“When I design, I always imagine the woman who will wear the garment, and whether she will find it easy to walk around in. We should enjoy our clothes to the point we forget we’re wearing them.”
-Esther Goldberger, Dellasuza designer
A frum fashion designer from Montreal, Esther has a new line of easy-to-wear modest dresses and some sage style advice to share with us all.
1. How was it attending fashion school as a frum woman?
Fashion design is not for the weak of heart. It requires strength; physical and mental. For frum Jews it also requires a lot of schedule planning and organization because of Shabbat and Chagim. For married frum Jews who have to get home and cook, do the laundry and entertain guests… wow… only love can explain why I did it.
2. How does designing for frum women differ than the general population?
Black is so convenient and easy to accommodate in our lifestyles that sometimes people just forget that there are colors out there. But colors and prints can be so figure-flattering and modest.
If find that Orthodox women love beautiful, feminine clothes and crave comfort. I know that wearing layers and layers of clothing during summer is challenging… that’s why I created my Dellasuza line of dresses.
The body shape of the frum woman… I always had the impression that we are mainly Apple and Pear body types. Perhaps just a personal impression of mine? Time will tell…
3. What style advice do you have for frum women?
- I believe the source for Orthodox women’s doubts about fashion is our complex of the black skirt. The black skirt occupies a huge space in our comfort zone. But we can get out of this fashion rut by challenging ourselves to try something new.
- Not many people are born with an innate understanding of fashion - but anyone can learn! By developing your curiosity and experimenting with what works for you, you can learn a lot.
- People think fashion is just a vanity that should not be taken seriously. I don’t agree. When we ally fashion to our inner personality, we create a beautiful harmony that brings out the best in us.
Esther sent me a blue maxi wrap dress from the line to review. Ladies - if you’re looking for something easy and comfortable, this is it! The comfort of the fabric is unparalleled any dress I have ever worn before. It is so easy and soft, it’s marvelous. I also love that the fabric is slinky, but not clingy or see-through at all.
Visit the Dellasuza website here to see all of these pretty, lightweight and affordable modest designs. (Plus - use the coupon code FASHION15 for an additional 15% off)
It’s bee venom.
That’s right. New high-end skincare products have been cropping up with this ouch-inducing ingredient.
The toxic venom supposedly tricks your skin into thinking it’s been stung. This stimulates a reaction that renews and tightens the area.
This may sound drastic. Or maybe not.
After all, the use of toxins are not new gateways to attaining youth and beauty. Take Demi Moore’s leech therapy (warning: not for the faint of heart). Or your run-of-the-mill lip plumpers (which contain irritants to make your lips feel collagen-enhanced and pouty). And of course, the Queen of Beauty Toxins - Botox.
Personally, I’m going to stay away from the sting and stick with my traditional skincare regimen.
Would you try a product with bee venom?
Forget black and white.
Strike a modern match and pair color with… more color!
Bellabusta’s Tips for Monochromatic Dressing:
- Build your outfit based on one color, or hue. But — vary the tones in the outfit from light to dark (i.e., a hot pink skirt with a baby pink sweater)
- Accessorize in neutral color (i.e., white, beige or black)
- OR go bold and choose one or two accessories that contrast completely from your base color (i.e., rock an orange belt with your hot pink skirt and baby pink sweater)
This is how I styled my single-hued outfits:
Look #1 - Balance a bright blue skirt with a paler version of the color in the top. Denim is just awesome with cobalt. Pristine white accessories pull it all together.
Look #2 - A sunshine yellow dress is so pretty with a buttercup layering top. The shoes echo the creaminess of the shell, while a small dose of shocking purple creates a fabulous contrast.
Which is your favorite look?
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The latest Bellabusta giveaway - three $10 gift cards to Leelach.com “The Home for Art Created & Designed by Israeli Women”
This beautiful shopping concept brings together unique fashion and accessories designed exclusively by women from Israel. It’s a wonderful way to support the talented women of Israel - and get something special for yourself in the process.
Here are some of my personal picks from Leelach.com:
The Jerusalem of Gold headband This tiara is exquisite and beyond breathtaking. Makes me want to get married all over again - in Jerusalem, of course :)
Black floral dress So simple and chic: no layering required.
Gold & Red Tichel This is something you would definitely get compliments on! So refreshingly different.
And now… it’s giveaway time!
Just leave a comment with your choice of A, B or C. Three winners will be chosen at random on Monday, April 15 from all the entries received here and on Facebook.
Good luck!
This contest has ended.
Casually flipping through a fashion magazine, something catches my eye:
A pair of lucite chunky heeled sandals. They would look so perfect with patterned tights. They’re not too pricey. They’re cute for summer. And winter. They’ll elevate the style factor of everything in my closet. They’ll make me look like I have all the time in the world to put myself together. My makeup will look better. My hair will look better. My smile will become wider, my teeth whiter. I will glow with the radiance of a truly happy person.
