Product review: eShakti dress

Outfit: Dress: c/o eShakti/ Belt: Target/ Shoes: Target/ Necklace: Jess LC/ Bracelet: Self-made/

The first time I wore this dress I got a compliment saying that it looked like it was made for me, and the truth is- it kinda was.  I was contacted by eShakti to do a product review of one of their items and gleefully chose this dress that I had been eyeing.  To be honest, I haven't bought anything from their website before, but I had definitely window-shopped there, and I was intrigued by their policy of customization (both in size and style for $7.50 extra).  I was a bit hesitant to take on a product review, since I was wary of putting myself in a position where I might compromise my opinions, so I'm going to be up front with you here- this dress was provided for the purpose of a doing a product review, and all opinions here are my own.

Now to the details- Since the dress was being purchased online, I wanted to choose something in a fabric that I knew I would like (100% cotton, and no complaints here) and went with a color and style that I knew would be used in my everyday closet.  Since I've worn this dress about once a week, which is pretty much the highest endorsement I can give a clothing item, I feel pretty confident saying that this is something I quite like and has pretty much the best strap staying power of any of the dresses I own (and even went through the was well).  I often use stretchy fabrics and elastic waistbands to my advantage when choosing clothing, since I find it provides a better look than too loose/tight clothing (and I'm not yet skilled enough with a sewing machine to tailor all my clothes), so it was definitely a change to wear something that A) has a zipper and B) was made to spec based off of my measurements.  I'm really pleased with the workmanship (invisible zipper! totally lined! interesting pleat detailing on the top!) and felt like it translated really well from the website (exact dress can be found here and what I think is the same dress in other colors here).  The only difference I think my dress has is that the waist hits a little higher than I would have expected considering my height and measurements were provided.  While I'm currently trying to minimize my spending on clothing (since my budget has shifted dramatically over the past few months to compensate for dance classes), once I'm able to set aside enough for it I will probably buy something else from their site (aaand it might be this dress).

Disclosure: Dress was provided by eShakti in exchange for honest product review

Momentous moment

Outfit: Dress: Gap
Shoes: Chelsea Crew via Urban Outfitters
Bracelets: Self made and Hawaii Airport
Ring: Self made
Bag: Jess LC

Hey look! My first (real) maxi!  Believe me, it's not the first one that I've tried on, but it is the first one that I felt reasonably suited me- and a lot of that is due to the glorious color and feel of the fabric.  I've still got plans to make a couple of long-skirted things, which would allow me to combine the things that I like about maxis without dealing with some of the things that make me leery of them (seriously, why do so many of them have those triangle tops? That is eeeevil).  I'm not sure how practical this baby is for work (or biking into work- I ended up knotting it at the bottom to avoid gear entanglement and sadness), but I'm looking forward to seeing how much I can do with this (mostly because I'm head over heels with the color.  And the fabric.  And the fact that it's long-as in long for a maxi, since I was able to buy this in a tall size).

Other things that I'm excited about?  It's something that I've been thinking about for awhile now, but after making up pieces to sell at my school's Art Show, I'm now gearing up to open an Etsy shop.  My first (and now that I think of it, my last) endeavor into selling jewelry was in elementary school (I made those totally rad daisy chain beaded bracelets), but I've been playing around with things people might want to wear for years, and I'm excited to be moving in this direction.  Most of the things that I've been working on lately are wire-wrapped jewelry (like the bracelet and ring I'm wearing above), which I couldn't have done without taking an excellent class by Alicia of Dismount Creative, and I've also been messing around with headbands and other accessories.  I'm a little nervous about putting my stuff out there and whether it will sell, but for now I remain cautiously optimistic.  Have you made a leap into the business of selling things that you make, or other endeavors of the self-employed nature?  Any advice?

A place in the sun

Outfit: Shirt: Anthropologie
Skirt: Self-made
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell via Gilt
Belt: Anthropologie
Bag: Jess LC
Bracelet: Hawaii Airport

It'd be nice every so often to show up to pictures with my hair did, but after two go-rounds with the helmet (and ya know, the actually biking part) and work, it sometimes seems like taking pictures before work would be a better option-- but oh, the light that I'm sometimes lucky enough to get after work?  Trade-off totally worth it.  It doesn't hurt that bike commuting in the Houston summer is a pretty good excuse for not doing your hair :)

Such great heights

Outfit: Skirt: Self-made, Shirt: Delias, Cardigan, belt: Target, Shoes: Modcloth, Necklace: Jess LC

