eShakti Review: Hot Pink Ponte Knit Dress

A few weeks ago eShakti invited me to choose one of their pieces and customize it, on them. This is the dress that I chose, and you guys... I'm so in love!

In case they're new to you, eShakti is an online clothing store that offers both style and fit customization for women sizes 0-36. Yep. 0-36. And for just $7.50, you can order a custom size using your own measurements, and you can change the item's sleeve type, neckline, and length. You can also remove pockets (although why would anyone ever wanna do that??) and even design overlays/embroidery. I had read a lot about eShakti through other blogs and I'd been curious to try it out for some time. So I was super excited when they contacted me offering to let me choose an item from their site to customize and review.

Ordering was very simple.
Step 1: Choose your size from 0-36, or enter a custom size.
Step 2: Enter your height.
Step 3: Enter your custom styling.

These pictures help you understand the different styling options and imagine what the finished product will look like.



I made two modifications to the original design. The dress was already cute to begin with, but I knew I wanted a boat neck instead of the v-neck so I could wear pretty statement necklaces with it. I also shortened the dress from below knee length to above knee length. Below is a comparison of the before and after. I think it came out quite nicely, if I do say so myself!

These are my pros and cons specific to this dress and my experience with eShakti:

PROS

1. Beautiful color, good-quality workmanship, and flattering fit overall. Fabric passes the "hand" test as it is quite thick, seams are sewn well, and the one zipper closes properly.
2. Pockets! Deep ones! And they're hidden very well, so you can't even tell that they're there.
3. The style and fit of the dress are versatile enough to wear to work or for a fancier occasion.
4. Dress arrived 10 days after placing the order. That's pretty damn fast for a cut-to-order style coming from India.

CONS

1. Dress came with extra room on the sides above the waist which produces unflattering wrinkling/ruching with movement. However, this might not have been an issue had I entered a custom sizing for my waist. I'm not very good at taking my own measurements, nor is anyone else I know, so I opted for a standard size 6. 
2. Dress came in reasonably sized package, but it was very wrinkled along the bottom of the pleats when I took it out of the box. Because of the fabric type (mainly nylon/rayon), you can only iron on a low setting, which didn't do much for the wrinkles on this dress (though they're not exactly visible in the pictures). 

Dress makes me wanna twirl.

As for this outfit, I wanted to create a colorful holiday look using the bright colors that you might find in a set for The Nutcracker. The green purse and Kate Spade necklace pop ever so perfectly against the radiant orchid color of the dress, and the sparkly heels add the perfect touch of holiday glam.

Most of the reviews I've read on eShakti are overwhelmingly positive, but there are some that are more mixed (like this one). As for me, I will definitely be ordering from eShakti in the near future. They offer super cute and feminine clothing and, though a bit pricey on some items, I wouldn't mind paying a little more because a) I admire their business model (you can read more about that here) and 2) I appreciate their contributions to the democratization of fashion and design. And to me, that's the kind of stuff that's worth paying for.



Dress: c/o eShakti
Bag: TJ Maxx
Necklace: Kate Spade (available on eBay here, here)
Gem bracelet: JewelMint (old) // Link bracelet: 80's vintage
Heels: ModCloth

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P.S. Use code earnestyle before 12/19/14 for 10% off your eShakti order!

Linked up: How I Fall // Style Sessions

What I Wore // Your Whims Wednesday // Three-fer Thursday

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Update 12/18/14: This outfit was featured as one of Perfectly Coutured + White Coat Wardrobe's Three-Fer Thursday picks of the week! :)