Custom Fits with Eshakti!

Eshakti Ceramic Tile Print Dress

Even before I was a mom, I worried about the impact that negative body image can have on the self esteem of girls and women. Through my own body image struggles I have tried to remind myself that "all bodies are 'good' bodies" and to be positive and grateful. No matter my quibbles, the body I have is able and healthy. That is something to celebrate, not chide. But despite these efforts, negativity can seep in whenever I encounter fit issues with a type of garment, a brand, or a style. For example, I've long had trouble finding pants which is why my wardrobe tends to rely on dresses.

Shopping in person these days is also a challenge. Not only do I lack the time necessary to be thorough, Pittsburgh lacks brick and mortar locations of many of my favorite stores. I order a lot of things online but that convenience comes at a price (to the environment and my pocketbook) when you are stuck paying for shipping and/or returns.

This is why I was so drawn to the customizable measurement options offered by Eshakti. Eshakti specializes in "mass customization" for women's clothes, while offering a range of sizes from 0-36. I love that their size options extend to include many many bodies. But I was even more excited about the opportunity to have a garment made to measure without costing an arm and a leg!

So when Eshakti contacted me to review a garment of my choice and encouraged me to try their customization feature I jumped at the chance. I chose the Ceramic Tile Print dress which appears to be sleeveless on the website. I chose to add sleeves and inputted my measurements per their measuring guidelines. A few days later I had this amazing made-to-measure dress that I can't wait to wear for teaching. I was pretty pleased with the fit and the quality, especially for the retail price point.

You can shop Eshakti for yourself and use an exclusive coupon code created for my readers:
CONSUMES will get you an extra 10% OFF and can be stacked with other discounts. The code is valid from 08/20/2014 – 09/20/2014. And there is a site-wide promotion going on right now where items are BOGO!!!

In a few days I also will be posting a back-to-school giveaway from Eshakti and Consume or Consumed! Thank you so much, Eshakti! 

The bad luck outfit

By Malene Birger dress

Aqua cashmere cardigan

Spanx reversible tights

Rosegold Liz booties

Kate Spade belt

Michael Kors watch and misc. bracelets from Target, Hiptique, and a flea market

This dress is one of those dresses that I coveted mostly because of how it looked laying flat, unfettered, and un-modeled on Net-a-Porter.

I should know by now that if a dress looks better lying flat versus being fitted onto lithe mannequins then it will probably be less than "flattering" on my non-lithe body. And on some level, of course I am aware of this. That doesn't mean that I will not be overtaken by irrationality on occasion (i.e. sale goggles). Besides, my theories about flattering are somewhat removed from "making a body look as small as possible." 

I pined over this dress back in 2008 but it never became discounted enough until it made its way to Outnet. Once on Outnet at 85% off, I pounced. When it arrived I realized that it needed to be altered for length. The combo of its volume and its length overwhelmed me. Done. I have to say that even though I've altered it and I truly love it in theory, it still hasn't been worn very much. Part of the reason is because I am in a total styling rut (especially when it comes to this dress). I wore it nearly the exact same way the last time it saw daylight (which I don't think I blogged but I could be wrong). And although I like repeats and monogamous dressing, if I can't figure out creative, new ways to style something it will be more likely to sit in my closet. For now it has a home but I think I need to branch out from the instinctive black pairings and try to wear it with color.

I welcome styling ideas and feedback!

*as an aside, I titled this a bad luck outfit because I proceeded to have a very bad luck day after I taught my first class. I don't care to relive it through language but as a slightly superstitious and overthinking person, it will take a failsafe occasion to remove some of the acquired bad vibes from this ensemble.

Dress Dilemma: Keep and Alter or Return?

I really heeded the input of my commenters who said this MBMJ dress was cute enough to buy and when I had a number of stackable $ and % off coupons for Bloomingdales.com, I decided to pounce. The only problem was that the remaining size selection was quite limited. So although I got this dress for over 75% off, I am torn. The fit isn't great. The only size in stock was a 12. I wore an 8 in my original review but really probably needed a 10. Here's the 8:

The 12 is definitely large all over but particularly so in the waist and arm holes. What should I do? Return or alter and keep? It's a black dress. I don't have a lot of solid color cocktail dresses but I also don't go to many cocktail-attire-requiring places (other than weddings). In the grander scheme of style, there will be many black dresses I covet in the future. I could return and move on. Or return and hope to track down a 10 for a similarly good price. I could have my tailor alter for probably $20. What would you do?

Nanette Lepore Stella Dallas Dress Altered!

I got this Nanette Lepore dress on ebay for a very low price but learned once it arrived that it ran pretty big, particularly in the waist, armhole, and bust. I tried my best to make it work as is, but realized that a professional could probably make it more wearable for all seasons. Although my tailor couldn't fix the waistline (the fabric detail was too thick for a machine to be trusted), he did tighten the sleeves and taper the bust. Here is the before:

Much better!

Tailoring Update Success! By Malene Birger Liane Dress

I am happy to report that this formerly "slightly too-long dress" is no longer too long. I bought Danish designer, By Malene Birger's "Liane" dress from the Outnet back in Fall 2009 when it was deeply discounted. But I was hesitant to take it to the tailor because of the lovely details. So it sat in my closet for almost a year. Here it was before:

Finally I came to my senses and took it to the tailor.

A pretty but non-functional dress may as well not exist! I had Geno take up the length and can now wear this beautiful antique ivory frock!

Diane von Furstenberg Sample Sale Haul: Your Advice Needed!

To hem or not to hem the sleeves: That is the question.

This Spring Shadows Greer DVF wrap dress was purchased on my behalf by a fashionism.org friend who was kind and generous enough to ship it to me after braving the legendary DVF sample sale! I love it and have long wanted a dress with this gorgeous all over print, but am torn about whether I should keep the bell sleeves as is, or hem them into a 3/4 length (for more seasonless wearability).

What do you think? (excusing the crudeness of the quick iPhone pics):

I can't return the dress, so any "both are epic fails" comments are moot. :)