I must admit that when I received this manuscript in the mail and read the title, I was more than slightly mortified. I have never considered myself a "fashionista," and my general feeling about shopping and clothes is usually one of keen disinterest. Don't get me wrong—I know how to dress myself. But the thought of getting together with my "BFF's" to go on a shopping spree sends me running for the hills. As a Christian woman, I have more important and earth-shattering things to worry about—like evangelizing the lost, serving the poor, and reading enough theological books to keep my mind full of new and revolutionary ideas. So a book on Christian fashion, seriously? Isn't that the realm of the utterly worldly? Not to mention, Christian modesty, especially in women, is quite the touchy subject—I'm pretty sure wars have been waged over this. But I forged ahead.

Braendel approaches the reader as a sincerely honest best friend—she loves you enough to tell you the truth, even if it hurts a little.  As I read the various chapters on body type, color, and accessorizing, I found myself getting drawn in against my own better judgment. I realized that even I could use some of this advice. The tips and tricks in the book touch on some very sacred ground for women—body image, self-esteem, and modesty. As Braendel revealed some methods to the madness, I slowly began to see fashion and clothing as more than an emotionally charged free-for-all.

Braendel covers all of the basic issues, including choosing the proper undergarments, swimwear, and even skin and hair care. I especially appreciated the chapter on purchasing jeans, as this seems to be a more pronounced problem for women. The most valuable resource is the shopping checklist in the final chapter that helps you plan out the pieces you need, and take an inventory of your wardrobe. This appealed to my Type A personality, and gave me a manageable project to work with after finishing the book. The only thing that isn't addressed is where to score the cash to afford all of these new items. Unfortunately for many women, lack of knowledge isn't the only thing keeping them from dressing to the nines every day—lack of income is a major culprit as well.

This book made me want to stash some money away, however, for that well-thought out shopping trip that could save me from hundreds of silly impulse purchases and countless hours of standing bewildered and lost in my own closet. The last chapter is a short anecdotal prescription for how to help younger women dress with more modesty, coming back to the tried and true "don't cause your brother to stumble" mantra. This book fulfills it's purpose—helping women to better understand that what they wear does make a statement, and steering them to make the right one.

I always understood “submission” to mean that you do what your man says, no questions asked. I pictured an Ozzy and Harriet situation where the man comes home from work and the woman has dinner hot on the table, her best outfit on and her hair up, looking chipper. The man proceeds to pay little attention to her, and she continues to shower him with love and affection while he barks out demands. This was simply not what either of us wanted for our marriage.

However, I slowly began to notice that my strong will and incessant need to push my agenda began to deflate my husband. He wanted to lead, but I wasn’t letting him—and then I was nagging him for not being a leader. If I trusted him and believed that he would make the best decisions for our life and future, would it be so hard for me to just give a little? I came to realize that when I didn’t empower my husband to make decisions and show that I trusted him to do it, his confidence level stooped very low.

I first had to come to the conclusion that I really trusted him and knew that he would make right choices. And the more I allowed him to have a little room in our decisions, the more understanding, loving, and strong he became. I never realized the amazing power that women have to build their husbands up without being torn down themselves. I came to realize that “submission” was nothing that I had originally thought. It was a beautiful concept that brought out the best in both of us and allowed us to grow in love and trust. It wasn’t about me laying down and being a doormat. It was about allowing my husband to lead in a way that brought blessing on our marriage and revealed the amazing potential in both of us.

So these days, I do make my husband dinner when he gets home, when I can. I love to serve him—because he deserves it, not because he expects me to. We are definitely not the Ozzy and Harriet type, but I am grateful for what we have learned about God’s vision for marriage and what a beautiful thing it can be when we both let down our pride.