Reader Request: Less-Skinny Skinny Jeans

We got a request from a member of the Muslim Mom Network, Samina, asking the following:

I've also been wondering how to join the skinny jean bandwagon without actually wearing skin tight jeans; tips for buying stylish but not tight pants?

Well yes, Samina!  If you're looking to join the skinny jean revolution, without looking like your legs have been painted denim-colored paint, look for jeans labeled, "ankle", "slim", or "cropped."  We've even had luck looking for "boyfriend slim" jeans.

These are all essentially skinny jeans with less skinny.  They give you that slim fit for under tunics, shirtdresses, or other oversized tops - without looking like you wrapped your legs in plastic - and allow a modicum of privacy that jeggings throw out the window.

LOFT Petite Jeans · Anthropologie Denim · BDG Relaxed Denim

FAVORITE FIND: Petal Jacket from Anthropologie

I should probably finish going through all the sales at Anthropologie before declaring a Favorite Find...but blame that on my excitement after the first Favorite Find.

Either way, you win with this Petal Jacket in pink from Anthropologie.  Marked down from $168 to $49.95 (Anthropologie's favorite number), this beautiful blazer swoops gracefully in the front and back with a hemline that extends well past your waist.  Call it a sophisticated version of boyfriend blazer.

Petal Jacket

What I love is how long this jacket is without feeling like a leftover from the 80s.  With a longer hemline, this blazer from Anthropologie provides maximum coverage without sacrificing on style or modesty.

FAVORITE FIND: Taylor Sleep Shirt from Anthropologie in Pink

You've probably noticed I've been all over Anthropologie lately.  While I usually like browsing through they racks, that I have two gift cards from a recent 30th birthday that are burning holes in my pocket.

Anthro has the possibility to make dressing fashionably, stylishly, and modestly one of the easiest things in the world...but oh, how it makes us pay for that possibility.  Which is why I'm happy to find this Favorite Find - the Taylor Sleep Shirt (in pink).

Taylor Sleep Shirt

The polka dots with the delicate lace detail are nice touches to what could be an otherwise ordinary button down top.  While it claims to be a sleep shirt - and I'm sure it's uber comfy - it would be a great tunic-length top to throw over a pair of wide OR skinny leg pants, some flats, and call it a day - without spending hours in the closet, layering top over top to ensure full coverage of all the important parts of your body.

[Maxi Skirts] These are a few of our favorite things

Oh, Asos, you just get me.  Thank you for starting my day with this:

Because, I have been creating a list of my favorite Asos maxi skirts, and now they're available for an additional 20% off.

Asos Long Skirts · Asos Mid-length Skirts · Asos Day Dresses

What I love about these skirts is they are long, full skirts and most importantly, the right blend of fashion to create a modest style look.  Ladies, I hope you enjoy!

Reader Request: Shirtdresses

Like their sweaterdress counterpart, shirtdresses are one of those items which have made their way into the mainstream, making it easy for women who like longer hemlines and greater coverage in their tops to shop.  They're a bit better than the average tunic.  They go with skinny jeans, wide leg pants, can be layered over long-sleeved tees.  And these days, they are all on sale and available in a multitude of colors and patterns.

Our top 5...okay 6 are shown below.

Day Dresses
Day Dresses

What are your top picks?  Browse our findings below and stock up!

Belted shirtdress:

Forever 21 Day Dresses · Kohl's Day Dresses · Dillard's Black Dresses

Chambray and denim shirtdresses

Lands' End Day Dresses · Sequin Hearts Day Dresses · Jessica Simpson Day Dresses

Printed and patterned shirtdresses

Forever 21 Day Dresses · Gap Petite Dresses · Charlotte Russe Day Dresses

FAVORITE FIND: Anthropologie Jolette Maxi Shirtdress

Finding something under $50 at Anthropologie is like searching for the white whale from Moby Dick- it exists, but you just can't find it.

Well call me your Ishmael, my friends, because I've done it.  I've found an under $50 maxi dress from Anthropologie.

Jolette Maxi Shirtdress

With a long, sweeping skirt and full, roll-tab sleeves, it's the type of dress you can throw on for a quick trip to the grocery store, a date night with your husband, or a movie night with the girls.  The full skirt provides ample coverage and feels like air against your skin (you'll also feel like you're floating on it, with how great you feel modestly styled in this dress!).

