A Bais Chabad program

stresses the importance
of dressing properly,
not just beautifully.

BY ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
DANIEL M. ROSEN

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(J.)
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CD

132

t was an evening of long sleeves,
below-the-knee skirts and high neck-
lines. But nobody would have called it
prudish. The first "Honoring the
Jewish Woman" fashion show, spon-
sored by Bais Chabad of North Oak
Park and held last week at the Southfield
Marriott, featured dresses by top designers
like Laura Ashley, and glamourous wedding
gowns that could have graced the pages of
Brides magazine.
Several hundred women attended the
event, which began with a talk by Rivkah
Slonim of New York, who discussed
"Discovering Our Inner Beauty."
Many today regard the word modesty as
"an archaic, fossilized term," Mrs. Slonim
said. Walk into Bloomingdale's and ask for a
modest dress, "and they'll probably send you
to the clearance rack."
Instead, Mrs. Slonim proposed considering
the word from a Jewish perspective. Within
Judaism, she said, modesty is "first and fore-
most about kiddusha, holiness."
"I'm not talking about constraints," she
said. "On the contrary, it means defining
yourself, letting the beauty of your inner core
shine through."
The talk was followed by a show featuring
models Joanna Abramson, Rivka Apt,
Michelle Barr, Chaya Blumenfeld, Dena
Borsand, Rochel Brenner, Tziril Fine, Tziril
Gardin, Karen Koenig, Rivky Klainberg,
Brittany Kohn, Rachel Kohn, Nacha Leaf,
Joanne Lorkis, Leslie Miller, Marcy Millman,
Miriam Newman, Leah Rosenberg, Sorie
Rosenfeld, Aviva Rider, Leah Sarne, Sharon
Schaffer, Miriam Silverstein, Aviva Tkatch,
Esther Wolf and Cheryl Zuroff.
The fashions included a robe decorated with
gold metallic stars, a three-piece taupe suit by
Laura Ashley, a maternity sailor suit with
matching cap, a children's blue coat with a
muff (also by Laura Ashley), and a wedding
dress with a 7-foot detachable train, featuring
a headpiece with pearls designed by Lisa Bell
of Belle Custom Designed Bridal Veils. ❑