scott's styles have been worn by some of the most famous celebrities in the world, showing us that bare, trendy fashions do not have to be the only styles appreciated by the public in general. Modesty in classic styling is strong enough to stand on its own.