“There was never anything available for us women who wore the hijab.”

 

I understood exactly what she meant.

Because long before I created Our Closet, I was that girl. I didn't wear the hijab, but I grew up in a home where modesty was important.

Looking for my Year 10 formal dress

I still remember shopping with my father for my Year 10 formal. Formal occasions weren't exciting, they were the worst time of the year for me. 

I wanted what most 16-year-old girls wanted: to find a dress that made me feel beautiful, elegant and excited about one of those milestone nights you remember long after school finishes. 

But I also had to find a modest dress. 

I couldn’t find anything. 

The dresses that felt young and beautiful weren’t modest enough. The modest options weren’t what I imagined wearing to my formal. I didn’t want something overly embellished, heavily detailed or designed for someone much older than me. 

I wanted something simple.

Something elegant.

Something that felt like me.

Eventually, I stopped looking.

Instead, with the help of my Textile & Design teacher, I made my own formal dress. For months I gave up every lunch time & stayed back after school to make my dress. I still remember it, a beautiful long burgundy silhoutte dress made from a soft satin. The boatneck &  long sleeves adding to the modest finish. Mericia, which currently sits in the refined edit collection of Our Closet, reminds me of that dress. Simple, elegant and timeless. 

It took years before the fashion industry finally began catering to women who preferred a more refined look. We have more choice, more online retailers and access to fashion from around the world.

Despite this many women and girls looking for modern modest formal wear, the experience can still feel remarkably familiar.

Modest shouldn’t mean compromising on style

One of the things we’ve heard while building Our Closet is that women aren’t simply asking for more modest dresses.

They’re asking for better choices.

They don’t necessarily want dresses covered in embellishment, sequins, lace or excessive detailing.

Sometimes they simply want beautiful tailoring. A high neckline. Full-length sleeves. An elegant silhouette. Luxurious fabric. A dress that feels contemporary and sophisticated while providing the coverage they are comfortable with.

In other words, they want the same thing every other woman wants when she’s getting ready for an important occasion:

Choice.

Modest fashion doesn’t have to be a separate category of fashion defined by one particular aesthetic.

It can be minimal.

It can be glamorous.

It can be understated.

It can be fashion-forward.

And it can be timeless.

Why we created the Refined Edit

That thinking sits behind The Refined Edit at Our Closet — our growing collection of elegant, modest and modest-friendly evening wear available to hire in Australia.

We’re deliberately building this collection over time.

We’re looking for pieces with longer sleeves, higher necklines, floor-length silhouettes and considered coverage but we’re equally focused on how those dresses look and feel.

Because modest shouldn’t be the compromise you make after you’ve exhausted every other option.

It should be a choice you’re excited to wear.

And while the Refined Edit is particularly relevant for women who wear the hijab or prefer greater coverage, it isn’t exclusively for them.

It’s for anyone drawn to a more refined way of dressing.

For the next 16-year-old searching for her formal dress

Perhaps this is the part that means the most to me.

Somewhere in Australia right now, there’s another teenage girl getting ready for her Year 10 or Year 12 formal.

She might be scrolling through hundreds of dresses trying to find one that feels like her.

She might wear the hijab.

She might simply prefer not to show her arms, shoulders, back or décolletage.

She might want something understated rather than revealing.

And she shouldn’t have to feel as though fashion wasn’t designed with her in mind.

I don’t want her only option to be making the dress herself because she couldn’t find anything else.

I want her to have a closet to choose from.

That’s what we’re building.

Our Refined Edit isn’t finished and I don’t think it ever will be.

We’ll continue searching for beautiful pieces, expanding our sizes, listening to our customers and building a collection where modest dressing feels every bit as exciting as the rest of fashion.

Because every woman deserves to find something that makes her feel incredible for her big moment.

And sometimes, the most beautiful dress in the room doesn’t need to reveal more.

It just needs to feel like you.

Explore The Refined Edit at Our Closet — timeless, elegant and modest evening wear available to hire in Australia.

Borrow the Moment.