CARRIE SYMONDS GOES FRUM
IT USED to be that you could tell at a glance when you were in the presence of a frum woman. Her skirt would be modestly overthe-knee. Her arms would be covered to the wrist. Her hair would be covered by a scarf, a hat or a wig. And her make up would be minimal.
But all that has changed. And not just because of the better quality of sheitels around now. It’s not that the religious woman’s style has changed in essence. It’s more than the fashion world has shifted towards her.
This summer, the trend for modest clothing has gone completely mainstream. It’s become impossible to sift the frum from the fashionista.
At a glance, every young woman outside a Shoreditch bar or shopping in Kensington looks as though she is on her way to shul, a charity committee or home to
bake challah with multiple kids.
Some say Kate Middleton is the inspiration but we all know it’s actually the Frum Aesthetic. For style inspiration, head to Hendon, or even Stamford Hill, although the street look of housecoat and turban hasn’t quite made it yet. Take this year’s ‘it’ dress — a polka dot number from Zara. Long and shapeless, with a frill at the bottom, it’s the kind of thing that formerly would have been worn by your Auntie Bluma.
This summer though it’s so popular that it has its own Instagram account, which posts pictures of queues or hen weekends or cocktail parties with multiple spotty dress-wearers. I’ve seen it in Amsterdam accessorised with florescent pink trainers. I’ve seen it in the West End with pearls. It’s everywhere. And perfect for shul.
Carrie Symonds is the modest dress’ s poster girl. As the news broke that she is moving into Downing Street with our new Prime Minister, she was pictured in a flowing long-sleeved gown in sludgy green. Watching her man speak outside Number 10 for the first time she was demure in pink. Outwardly, (bare elbows aside) she could be a rebbetzin.
Consider the economist George Taylor’s hemline theory of 1926. When economies are doing well, women’s hemlines go up, he observed. When times are bad, they plummet. Could this be Carrie’s coded warning against No Deal?
Or maybe women are simply dressing for comfort. No tight waistlines, no needto shave your legs? It’s revolutionary!
The Zara dress is something that your Auntie Bluma would wear