Currently, they have sizes S-L all available.  Buy one for you, one for a friend, and reap the rewards of a modest summer dress!

[Modest Gym Clothes] Long workout tanks and tunics

Workout tops can be tricky for women seeking modest clothing, with the biggest problem generally arising from workout tops being too darn shorn.  Enter the running dress and tunic.

In the last few years, lots of greats (Nike, New Balance, Patagonia) have introduced longer workout tops and tunics that can be coupled with shorter gear to create the ideal modest gym clothes.  These tops fall well past the waist and generally over your bottom for maximum covered.  You get all the performance value too - these tops are sweat-wicking, to keep moisture away from your skin to give you a lighter, more enjoyable workout.

I just bought the New Balance top below for my summer runs and will layer it under a thinner running shirt, to ensure I'm modestly covered and comfortable during my summer workouts!

Nike Sport Tops · New Balance Tunics · Zappos Couture Sport Tops

[Under $50] Tweets from Last Night

Last night I said this:

Off the grid for a few days while I dive into finals and my annual assessment at work.These things always hit... fb.me/1GU6UrWd6
— Greater Lengths (@GreaterLengths) May 11, 2013

And then I styled myself an outfit for my friend Kate's wedding in June.  So, I lied.  Oops.  (But you remember how I get about school and procrastination).

Long Skirts
Evening Shoes

The wedding is still 6 weeks away (I'm sure it feels like less time to her!) so it'll be a while until I post any photos...or maybe I'll do a dress rehearsal and post some early :)

I love this long, sea green skirt - it's so loose and flowy and FRESH, which is often hard to find in the stale, stagnant pool of black maxi skirts.  I plan to pair it with the cream lace cropped top (last seen at this wedding).  The skirt is only $25 from Forever 21 and the lace top was around $20 from Forever 21 last year.

The skirt sits high on the waist, so I can comfortably pair the cropped lace top without showing any stomach, important to a modest dresser like me.  Since the dress is long (it does strangely hang lower in the front than the back), I plan to wear my 3.5-inch Rampage Gersham heels to keep the skirt from sweeping the floor.

Looking to recreate the outfit yourself?  Here are some cropped lace tops to pair with those modest long skirts.  Let me know if you end up wearing the outfit yourself!

Full Tilt Tops · Nasty Gal Longsleeve Tops · Love Longsleeve Tops

[Under $50] Stock up on Spring and Summer Maxi Skirts!

We're keeping today simple.

Do you like or want or need a maxi skirt?  Yes?  Awesome.

Do you want to spend less than $50?  Yes?  Awesome.

Are you looking for fun spring and summer colors?  Are you trying to maintain modesty in your style but still have a great sense of fashion?  Yes and yes?  Done.

(Click on any of the items below to be taken to the retailer.)

Dorothy Perkins Long Skirts · Asos Long Skirts · Full Tilt Teen Girls' Skirts

Reader Request: A Black Tie Affair (and a Well-Deserving College Senior!)

Our reader, Arfa Aijazi, our favorite senior at MIT and recently featured on the front page of their website for all her accomplishments, wrote and requested:

"Salaam! I hope you're doing well. I had a favor to ask you Mademoiselle Greater Lengths, so my school's senior ball is coming up on Saturday. It's a full black tie affair and I have a gown but I'm having a hard time finding a short jacket or shrug. My dress is plain so I'm looking for something embezzled or metallic: gold, silver, ivory, any neutral really."

Lela Rose

Her gown, a beautiful one-shoulder floor length Lela Rose stunner, will be in eggplant - a shade flattering to every skin type.  Without taking away from the ruffle, but ensuring a good modest look, long-sleeved boleros are the way to go.  The key is the search term "bolero" over "shrug," which generally brings up cropped cardigans perfect for a formal affair.

(Click on any of the modesty options to link directly to the retailer.)

Cardigans
Blazers

Since color blocking is also in style these days, another route would be to add another punch of color to the dress (which might even go with Arfa's hijab!) in tropical shades.

