eShakti and Owen Bradley Park
If you read a lot of fashion blogs you've probably heard of eShakti, the clothing company that carries sizes 0-36W and will customize their garments to your measurements. I've read more than a few rave reviews of their clothing. I even entertained the idea of placing an order, but I just never got around to it. I was thrilled when they contacted me to choose a dress and do a review* because I've never owned a made-to-measure garment and was curious to see if it would meet my expectations.
It didn't; it far exceeded them. Take a look.
I chose a split-neck embellished floral print dress with striped contrast banding in front. The fully lined dress has a side zipper, pockets, a skirt that hits just above the knee, and I opted to add short sleeves as well. It's a beautiful little Summer dress, but what makes it exceptional is the fit. Instead of ordering a standard size I opted to submit my measurements and have it custom made to those specifications. Of course, this meant I had to be honest about these numbers, nine of them to be exact, and a few of them were a little discouraging when they were staring me in the face. But any dismorphic hyper-critical body issues disappeared when I actually put the dress on. When a garment fits you properly it goes a long way towards making you look good regardless of your shape. Adding the lovely bracelet from Vintage Vamp I purchased at Nashville's Art2Wear and the Art Nouveau bud necklace from the Frist is the perfect touch of local flavor for this beautiful dress.
Because I'm petite and voluptuous I've never had a dress that truly fit me properly. Petite sizes tend to be too small for my bust, and standard sizes are too long-waisted for my proportions. I'm shocked that it's taken me this long to order a custom dress, and for the price - the cost of the garment plus a paltry $7.95 (the fee is waived on your first custom order) - it's not the last one I'll order. In fact, I ordered a second dress during their up to 70% off sale.
The made to measure option is also very advantageous for many disabled ladies who may have trouble getting standard sizes to fit properly. It's very liberating to browse hundreds of dresses, tops, skirts and jackets knowing any one of them will fit you like a glove when it arrives. It doesn't hurt that they're gorgeous, either. Go ahead, visit eShakti yourself. You know you want to. Be sure to Like them on Facebook and follow on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as well.
These photos were taken at Owen Bradley Park on Music Row in downtown Nashville. Bradley was an American record producer and one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sound in country music and rockabilly. His roster includes Buddy Holly, Bill Monroe, Mel Tillis, Kitty Webb, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, KD Lang. This lovely little gem of a park seemed like the perfect place to dress up and show off.
Proud to be a part of yet another Visible Monday, Creative Mondays, Monday Mingle and The Life of the Party
* I received this dress free of charge in exchange for this blog post. The opinions expressed are my own.