Fashion, beauty, and other thoughts

Ok... I've kind of been on a fashion binge lately. I mean, I've always loved fashion, but the Lord has been re-awakening my love beauty and dress up and being girlie! I love it. The last few days I've been looking at pictures from New York Fashion Week (which just wrapped up). It's got me really excited. I feel like a lot of designers--not all, but most--are getting back to fun, feminine things, rather than wild, risque messes. Anyway, here are few that stood out to me:

Marc Jacobs, fall line

loveee this ensemble... :)

Victoria Beckham, fall line

PS. I reeeeally like that belt!

I'm also super excited for the Oscars tomorrow. I do hope that The King's Speech and Inception win big... but I'm way more interested in seeing what people wear! After the show, I'll post some of my favorite looks, but this was by far my favorite dress from last year. Rachel McAdams was just stunning in springy floral print with an elegant up-do and tasteful earrings. I just love it.

With my little obsession over fashion right now, I asked the Lord to show me more of what He thinks is beautiful and what beauty means. I've been in this process for a while--asking Him what beauty in literature looks like, beauty in film and music and art. I don't think beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is in the eye of the King... But getting back to fashion and outward beauty, He revealed some really amazing things to me. The first verse He pointed me to was Proverbs 31, about the Virtuous Woman. This is how it reads in the Message:

"A good woman is hard to find,

and worth far more than diamonds...

She makes her own clothing,

and dresses in colorful linens and silks.

Her husband is greatly respected

when he deliberates with the city fathers.

She designs gowns and sells them,

brings sweaters she knits to the dress shops.

Her clothes are well made and elegant

and she always faces tomorrow with a smile..."

Ok... a few things about this passage really stood out to me. First of all--the verse about her husband being respected is literally bookended by two verses about his wife's clothing. There seems to be a connection between the way she presents herself and the level of honor he receives.

The other thing--which to me was a HUGE revelation!--was the last verse. This whole section is talking about her designing and making beautiful clothes. Then it ends with the coupling of (seemingly) different ideas. Yet, once again, the author makes a connection between her clothes being "elegant" and her facing the future "with a smile." In other words, the author is connecting her outer beauty (her clothes) with her inner beauty (peace about her future), and pointing out how they affect one another.

Isn't that amazing?!? I totally flipped out when He showed me this. I mean, fashion matters to Him! He created the heart of a daughter to want to be beautiful--even over the top. Why? Because He likes to be over the top. I'm convinced that's why we have so many different eye colors, why there are such breathtaking sunsets, why there are mountains and wildflowers and beaches. We don't have these things because of the laws of nature. These are the laws of nature because our God is an extravagant God who loves beauty. And so He made a little girl with the desire to dress up--not just for the purpose of dressing up--but so she could face "tomorrow with a smile."