The (Re)Emergence of Modest Fashion

Is fashion shifting? Or are we just growing up? Gone are the cropped hoodies and deep plunging necklines that ruled the early 2000’s. Modest fashion has slowly been on the rise since the new decade began, but this past New York Fashion Week solidified how designers have come to embrace modesty as a form of elegance and luxury.

We’ve seen an evident change in the style of tops presented on both runways in New York and our favorite department stores. Designers have replaced mini crop tops with styles that favor the look of a longer torso, choosing instead to play around with open backs and asymmetry to create flattering styles without the discomfort of showing too much skin. Not only are these pieces more creative and allow for an artistic touch from the makers, but they are more versatile—able to be dressed up or down depending on the bottoms matched with them.

Nicole Phelps, director of Vogue Runway, writes “[t]here’s charm and seduction in that little bit of skin which the stepped hem or the undone shirt reveals; the allure, in fact, lies in what’s concealed” in reference to the Michael Kors Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear collection. The modest elements of the collection allow for the different symmetries and textures in the tops to be layered and played with. And Michael Kors isn’t the only house pushing the modest fashion agenda. Stuart Vevers’ Coach Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear collection does so as well. Vevers focuses on the baggy oversized looks, opting for high-neck wool coats—one of my favorite silhouettes for winter—and layering oversized tunics over flowy pants. These designers have begun to embrace more elongated figures with little skin being shown off.

Modest fashion has clearly become more acceptable in mainstream media as of late. According to Guardian, “On Pinterest, searches for ‘modest fashion outfits’ are up 80% since last year and ‘modest outfits’ by 40%.” But is it really all that new and revolutionary? The answer is no.

Modest fashion has always been around, even in modern day, with hijabi women at the forefront. Women who wear the hijab and choose to dress modestly created a space for this type of fashion market to thrive long before designers decided to embrace it. Nyima Jobe from Guardian writes, “in popular culture dressing modestly when linked to Islam has been characterised as restrictive or even oppressive, but the tone around it feels markedly different when it is an aesthetic choice by an influencer.” Why is modest fashion suddenly considered “quiet luxury” when mainstream media determines so? Modest fashion is more than just a microtrend that will pass in a few weeks—it is a fundamental part of hijabi women’s lives, hence why it is so important to have more diverse and accessible collections from runway to store. There will always be a space for modest fashion to exist in spheres beyond mainstream culture.

Cultural inclusivity is just one of many other reasons why this type of fashion is thriving. Another is pure practicality, especially during the fall and winter seasons when it’s important to bundle up. Layering clothing makes pieces more versatile and practical; summer dresses can be layered with jeans underneath, and micro-shorts can be worn with tights to keep warm. Furthermore, the popularity of modest fashion gives those in the corporate world more work-appropriate silhouettes and pieces to choose from that allow them to still be stylish while working their 9-5. Lastly, the sustainability of modest fashion is more long-lasting, allowing for the lengthening of clothing wear-time and more economically beneficial purchases.

The (re)emergence of modest fashion—I use parentheses for obvious reasons—has rebranded itself as “quiet luxury,” when in reality it’s been around for a while. But whatever name the media decides to call it, modest fashion is an exceptional way to dress, and now that it is being spotlighted by the high-fashion world, it just might become an even more creative and blooming style.