Discount Alert!

Do you remember my review of eShakti? That seems like ages ago, doesn't it? It was actually nearly a year ago! Well, here were are, nearly one year later and I have a special offer for all of you from eShakti. If you use the following promo code when you check out at eShakti.com, you will receive an additional 15% off your purchase.

Promo code: ReL7YN

This promo code is valid through the end of November, so it might come in handy if you decide to do some Christmas shopping online. I was just doing a little browsing and fell in love with these dresses and skirts:

As much as I love my full and a-line skirts (and I LOVE my full and a-line skirts), I am also starting to truly LOVE a more narrow silhouette on the bottom half. The right fabric and design is what it takes for me- not just any old pencil skirt will do. Unfortunately when it come to dresses, the fit is usually off. For example, if I find a dress like the grey one above (far right), it is often very difficult to find a size that works for me. If it fits in the bottom, then it's too big across the bust. It's a lot easier for me to find a skirt with a slim silhouette than a dress. Of course, once I've found a great skirt, I then need to shop for a top that works with it, so it ends up being a lot more work in the end. I don't mind if the end result is one I like. I'm thinking of ordering the grey dress from eShakti, but getting it done in a custom size. I have to think on it, so no promises, but if I do, I'll certainly post about it here.

I'm probably going to be doing a bit of clothes shopping for work in the next few weeks, so I'll be sure to post some pictures of what I get! Have a great day, everyone!

eShakti Review

Hi everyone- I have been remiss in my duties in reporting to you about the pants I got from eShakti a while back. This has been for a couple of reasons. First, I've been INSANELY busy. I'm sure you all understand how that is, especially around the holidays. Of course, being busy hasn't kept me from posting, but when it comes to the pants that were sent to me, it's been an issue. The reason is that the pants are nice, but don't fit me properly. I sent my measurements to eShakti and asked for a custom pair. Perhaps it has to do with my measuring, but the pants are too large. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to tailor them so that I can wear them for the blog.  so here they are as seen on the website:

They are adorable, arent' they? I was hoping to be able to add them to my stock of dress pants, particularly ones to be worn with heels. Unfortunately, the length is too short for me to wear them with heels. I'm not sure why that is. It could be the measurements I sent to them. They'll be a perfect pair of pants to wear with flats, though.

As you know, I also received a top and I reviewed it here. The top was of exceptional quality and fit, so that is what makes the pants even harder to review. I don't want to be too harsh, but the quality of the fabric used on the pants wasn't up to my personal standards. Of course, the website doesn't specify the weight of the fabric- it only states "cotton satin." The fabric is too thin to be worn in winter, in my opinion. These pants would be fine for spring and summer, but if you wanted to wear them in the fall or winter, you'd have to layer a pair of tights underneath.

To sum up, my experience with eShakti was mixed in terms of getting custom pieces made to fit. I recommend purchasing a specific size when ordering pants because pants are incredibly difficult to fit when you can't try them on in person. If you order whatever size you typically wear, then you'll at least be able to gauge how their sizing fits your body. As for the quality, once again my experience was mixed- the top was spectacular, but the pants were made of fabric too thin for the price asked. If they were lined, that would certainly increase their value in my opinion. If anyone else has purchase from eShakti, please leave a comment and tell me about your experience. I'm a huge fan of the styles they have to offer, so I definitely see myself ordering from them again in the future.

eShakti Review

I've been talking about it for a couple of weeks, and now the day has arrived- my eShakti order came in the mail and I've put together an outfit to show you. First a couple of things about the experience:

I received an email from eShakti offering me some samples to review- I'm pretty sure I'm required to disclose that the clothing samples were free of charge. I sent my measurements via the form provided on their website and in less than 2 weeks, my custom clothes had arrived. I had selected the "romantic scallop blouse" in black and plum:

And here is my outfit with mine that was custom made to my measurements:

Top: eShakti, free for me this time, online sells for $49.95

Jeans: Old Navy, $19

Boots: Tommy Hilfiger, $79 (from 6 years ago!)

Earrings: H&M, I don't remember what I paid for them

I'm totally in love with my new top and it fits perfectly! I have received more than half a dozen compliments on it already today, so I know I made a good choice and eShakti did a good job making it fit. It's a top that comes in several color choices, so I might even order another in a different color at some point. The quality is good- the shirt is lined and the embroidered edges are solid. I've purchased tops with an embroidered edge and they can be uneven, or have remnants of the interfacing hanging off. Not the case with this top. It's exactly as I expected it and I'm completely in love.

What do you think of it? Would you purchase something like this? What do you think of shopping for clothes online? Do you do it often? Or do you prefer shopping in stores? Leave a comment with your thoughts! And have a great day!

