Modesty in the Movies

(Photo credits: The Prince and Me 3 photos are from Blu-Ray.com. The dress below is an altered version of a Maggie Sottero dress and the tiara is from Tiara Town.) Rare as it is to find modest costuming in movies these days, I was surprised to see this choice of a modest ballgown for the queen in the movie The Prince and Me 3. With a plot plausible only for children, it seemed to me (save the forest with a sole press conference, really?), the movie was not designed for children with its PG rating for language and thematic elements. However, the beautiful winter scenes and modest costumes kept me until the end. Friends tease me about preferring to watch the making of a movie to watching the real thing, which is true. If I can see the the behind-the-scenes feature and a trailer, I'm generally satisfied with that and too busy doing other things to sit still long enough to make it through a full film.

Much as I love simplicity and modesty, I do believe there are occasions when a fancier dress is appropriate. I would have added more to the queen's dress in this film, had I been the designer, especially since this Christmas ball scene was the costuming climax of the movie. (To clarify, the reference to "prince" in the title is a continuation from earlier movies before the main characters became king and queen.) Psalm 45:13 has always been to me a balancing verse in Scripture to describe times when elaborate clothing may be appropriate, "The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework . . ." (KJV). A similar reference is found regarding the "virtuous woman" in Proverbs 31:21-22, "She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple" (KJV). In both these cases, the woman could afford the expensive clothing without endangering other aspects of the family budget. And, the clothing signified her status as the wife of a ruler.

So, I've Photoshopped together my ideas for Queen Paige in The Prince and Me 3. Here is a Maggie Sottero red gown with some sleeves that I digitally added to the top and a replica of Audrey Hepburn's tiara in the movie Roman Holiday from Tiara Town. Visit our Formal and Bridesmaid Dresses section to find retailers that carry the Maggie Sottero line and offer "build-up" seamstress services to add sleeves and modest necklines similar to the photo-altered style pictured.