BOW TIE

This is Hilary Onyon wearing a modern, girlish take on menswear. She's sporting the feminine version of a mens blue, oxford shirt and a basic black cardigan (two items we probably all have in our closets). Notice the girly version of a bow tie around her neck - so artfully, but casually done. There's always something you can do to amp up an outfit. She's also sporting the stand-by skinny denim, and the cutest pewter, t-strap, mid-hight pair of heels. She said she borrowed them from her mom. I'm also dying for the large faced, leather strap, menswear style wrist watch.

MINIMALIST

We Good Girls here at Thread Ethic lived in New York City for a long time and still kind of feel like it is our hometown (or one of our hometowns, I guess). The inhabitants of New York have a reputation for wearing a lot of black, a reputation which holds true - there's a lot of dark clothing running around that city. We love dressing in black as much as the next Modest girl, but how can a girl wear black and still standout? We like black pieces that have something special about them, something different - an exciting shape or detail. Here, the standout is the egg shape of this high-waisted skirt. We tend to stay away from an all black outfit put together entirely of basic pieces. The turtleneck and skirt here have a minimalist feel so we decided to give contrast, and make everything pop, with ornate and colorful necklaces (we actually layered 2). We continued to add more color with tuquoise, black and gold cat-eye sunglasses, and a strong red lip.

BRIGHT SPOT

Photo Nikki Nelson

This is Whitney Port wearing an ensemble by Add Minus. I love the sheen of the pants and the zipper detail at her ankles. The silky top and shrunken leather jacket are cool, but in a chill way. What really makes this whole look rock though are the bright orange, studded heels - a perfect counterpoint to the dark mix of neutrals. My closet is full of neutral clothing and I think a pair of orange, studded heels might just be what those neutrals are begging for.

MOTO JACKET

Yes, the motorcycle jacket is still around and it's not too late to get in on this fashion trend. I think the jackets at the Balmain Spring 2011 show were especially cool. We often see a lot of motorcycle jackets with leggings and jeans, which is totally great, but what about a moto jacket with a cute full skirt? Here, with the monochromatic color scheme, the skirt and jacket combine to almost feel like one piece, almost like it is a leather and wool dress, which I find intriguing and refreshing. The Modest Girl could also pair a motorcycle jacket with a full floral, or otherwise patterned skirt and still give a cool, urban vibe.

RETRO PERFECTION

This pretty vintage dress is perfectly on trend with the 50's retro resurgence going on all over the runways lately. Trend or not though, this is a classically glamorous, tasteful look. Pretty pearl drop earrings, a silver belt from JCrew, and sexy platform pumps are forever glamorous. As children, I think we imagined stiletto heels and full skirts to be the most beautiful thing a girl could wear...I kind of think the modern, Modest Girl still feels the same way.

GOLD

Gold was all over the runways for Fall/Winter 2010-11. Since this gold skirt is such a statement maker, we decided to mix it up (and tone it down a bit) with a sweatshirt style top. To keep the mix balanced we paired the sweatshirt top with a seriously jeweled necklace, then toughened the whole thing up with some lacy patterned tights and zippered booties. The Modest Girl can party in style. We love Banana Republic for statement making jewelry.