And the winner is...

ERIN!!! Congratulations, Erin on winning your $20 gift certificate generously donated from Eshakti! Email me so that I can get it to you. And everyone else keep an eye out for more giveaways as well as a personal review of Eshakti's clothing line later this week. Happy Monday!

Last day to enter for the GIVEAWAY

This is your last day to comment on Monday's Giveaway Post for the $20 gift certificate from Eshakti. Click here to go to the post. Scroll down to the comments. You may leave up to three comments total which increases your odds of winning. Good luck! I'll announce the winner tomorrow.

I'll also be posting a new Giveaway tomorrow. Same rules apply. 3 comments. 1 winner.

Cloudy with a chance of suede

Today was the first cloudy day to end the stretch of beautiful, warm, sunny weather we've been having here in central PA for the last couple of weeks. It's still not warm enough (for me) to need a jacket, at least not during the day, but I did feel it was time to stop wearing the summer sundresses (even if they're paired with a cardigan sweater). But I'm still a risk-taker- after all, I wore a suede hat and carried a leather and suede bag, despite the ominous clouds. Only time will tell if I'll end up regretting this risk:

Jeans: Old Navy, $19

Sweater: Target, $13.48

Hat: Nine West, gift

Bag: Coach, $100ish- not sure of the exact amount

Shoes: Fabulous Footwear, $22

Earrings: Musette (on Etsy), $16

The bag was a splurge and a treat to myself a couple of years ago. As you all know, I'm a big fan of the faux-designer bags, but the truth is that I really just love handbags. Whether they are real or fake, what draws me in is the look of the bag itself. This bag made me drool. The light lavender suede is so soft and luxurious and the accent of the dark purple suede and leather is just a gorgeous combination. I remember clearly that it was December of 2007, and I had made the final payment on my car (whoo-hoo!) the previous month. Apparently, the final balance due was grossly out-of-whack and the bank sent me a check for the nearly $400 I'd overpaid. Bonus! As if it wasn't good enough that I finally owned my car free and clear, I got what was basically free money about a month later. Exciting, right? Well, I'd been drooling over the bag for weeks- it was the kind of situation where I'd go to the store just to look at it and dream about how it would feel walking down the street with it. On this particular day, I figured that since the money was a totally unexpected windfall, it would be ok to spend a little of it on something pretty and frivolous. The last time I'd looked at the bag, it was discounted down to around $160, so that's what I was prepared to spend when I went in to buy it. Turns out it was on sale for even less and I ended up getting a small Coach purse for a friend as well as my bag for just a little more than the $160 I'd planned to spend. I think mine ended up being around $100, and the small one around $55, so after taxes, it was just a little more than the $160. What great luck, right? And my friend got a Coach bag out of my good fortune, too. Sometimes you have to pay it forward- it just feels right.

As for the rest of the outfit, I admit I was dressing for comfort more than style today. I have a couple of really fun people at work who make a point of taking note of my outfit each day. It adds more than a little pressure to deliver fabulousness day in and day out, but fortunately for me, I love a challenge. Also fortunately for me, they both approved of my casual attire today- I'm talking about you, Jen & Tabby!

I hope that the weather improves again, but knowing what point we're at in the year, I can hardly expect it to continue to be sunny and warm until the spring. Oh, well. I guess it's going to be time for some serious layering outfits- lots of sweaters, turtlenecks, jackets, scarves- at least dressing for winter can be interesting with all the pieces you have to wear!

One more reminder to visit this week's Giveaway post and leave a comment to win a $20 gift certificate from Eshakti. A winner will be randomly selected from the comments. Each person is allowed to leave up to three comments. If you only leave one comment, your chances aren't quite as good, so go ahead and leave all three allotted comments- you never know what might happen!

Rate My Look- mixing plaids

Dress: Burlington Coat Factory, $13

Shoes: Bakers, gift

Ring: Festoon, $42

Cardigan: Marshalls, gift

Earings: Ann Taylor Loft, $7

Sorry the photo is so blurry today- I didn't have a lot of time to get a shot, so I was sort of stuck with this one. Anyway, I'm wearing a plaid strapless sundress that I've "winterized" with a fabulous cardigan. What makes this outfit fun for me is the mixing of plaids- in the dress and on the shoes. People say not to mix prints, but I don't buy that rule. Mix away, friends! I wish the sleeves on the cardigan were more visible because they are so fun- they sort of balloon out at the elbow and then gather back in at the hem. I love the sweater for this reason, but also because of the way it creates a v-neck AND a sort of inverted-v from the waist down. It's incredibly flattering and makes my waist seem oh-so-tiny.

