Hair flowers: Arden
Pearl stud earrings: Claire's
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Green and white tipped trim poplin dress: eShatki
White ruched sleeve cardigan: Fairweather
Mint green 1950s gloves: eBay
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
Green glass bead and brass lucky horse shoe charm bracelet: Handmade by me
Black vintage handbag: etsy seller A Vintage Revival
Nude on nude seamed stockings: eBay
White pumps: Payless
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace
Photography by Antonio Cangiano
As you may recall from this post a couple of months ago, I was contacted by the eShakti.com customer service team again early on this year in regards to reviewing another one of their garments. My previous experiences with eShakti had been mixed, especially due to the sizing on two dresses I'd purchased myself from them last December being significantly smaller than what was actually stated (for the size's measurements). I detailed, at length, my thoughts on that particular eShakti order here, so shalln't rehash it all again in today's post.
I received the cheerful kelly green and white dress that I'm wearing in the photos here (taken back in late March - it will be a while still before I've recouped enough from my recent surgery to bop around and take outfit photos again) from eSkati, having been instructed to selection three different dresses from their vast spring lineup, one of which I'd receive at random (based on their inventory levels, I was told) to review.
Having previously has such unfortunate luck with the sizing (the dresses I'd bought were both more than two inches smaller than the measurements listed, thus making them too small in the torso for me to comfortably wear), I decided to veer on the side of caution and order up not one, but two sizes larger than I normally would have (worn) based on the measurements listed on their website.
I also opted for a dress with buttons up the front, instead of a side zipper (as it's only fastening), as the two I'd purchased both had, in the hopes that this would grant me an even easier time with the torso fit. Both of these choices certainly had their desired effect, in fact, I'd venture to say that (in the case of a button front dress), I could have perhaps gotten away with order up just one size, as there was a fair bit of excess fabric in the bust area (I'm not very larger busted to begin with, so I might wear more of a bullet style bra the next time I sport this dress, to help fill out the chest area a bit more). The waist however fit very comfortably and I have no issue with things there this time around.
Perhaps my one main qualm with this dress is the hem length. The listing specs for this dress said that it would hit below the knee - which it does, just barely. When you order a dress or skirt from eShakti, they ask you to specify your height, which I did, and I assumed that it would come down somewhere at the mid-calf length, however it just barely skims my kneecaps.
Now, to be perfectly fair, eShakti does allow you to specify the hem length that you'd like from a few choices, but having opted for their "mid-calf" length with the two dresses mentioned above and having them both hit at my ankles, I was leery of picking that option again and instead decided to try my luck with the standard "below the knee" sizing that the dress came in.
While I realize this is something of a personal preference, I tend to like my dresses to come down a bit further past my knees, and had this frock not cleared mine, I would have returned it and exchanged it for a longer size. It's (relatively) short hem length ensures it will be great for the toasty summer months though, and it was also met with much approval from my husband.
Overall it's a very comfortable, well constructed dress and the colours are cute, classic and fun. I'm much, much more pleased with this frock than the two I'd purchased last year. The dress may be going for a retro vibe, but the cut is quite modern and more boxy than I'd generally like (I find boxy dresses with a-line skirts tend to make me look heavier than I am, and I feel that this one does that a bit, though styling it differently - such as with a medium width belt - in the future may help in that regard).
That said though, I'm happy with it - minor shortcomings and all, and feel that I'd be considerably more comfortable shopping with eShakti again (especially now that I've really got a good grasp on their various sizing and fit quirks). I appreciate that they sent me this dress and would be pleased to work with them again in the future.
In terms of styling this dress, I wanted to go with something sweet and springtime-y, but not overly cloying, so I grounded the green and white (which can easily veer unintentionally into spearmint candy territory) with hits of black care of one of my hair flowers and my handbag. Next time I wear it, I think I'll use a belt as just mentioned, and perhaps slip a basic blouse underneath (the dress itself has wide strap sleeves) thus transforming it into more of a jumper style dress (I think having a blouse underneath will also help add some bulk to the bust area and thus make the excess fabric there less noticeable).
These photos were taken on a small stretch of beach along Okanagan Lake just outside of the neighbouring town of Summerland, as the pale sun was beginning to set on a mild spring day and Tony and I were out running errands. I love the gentle, skin flattering lighting at work in these images and so wish I could reach into a magic bag and pull out that kind of soft light more often for photo shoots.
So while this eShakti dress might not be 100% perfect in terms of fit, it's a far cry better than the others I've gotten from them and I'll definitely wear it again. Though it's summery in cut, the colours help ensure it would also work well for Christmas or St. Patrick's Day, making it a great year round piece that I look forward to styling in various ways in the months and years to come.