“Ahem”, my rational brain intruded, knocking me out of my dreamlike trance. “You’re being absurd. These shoes will not complete you. They will not perfect everything around you. They’re just shoes. And besides, they’ll probably give you blisters.”
And so it goes, the exercise of leafing through a fashion glossy. A burdensome back-and-forth between head and heart, rationale and rashness, sense and, well, nonsense.
What was the last objet d’art you found yourself bestowing magical qualities upon?
This Pesach, why not try a new way to cover your hair? Judith de Paris specializes in selling beautiful and elegant headscarves imported from Israel and France. And from now til Pesach, everything (including the new spring collection) is marked down 10%!
Me in one of my favorite “yom yom” headscarves. I love the height that the special volumizer underneath provides. Black + gold combo = understated elegance.
I first discovered Judith de Paris a few months ago (Read the original Jewish Press article here) and have been experimenting with the unique headcoverings she sells since. I’m going to be receiving a couple of complimentary items from the new collection to sample soon, but I wanted to put this post up now to give all of you the chance to take advantage of the sale and get something beautiful in time for Pesach.
My favorite items from the Spring 2013 collection:
The color and pattern on this scarf is so vibrant! The Yom Yom is my absolute favorite style - this particular scarf can make an entire outfit.
This veil turban is a perfect starter piece - it’s simple to tie and to wear, and is a beautiful change from a black snood or Israeli tichel.
This is called a Kaly turban - the pink plisse is very chic and you can customize the head jewel yourself. SUPER easy to put on (trust me on this one - I can’t stand tying anything complicated!)
The key to the sophisticated look is wearing a volumizer cap underneath these scarves. This season, there’s a new volumizer available that I haven’t tried yet but sounds pretty cool. It’s adjustable so you can arrange it to the size you prefer. Personally, I’m very prone to headaches when I wear constricting things on my head so I’m looking forward to sampling the new adjustable volumizer to see if it’s more comfortable.
Check out the Judith de Paris website and Facebook page to see what’s available now - and keep checking because there are new scarves being added all the time. Make sure to order by Thursday March 21 at noon so you’ll receive everything in time for Pesach.
Good luck and let me know what treasures you find!
I find that one of the hardest things in preparing for Passover is the uncertainty. Each year I’m like “wait, am I supposed to cover the fridge shelves?” or “does regular coffee need a special pesach certification?”….and the list goes on.
And when it comes to cosmetics on Passover, it can get confusing, too. One the one hand, there’s the opinion that if it’s not food, it doesn’t make a lick of a difference what’s in it. On the other hand, there are companies championing their “kosher for Pesach” makeup lines.
So here’s the deal:
The OU lists cosmetics (with the exception of lipstick) shampoo, conditioners body wash, perfumes and lotions in their tally of non-food items that DO NOT NEED CERTIFICATION on Pesach. So this year, I will not pore of over the ingredients of my foundations, eyeliners or body products to ascertain whether or not they contain wheat or oat products. In fact, when I have done this in years past, I don’t recall ever finding chometz ingredients in those products.
What I will do, though is:
a. Buy a new lipstick and read the ingredients to make sure there is no chometz in it. (Yay! I actually wait all year to have a guilt-free excuse to buy yet another tube of lipstick.)
b. Check and see if I have any body care products (like lotions or shampoos) that tout their oat/wheat-based ingredients. Examples I’ve seen - Johnson’s Vanilla Oatmeal baby wash and Aveeno lotion with oatmeal. Chometz ingredients are a lot more common in natural/organic products, too, so I’ll be checking those as well.
The overt oatmeal in this product makes it something I would definitely sell on Pesach.
Of course, I must disclaim that I am not a trained Rabbi, but all of the above info does have a Rabbinic source.
So what will you be doing with your makeup and toiletries this upcoming Pesach?
Who doesn’t love the Purim spirit? The costumes, the themes, the food and the overall aura of happiness is absolutely contagious!
Check out some of the most adorable, fun and creative Purim costumes and revel in the post-Purim joy!
The Rosners go goth
Sharon of Fashion-Isha as glam forest fairy
Rachel as Rosie the Riveter and Neesa with leopard-print lips(!)
The Grinbergs as Kosher Chinese Food
The Wolkenfelds as Gnomeo and Juliet
The colorful Crayola Trenks
The Weisberg “crew” (photo courtesy of Srivki Photography)
The Tenenbaums as “The Royal Tenenbaums”
The Pomper Penguins
Which one of these costumes is your favorite?
(If you liked this, make sure to check out the Bellabusta Modest Wedding Gown gallery too!)
Purim is a time when you can get away with things that just won’t fly in the normal world.
Rachel, my Purim buddy and I took advantage of this with our Tznius Barbie costumes when we were in our teens. She was the blue beauty queen and I, the pink.
Picking out our costumes was fun, but the best part was globbing on the bronzer, false lashes and fuchsia lipstick… and getting away with it!
If you think we looked cute, you’ll be pretty shocked to see what we looked like one year later!
Want to see some more great Purim Costumes? Check out the Bellabusta Purim Gallery!
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