In other news... I hope all of you have not forgotten to post a comment on Monday's Giveaway post. It's the only way to be entered into the drawing for the $20 gift certificate from Eshakti. I'm SO excited to get my pants & top from them- hopefully it will arrive this week and I'll be able to do a complete review for you. But, even if you aren't interested in their clothes (and I can't understand why you wouldn't be!), they have lots of fun accessories, too.

And finally, here is a little sneak peek of some DIY fashions I've been working on. Can you figure out what they are?

 (Why won't this picture center for me? Weird.)

Intrigued? Especially by the first one, right? Well you'll have to wait a few more days to find out about them, but I think you're going to enjoy these future posts! Have a great day, everyone!

Giveaway Today!

This post's sole purpose is to announce this week's giveaway prize- a $20 gift certificate from Eshakti. I mentioned this webstore the other day as a great place for custom clothing- and not the beaucoup bucks kind of custom clothing, but the totally reasonable kind. For example, let's say you're kind of short and have trouble finding pants that don't need to be taken to the tailor and hemmed 3 inches shorter than they were sold. Well, at Eshakti, you can actually specify your inseam and they'll make the pants the proper length for YOU! Or let's say you're one of those curvy girls who measures a different size from her bust to her waist to her hips- let's be honest, there are a lot of women out there like that! Once again, you can give Eshakti your measurements and they'll tailor the top or the dress or the jacket to fit your body. But wait! It gets better! Let's say you LOVE a dress on their website, but it has long sleeves and you'd really rather a dress with cap sleeves. They'll do that, too! Amazing, right? And the prices for these clothes are very reasonable. I'll be receiving two pieces from them soon which I'll photograph for the blog and review for your information.

Here's what you need to do: Visit Eshakti, browse the products and leave a comment HERE (on this post) about what you think of the site in order to be entered in the giveaway. You may leave up to three comments to be considered for the drawing. Good luck!

Fashion Freebies

One of the great things about being a self-described "fashionista" or "stylist" is that other people love helping you look fabulous almost as much as they love getting help from you to make them look fabulous. In the end, everyone wins. Occassionally, there are fashion freebies that one will encounter as well. For example, the giveaway I've been hosting this week (one last plug, since tomorrow is the last day to enter- winner will be announced on Sunday).

Other times, it is an unexpected gift from a friend- "I saw this and thought of you, so I got it" or "This was a gift, but it's not really my style- I thought you'd enjoy it" or even "I bought this for myself, but it just isn't working- would you like to have it?" Whenever I purge my closet or dresser drawers, I try to think of the people in my life and whether or not something of mine would make them happy. I recently gave away a truly fabulous (and authentic) Coach bag that I'd bought on craigslist of all places. It was such a good deal- $5!- that I couldn't resist, but the truth was that it wasn't really my style. Fortunately, it was perfect for a friend, so I passed it on to her. Today was my lucky day for fashion freebies. First, my good friend Michael Minor (a performer at AMT) brought in this super cool hat for me:

Isn't it fabulous? It's a tan suede newsboy cap from Nine West and it fits perfectly. He bought it for his wife, but it didn't fit, so they passed it on to me- sweet, huh? I literally put it on the minute he handed it to me and haven't taken it off since. It kind of works with my outfit today, so why not wear it right away? (P.S. I took the picture in my office towards the end of the day, which is why I'm a little shiny and sleepy looking. Flourescent lighting is not flattering on ANYONE.)

But wait! That wasn't my only freebie! I also got an email from Eshakti offering me some samples to review here on my blog! How cool is that? I ordered a pair of pants and a top, which are being custom made to my measurements. I'm SO excited about them. You should check out the website when you have a minute- their clothing can be ordered as-is, or you can make custom alterations. And by "custom" I mean that they will build a garment to your specific measurements AND alter the design to your preferences including sleeve length, neckline style, etc. Pretty cool, right? I'm sure you'll be as impressed with their designs as I was- there are a lot of pretty and interesting details that will catch your eye.  Here are the pants I'll be sampling soon:

I fell in love with the high waist, the wide leg and of course the bow sash detail. They are really gorgeous pants. I admit I've given them a difficult challenge- a pair of high waisted pants- but I'm confident they'll deliver. You will be able to read that review in the next coulple of weeks, so be on the lookout for it. In the meantime, I'll be hosting a giveaway for a $20 gift certificate to Eshakti to use towards their clothing or accessories. Fabulous, right? It was a fashion freebies windfall for me today, and I'm so excited to be able to pay it forward with the gift certificate! If any of you have purchased from Eshakti before and would like to share your experience, feel free to leave a comment! Have a great night!