By Maurine Jensen Proctor, Meridian Magazine
Kieth Halls already had plenty to do with his time. As the senior vice-president of NuSkin, a billion dollar company, he certainly didn’t need to consider taking on a cause. Yet he had the common — and shocking, experience so many parents do the first time he went with his daughter shopping for a prom dress.“We shopped in Provo and Orem and we couldn’t find one modest dress. Not one,” he said. “I was shocked! We drove to Salt Lake and the same thing happened. Everyone told us that we should buy an immodest dress and then alter it if we wanted to. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and seeing!”
He found out that what he thought would be a rather easy chore, to find the perfect modest dress for his daughter and then purchase it for her, was next to impossible. If that was happening to him in Utah, he believed and quickly found out that parents and girls all over the U.S. were probably experiencing the same thing. They wanted to look modest, they wanted to dress modestly and to listen to and obey what they have been taught by their parents and Church leaders, but it was impossible to find a modest dress — even in Utah.
“I left that shopping experience thinking about opening a small, retail company that deals exclusively with modest formal and wedding dresses,” he said.
Driven by a Higher Purpose
Allyse’s Bridal, a store in Provo, Utah’s University Mall, and Beautifully Modest, an online store (www.beautifullymodest.com) were the happy results from Keith’s miserable shopping experience. Now, thanks to Keith’s vision, thousands of girls can make the choice to be beautiful and modest.
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In some ways, Keith Halls seems like an unlikely candidate to have tried to take on the fashion world. He was born in a small farming community in Nacogdoches, Texas. He readily attributes the success he has found in life to good parents and good friends. “Like Nephi of old, I too was born of goodly parents. They taught me many things and set near perfect examples.”
“I can remember that my mother would come out and talk to each of us kids as we worked. She would say, ‘Keith, find something you can do with your life where you can teach people how to dream and teach them how to make their dreams come true. Teach people that if they mix hard work, dedication and a firm conviction to never quit, their dreams can become a reality.’”
March 27th, 2007 at 7:59 am
I am thrilled that young women now have options for finding modest dresses for special occasions. Thank you for your contribution to this search.
Recent dress standards are shocking in many arenas and create uncomfortable situations for many of us. I hope Allyse’s Bridal and Beautifully Modest both thrive in the fashion industry because young women decide to dress, look and act refined beause they dress modestly.