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Do you find yourself saving your favorite clothes only for rare “special occasions”? Does it feel like your everyday life is too ordinary for the more beautiful clothing in your closet?
That’s what Nicole Caruso thought, a few years ago. Caruso has years of experience in the fashion and beauty industries, including as a makeup artist, a style expert in retail and at New York Fashion Week, a style and beauty blogger, and a beauty editor. These days she’s a homeschooling mother of three. With the births of her children, she found her long-held love of stylish clothing falling by the wayside.
In 2018, Nicole was one year postpartum with her second child when she noticed she rarely wore her most beloved clothing.
“I noticed a pattern emerging that I experienced with my first child, which was that I was saving my favorite clothes for ‘another day,’ reasoning that my day to day was too ordinary for nicer things,” she explained in an interview with Aleteia.
She shared what she’d noticed on social media and with her friends. She was astonished to realize that many women were doing the same thing unintentionally.
“These women resoundingly agreed that they were doing the same thing without realizing it,” She said.
She and her friends vowed to change this pattern together. It started with a challenge on Instagram, using the hashtag #worthyofwearing to show the items they wore instead of letting them collect dust in the backs of closets.
That moment of solidarity became a movement. What started as a fun challenge quickly took on deeper implications.
“It was edifying and encouraging to see the change in everyone’s demeanor, how our confidence grew, and how much more present we could be to our vocations when we had taken time to care for ourselves,” Caruso said.
Self-care has become something of a trendy buzzword, but there’s something profoundly Christian about honoring our bodies as creations of a good and loving God. We need to take care of ourselves if we want to be effective as Christ’s hands and feet in the world today.
The Worthy of Wearing movement is deeply rooted in self-respect and personal dignity, which are foundational to the Christian worldview, as Caruso explained:
Worthy of Wearing is a message our culture deeply needs right now because we have lost sight of Who our worth comes from, and what price was paid for it. Worthy of Wearing is based on the undeniable truth that our worth comes from Christ. When we value ourselves as creations of God, and a temple of the Holy Spirit, we can treat ourselves with greater respect and honor our dignity.
Now the Worthy of Wearing message is available in a stunning new book. Worthy of Wearing releases this week from Sophia Institute Press, and the volume is deserving of its message. It’s filled not only with gorgeous photos and memorable personal stories, but also plenty of thorough and thoughtful advice about personal style.
Caruso brings her wealth of expertise to a topic that can be tricky. Faith and fashion have had an uneasy relationship at times, but Caruso masterfully demonstrates that the two can not only co-exist but also complement each other beautifully.
“Worthy of Wearing is a mindset that gives you permission to embrace and celebrate your inherent beauty, given to you from God,” she said. “It is a movement to teach you how to show up for yourself so you can carry out the mission God put on your heart at your baptism. We are worthy of wearing the things in our closets that make us feel beautiful, so we can serve in our day to day with greater confidence and joy.”
The theological and philosophical insights into style, beauty, and most of all self-worth might be the best part of the book. But it’s hard to choose a favorite part. An especially thought-provoking feature is the lists of questions for reflection. These can reveal insights about your vocation, what makes you feel confident, and how you want to present yourself to the world.
Most women would love to get tips from a fashion consultant, and this book brings all the wisdom of Caruso’s experience into your closet. She guides readers through the steps involved in cultivating personal style, including clothes shopping on a budget, skincare and makeup routines, and the role of modesty in beauty. Her practical guide to curating and “editing” your wardrobe is worth reading alone!
Worthy of Wearing brings a fresh and fascinating perspective to a perennially relevant topic. It’s a book you’ll want to re-read again and again, and share with friends, daughters, and anyone in your life who cares about clothing.
The spirit of this book, and of the Worthy of Wearing movement, is perfectly captured in this prayer from the book:
I ask you, Lord, to remove any walls around my heart that prevent me from knowing how worthy I am of receiving and sharing your love. Help me to be a light in this world with courage and grace. O Lord, I entrust to you my vocation, my talents, and those I serve daily in my mission. Guide me, dear Jesus, and let all of my achievements be for your glory. Amen.
And today we celebrate...