Regular Anonymous mentioned wedding dresses with see-through midriffs, so I found two samples.

And this exchange appeared in the comments section of Winter Fashion Retrospective:

Robin: That’s some cleavage on those bridal gowns – hasn’t anyone told brides that by the time they’re walking down the aisle they’ve already snagged the guy?

Daniel: I think that in Israeli society in general there is confusion between beauty and sexiness. A fully-covered bride can look beautiful as long as she smiles genuinely and her hair isn’t a mess, but when people here think of a bride looking good for her wedding, they automatically assume she should wear something revealing.

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In town yesterday to pick up school books, and I also examined some sweaters on sale racks. Each time I glanced up, the salespeople were staring at me with looks of desperation on their faces. It’s been like that every winter, because it has been so warm. The stores order winter clothes, but people don’t buy. This year is slightly colder than last but not enough to make people run to the stores. My kids barely use their winter coats.

On my way home I snapped a few displays. Some cater mainly to the religious market, and others, well, don’t.

Here are two fashions I won’t be wearing this winter:

This store caters to the young, nationalist crowd.

It’s a rare season when we see attractive, bright colors. A couple of years ago kelly green and neon orange were in.

This store caters to a more conservative crowd:

Black, grey and beige are always in:

This store offers slightly more color, with the usual odd combinations of fabric and patterns:

We have an upscale children’s store for the religious crowd:

A bridal salon:

This discount store offers a variety of styles in neutral colors:

Finally, Robin spotted this funky jacket while in town with me this morning:

For more on local fashions, see:

Burkas: The New Fashion

A Clean City with Lots of Shoe Stores

Official Haredi Guide to Modest Necklines

Shoes and Fashions

Israeli Fashions for Religious Women

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• The tailor, to have a zipper fixed on a coat.
• The bookstore and toy store to buy gifts for a brit and a child’s birthday party.
• The shoe repair, for the lining in my winter dress shoes.

I debated whether to take both shoes, as only one needed repair. In the end I took only one–the wrong one.*

Did you know that some private bookstores allow you to exchange Hebrew books at selected stores throughout the country? This is a way of competing with the major chains.

After completing my errands I decided to collect a sample of fashion photos with my new camera. I wanted a shot of the slutty, jewel-studded platform sandals in little girls’ sizes, but was stopped by an owner unfamiliar with the concept, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

All in all I think the religious fashions have improved over last year, although I wouldn’t wear most of these necklines:
The store below is called Mekimi, an undisguised attempt to capitalize on famous religious returnee Noa Yaron’s book of the same name. The title comes from Psalm 113, Mekimi me-afar dal, “He lifts the poor from the dust.” If you are poor I don’t recommend shopping here, although it’s by no means the most expensive.
From yet another store catering to religious women:
For comparison’s sake, I’m including a sample from a bridal studio:

*Postscript: At about 6:30 the morning after this trip, I was about to get up and dress for the brit. I suddenly realized that if I had left the shoe for repair I wouldn’t have had anything remotely suitable at home, as I currently own only one pair of closed non-running shoes. Despite having only five pairs of functional shoes I seem to post about them–and socks–regularly.

If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy:

Winter Fashion Retrospective

Official Haredi Guide to Modest Necklines

Burkas: The New Fashion

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I had asked her several times to look for girls in school with shoes that she liked, and find out where they got them. But she did not respond to this reasonable suggestion(!). In the second-to-last store the salesperson convinced her to try on half a dozen pairs. He offered one of the pairs, which she hated, about ten times. And we left empty-footed (figuratively speaking). I was about to give up when she mumbled something about Teva Naot. Lo and behold, a store selling that brand miraculously appeared, and we thankfully purchased the pair pictured above. Of all of the shoes she considered, this was the only pair I liked. We won’t say anything about the cost. Sephardi Lady, life is not simple with teenagers.

On the way home, we passed a line of cars waiting at a traffic light. We saw a passenger open the door of one of the cars and gently lay an empty soft drink can, upright, on the street. I stepped into the road and told him, with a smile, that the can belonged to him. He shrugged his shoulders. I picked it up, handed it to him, and told him to throw it away. He took it. I considered shouting my town’s slogan, Petach Tikva is a clean city, as I walked away, but I restrained myself. My son later said that I’m lucky the man didn’t stab me, and that he probably deposited his can at the next intersection. Maybe my son is wrong, and the man was worried about what I would do to him . . .

For more on local fashions, see also:

Burkas: The New Fashion

A Clean City with Lots of Shoe Stores

Official Haredi Guide to Modest Necklines

Winter Fashion Retrospective

Israeli Fashions for Religious Women

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