(Click on any of the modesty options to link directly to the retailer.)

Cardigans
Cardigans

Finally, in a move I now call "Kate Middletoning," add lace sleeves underneath!  That prevents one front having to cover up a dress but at the same time maintaining a look of modesty - and on a dress like this, it should be a star of its own (like Arfa!).

(Click on any of the modesty options to link directly to the retailer.)

Longsleeve Tops
Longsleeve Tops

[Modest Gym Clothes] No floods here

Truthfully, there are some days I yearn to wear tea-length knee skirts and cute retro shorts.  There's a cuteness in some styles with more skin.  But for me, today is not that day and now is not that time.

At no time am I more thankful to have a religious obligation to wear long pants than when I'm at the gym.  Specifically, CrossFit.  We do a lot of crazy stuff and I've learned the more I'm covered, the better (deadlifts cause a lot of shin scrapes, from what I've seen!).  The challenge of being almost 5'7"  is finding long, modest workout pants (and I mean pants, not tights!) that don't come flapping up around my ankles.  It's not flooding, so I don't want to look like I'm preparing for one.

These are my pick for "pants most likely to cover my socks."  Which ones do you like the most?

Adifit Slim Pants

Athleta Pants · Nike Activewear · adidas Activewear Pants

Updated Currently Crushing On!

Love our picks but dislike when they're sold out?  We've updated our "Currently Crushing On" section on the right hand navigation bar.  Check out our latest Crushes!

MODEST MARVEL: Celebrity Fashion at the 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner

Here in DC, it's rare to have a celebrity sighting.  We're not New York or LA, and for the next 4 years, our only grade A celebrity sighting is Obama (though I've yet to see him in front of me - soon enough!)

However, once a year a magical thing happens - the White House Correspondents Dinner - when all the mystical celebriticism of Hollywood comes crashing down for a night of goodwill and jester towards American journalism (and lately, American journalism is the butt of many jokes...but that's my political rant for another time.)

Here are our favorite modest dressing celebrities from this year's event.  Which dress do you like the most?

Emily Mortimer, of Shutter Island, Cars, and 30 Rock fame:

[source]

Kate Mara, of House of Cards, 127 Hours, Entourage, and American Horror Story fame:

[source]

Amy Poehler, of everything fame (specifically Parks and Rec and Saturday Night Live)

[source]

[Under $50] Today's post brought you to by a textbook case of procrastination

While I've been out of undergrad for 8 years now, and a working professional for all of those years, the classic undergraduate ailment, procrastination, never left my body.  I'm certain it is deep within my bones.  Case in point: I am currently working on two homework assignments and my annual assessment for work.  Yes, it's Sunday afternoon.  Yes, I didn't have anything to do (not really, anyway) yesterday.  And yet, it's coming down to the final few hours of the weekend.

In classic procrastination form, I am finding ways to prolong the work as much as possible.  What's the Gmail?  An announcement from Dorothy Perkins about 30% everything?  Ending TONIGHT!  STOP EVERYTHING!

Tunics

So I did.  And now you have these items to peruse and consider adding to your wardrobe.  All under $50!

Dorothy Perkins Tunics · Dorothy Perkins Girls' Jeans · Dorothy Perkins Sleeveless Tops

Reader Request: Yellows, Lemons, Peaches, Corals

Frequent reader Maryam Iqbal inspired our latest post.  In response to the question, "Which spring colors are you looking for?", she replied, "Yellow, coral dress shirts, hard to find in a reasonable price."

We agree!  Corals, peaches, yellows, lemons, and anything in that soft-hued reminder of a soft spring sunset is a high-demand color for a spring wardrobe.  We've found a variety of styles and tones to infuse into your closet.  We've gone with styles and lengths of every kind, to work in as modestly as you desire.

What's your favorite item?

One-toned coral tops:

Kohl's Day Dresses · Need Supply Co. Day Dresses · Gap Petite Dresses

Two-toned tops:

Dorothy Perkins Longsleeve Tops · Forever 21 Longsleeve Tops · ECI Longsleeve Tops

Lemons and yellows:

Piperlime Button Front Tops · Charlotte Russe Day Dresses · ModCloth Longsleeve Tops