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Modest Fashion with Flair
 “Modest Fashion with Flair”
The phrase “Fashionably modest” may seem like an oxymoron, but one newly observant woman in St. Louis is combining hip styles with Orthodox dress in a new Internet-based clothing line with a name that says it all: FunkyFrum.com.
Launched in mid-August, the site targets the style-savvy Orthodox woman by offering “modern clothing to meet a modest lifestyle,” featuring a selection of trendy long skirts – tiered, tapered and tie-dyed – that can be paired with a choice of smart, fitted tops and ruffled shirts. Though the selection is limited, it is nevertheless a boon for the religiously observant woman who often spends hours combing through department store racks for a single suitable skirt or shirt.
Rachel Lubchansky, founder and president of FunkyFrum.com, told the Forward that the store was inspired by her own needs. As she began taking on a more religiously observant lifestyle, she found herself wanting appropriate clothing that was still trendy. “I was having difficulty finding modest clothing, and I really wanted people like myself to be able to live a more observant lifestyle without compromising on the style and femininity we once had.”
Lubchansky, who earned a bachelor of arts in business from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, with a concentration in fashion, culls her collection from apparel marts and trade shows that she attends across the country. Acting as a kind of personal shopper for the larger Orthodox community, she’ll comb through vendors’ inventories for women’s wear that is both modest and fun. Lubchansky goes with her gut, choosing clothing that matches her own sense of style. And it’s working. The feedback so far, she said, has been overwhelmingly positive. In the site’s first three weeks of operation, one-third of its inventory was sold, with 50 orders from across the United States. Inquiries also have come from Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel.
Though for the time being, Lubchansky is focused on increasing her selection and on developing petite and plus-sized lines, as she has not ruled out the possibility of producing her own line of clothing at some point.
Lubchansky has lured customers from areas she hadn’t counted on initially. Her site has received a number of orders from New York City, one of the few regions where modest fashions actually are available. And while FunkyFrum was created to cater to the needs of Orthodox women, Lubchansky is finding that the site’s appeal crosses the boundaries of geography, observance and even religion. “It’s great for people to know that you can be stylish and very feminine without being revealing,” she said.
-Shoshana Olidort
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