By Natalie Mitts

Summer Bellessa watched as her friend's toddler casually flipped through the pages of Vogue with images of scantily clad women. It was then that Bellessa realized there was something wrong.

"Why isn't there a fashion magazine without nakedness that still has great photography and beautiful models?" she asked.

Now there is. Bellessa, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the editor-in-chief of Eliza magazine. She launched a premier issue on June 23 and the fall issue comes out in September.

Bellessa is no stranger to the world of fashion. The Chicago native began modeling at age 4 and continues modeling today. Three years ago she also began her own clothing line, Sorrella Bellessa.

"It's always been a hobby and something I love to be involved in," Bellessa said.

Bellessa said she was fed up with the skimpy clothes she had to wear as a model. She wanted to produce a magazine that showcased women, without showing skin.

"When you open Eliza, you know everything's appropriate for all ages," she said. "It's not overly provocative."

Currently in the fashion world, there are only two categories of style, Bellessa said.

"You are either completely showing skin or wearing a tent, looking frumpy and not cute," she said. "I would like to make a category where you can be classy, covered up and still fashionable."

The magazine board is made up of women from a wide variety of religions: Catholic, Jewish, Latter-day Saint, Muslim and Protestant.

"Eliza wants to show a broad sense of modesty," Bellessa said. "I wanted to have something for everyone who is looking for modesty, not just those from my background."

Bellessa found she is more like the other board members than she would have originally thought.

"We all have similar ideas and wants," she said. "There are just small differences."

Eliza features articles on fashion, make-up, health, art, politics, food, travel and entertainment.

The magazine is targeted to women ages 17 to 34 who want to find high fashion, modest clothing. Currently, the magazine comes out quarterly. After two years, Bellessa said she plans to move to monthly issues.

Advertisers in the magazine already knew there was a market and were excited to have an outlet to showcase their clothes, she said.

"Some bigger companies are jumping on board because they've seen our success," Bellessa said.

The first issue had a circulation of 3,000, with most of the audience in California. Other markets include Utah, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado, although the magazine has subscriptions nationwide. There is also an international market, including Finland, Canada, Australia and India, Bellessa said. To subscribe, visit elizamagazine.com.

On July 20, "Good Morning America" featured Eliza in a story about modesty, calling it a "slick new magazine," according to abcnews.go.com.

Bellessa said this media appearance led to even more subscriptions.

"It's very exciting and it's let us know that there's a huge market out there of people who aren't satisfied with the fashion magazines now," she said.

Bellessa said the designers she works with have been encouraging.

"Even people in the fashion industry who don't understand why we would want to dress modestly love our images," she said. "The art of fashion is still very much in Eliza, just without the trash."

She said the name for the magazine stems from Audrey Hepburn's part as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady," changing from an uncivilized flower girl into a stylish lady.

"I liked the symbolism of transformation of that specific role," she said.

Eliza is available in Provo at Mode Boutique, 45 N. University Ave. Owner Beccy Neely said she absolutely loves the magazine.

"It's really visually appealing," she said. "They've done a good job with the styling of shoots."

Neely said she likes that the main focus of the magazine is modesty.

"They show people how to look modest and it's awesome," she said. "Even celebrities have dressed modestly in recent months. Everyone is starting to notice a trend in it. It has the potential to stick around."

Neely said Eliza is giving women more options, especially for warm weather.

"It's always a challenge to find modest clothing in the summer months, but Eliza shows that you can layer in the summer and still look good," she said.

Lolabella Boutique at the Gateway in Salt Lake City also sells Eliza.

"We have a lot of people come in and ask for it," said Ashley Lunak, a manager at Lolabella. "They seem excited about it."

She said she believes the modesty movement will stick around, especially in this area.

"It's a really good idea to show cute things that are modest," she said.

The boutique even sells some of the clothing featured in Eliza, so readers will not have to travel far to find the clothes they like from the magazine.

In Provo, BillieJo Clothing Co., 271 N. University Ave., salesperson Courtney Kezerian said the modest clothing companies, such as Shade, were definitely needed in Utah Valley.

"I think they're great because a lot of people have high standards and want to uphold them," she said. "They can wear modest clothing and still look cute."

She said trends such as leggings and long shirts are contributing to the modesty movement.

"Fashion as a whole is getting more modest," she said.

natalie.mitts@gmail.com

Copyright Brigham Young University 4 Sep 2007