eShakti

Company: eShakti
Price: Varies depending on what you buy
Description: eShakti is a traditional online retailer that focuses on retro-style dresses, skirts, and tops. There's one thing that makes them different from any other online store that I've run into. They let you customize! On most of their items you can add/remove sleeves, change the neckline, and change the length. You can also change the measurements and customize the entire sizing. Customization costs $7.50 per item. Items are made in India and shipped to the US.

Now onto the dress!



Dress: eShakti's Red Tipped Trim Chambray Frock
Cardigan: Tilly's
Shoes: Jessica Simpson Eman

I got this chambray dress in eShakti's overstock section. This is the section where they resell their returns at a discount. They ship from their returns center in Washington state instead of from India so they get here a little faster. The only downside to the overstock section is that you can't customize. Normally I put sleeves on all my purchases but I liked the price on this one and the size matched so I went with it. Did I mention almost all of their dresses have pockets? Like real ones, not the fake mini pockets that are in most women's clothing these days that can barely fit a chap stick. If you're not a fan of pockets you can customize to have them removed at no additional cost, but really, who doesn't love pockets?

I've been wanting to get a chambray dress for awhile. The trend is huge right now, but I wasn't sure how I would like it. Turns out, I LOVE IT! Chambray is a great neutral because like jeans, you can pair it with black or brown. I went with brown in this case (clearly).

The dress fits great. The size chart is pretty accurate but does have some wiggle room. For instance I ordered a 12. According to their size chart the waist is a 31.5". My waist is 34" and this fit. It was snug, but not uncomfortably so. It's good quality material and I love the red detailing.

To highlight the detailing, I thought about wearing it with my red Betsey Johnson Ditas which are a bright red, round-toe, corset heel, but the last time I wore them, I got too many "Wizard of Oz" comments thrown my way. And considering that when I tried the dress on, my husband said I looked like Dorothy in it, I wasn't going to substantiate that by wearing my "ruby red slippers".  Instead I went with my Jessica Simpson Emans. Jessica Simpson may not act like the brightest crayon in the box, but she sure knows a thing about shoes. They are like walking on clouds. So much cushioning and just the right height.

This particular dress is sold out right now, but their dresses are always coming back into stock. If you find something you love on the site, but can't buy it immediately, bookmark it so you can keep an eye on it.

Now back to the company. I can't tell you how much I love this company. Not just the customization, although that is wonderful. I always dress modestly and it's nice to put sleeves on things instead of always having to wear cardigans. What I love most, is how they treat their customers. They are CONSTANTLY giving coupons, sales, deals, and yes, even giftcards just to keep you coming back. They have a great return policy too. If you don't like what you received, and you want to return for store credit, they will give you the price of the item plus 20% back on a giftcard (the added 20% deal excludes overstock items).  However, you do have to pay return shipping and they don't refund you for customization. Last awesome thing about this company, they sell plus size too!

They're having a site wide sale right now so it's definitely worth a look see. Up to 40% off. You won't regret it. You get $25 off when you register on their site (there are certain minimum purchase amounts, I think) and free customization the first time you do it. I've had a few items I sent back due to sizing issues, but the ones I've kept are my absolute favorite! If you try, let me know what you think!