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Why modesty is a virtue

It's been over two years since I made Dubai my home, and came to this city via London, Mumbai, New York and New Delhi. Every city has left its mark on my wardrobe. While you may think that Dubai - a city known for its love of glamour - may have me more bling-friendly in my style, it has actually had a very different effect on me. Dubai has made me understand that when it comes to being elegant, it is always best to err on the side of modesty. I now love my midi-length dresses, love the long sleeves and find it more "chic-er" to go for something with a more generous flair.
Dressing modest is part of this city's cultural fabric. And it has now become way of life for those in the fashion circuit internationally. Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times' fashion director and chief fashion critic, has said that modest dressing is the defining trend of the 2010s.
This has been one of fashion's most demure decades. In the last few seasons, modest dressing has been the mantra of Milan's Gucci, London's Erdem, New York's The Row and even India's Sabyasachi. It's truly a global trend. Follow the fashion girls who are seen to have true substance and style - like Alexa Chung and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen - and you will see they prefer to dress modest. Long billowing sleeves, high necks and longer lengths have become fashion's new favoured silhouettes.
Of course, the Naked Dresses (those dresses with large cut-outs and see-through panels that leave little to the imagination) are still popular but those are for the Kardashians and the Hadids. Modesty is for the woman of confidence, who does not want to be known for her body shape alone, but what she does. Take Victoria Beckham as an example: she has moved away from her body-con dresses to roomier and longer styles; this marks her move from a footballer's wife to one of fashion's most successful entrepreneurs. It seems more is more.
One reason women why are opting to dress modest is because they are making up their own minds. Speak to young women in this region, and they say they dress modest because it makes them feel comfortable, and they no longer feel the need to give in to the diktats of the West. And the fact that, today, Halima Aden can walk the ramps of Paris, London and Milan in a hijab, or that Dubai-based luxury fashion e-tailer The Modist's opening has been welcomed on the pages of American Vogue, confirm that the West has realised they need tradition from this part of the world.
Speak to women in Europe who are dressing modest, and they say it is because they no longer feel the need to dress to please men. They now dress to please themselves, and there is nothing more liberating and comfortable than being modest.
There is something very alluring about a covered style of dressing - because it leaves something to imagination. It is also more size- and shape-friendly. Side cut-outs and crop tops are only for those who are a size zero.
So modest dressing is actually more democratic. Women are now dressing for themselves and if they feel more comfortable and chic covered up, that is what they wear. And when you dress according to what makes you feel good, you will always look more beautiful. Modesty is a virtue and now fashion has woken up to this. It's cool to be covered-up!
sujata@khaleejtimes.com