Second on my list of things to celebrate about my body is on the opposite side of the scale from my first- rather than a small detail it's more of a whole body approach, and instead of being something I've always loved, it's something that I needed time to embrace.  I haven't always felt comfortable being among the tallest of my peers (kinda hated it growing up, especially being around all the little bits in dance and ice skating), but I've gradually learned to love my height.  Without you I wouldn't be able to reach those tall shelves, get places with my long stride, be able to see/ breathe in concerts, or have been the tallest person in my lab for a couple years (although I no longer hold this honor).  So let's celebrate with our tallest heels and a skirt that I know for sure isn't too short (because making things yourself means you get control over the length).  Those hearts? They're for you height- you're pretty awesome and we are totally besties.  Full disclosure- I did not wear these heels to school- my limit is around 3 1/2 inch heels for a school day.

Leaving on a jet plane

So, I may have decided to get a new toy prior to making the trip to Mexico...

A shiny dslr of my own! Naturally, the first thing I did was take a picture of one of the cats. Because cat photos are always a good idea right?

I also got to use it to show what I packed for the trip:

My typical packing method consists of pulling out everything I might want to bring with me, and then thinking about what I actually need and might reasonably use. Between that, the extra charge for checked bags, and my own healthy sense of distrust/ paranoia (I like knowing that my bags make the trip with me), I've gotten much better at packing.

So what did I bring? At last count, 2 skirts, 5 dresses, 4 shirts (I pulled one out post photo), 2 light weight button downs, 3 cardis, 3 pairs of sandals, and 1 bridesmaid dress and flippy floppies ( and one giant sun hat). I didn't do it intentionally, but I'm sort of tickled that everything is in the same general color scheme or neutral.

It's probably still more than I really truly need, but I'm anticipating a couple nice dinners balanced with plenty of time at the beach, so I want to be able to deal with both. In my tote went my new baby, books, and enough layers to deal with whatever weirdness the airplane climate deals me.

I thought I was doing pretty well, until the boy finished pulling clothes, looked at it, and said, I think I can fit this in my backpack, yeah, I'll just take that. Sigh. Look like I still have something to learn about packing light.

Being brave

Outfit: Dress as skirt: Gap, Shirt: Shop Ruche, Necklace: Jess LC, Bracelet: Modcloth, Shoes: Lulu's, Belt: BR

I think that starting to be brave and bold in what I was wearing (and posting it on the internet) has helped to open this up in me.  This outfit, with it's loose undefined top and drop waist on the dress is not a sillouette that feels easy to me, and wearing it out of the house is hard for me, but rewarding.  All that practice in taking chances with this small daily choice is paying off.    After years of missing dance and doing nothing about it (and rationalizing that it was too expensive an indulgence on a grad student salary), I decided to throw myself back into ballet classes.  The boy told me how proud he is of me, and that I'm brave for being willing to put myself out there in this way and go after something even though I feel like I'm flailing.  I felt sick before the first class, not knowing what to expect, but knowing that I don't in any way resemble a dancer (except for my good feet).  My body doesn't move in all the same ways that it used to, even a few short years ago, but mostly, coming to class feels like coming home.

This necklace tells me exactly what I need to hear sometimes. Be brave.  I had admired these Jess LC necklaces since I first saw them, but for the longest time wasn't sure what it was that I wanted to wear around my neck- it's good to be thankful, and yes, also to be present and dream big things- these are things I need to remind myself of often.  But I realized that being brave has been what I've been most intentionally striving for over the past couple years.  Brave enough to take chances (like introducing yourself to that cute boy at a party), to not shut down in the face of the loss of a loved one, to throw yourself into something even though it'll make you uncomfortable.  Brave enough to live and love fully.

The sun ain't going to stop you from shining

Outfit: Skirt, Tank: Anthropologie, Shirt: Victoria's Secret, Belt: Target, Necklace: Jess LC, Shoes: Lulu's

Light-weight buttons ups = summer cardigans.  Also, it's Friday night and I just got home from school, so I'm clean out of insightful thoughts (even though I totally had them on the bike ride home. I love bike rides).  Also, this is what I look like after a five-mile bike ride- a little shiny, a lotta wrinkled, and hair that just don't care, with a backdrop of one of the major highways in my city.  I feel like Houston is slowly growing on me (like mold), which is not to say that I disliked when I first moved here, but I feel like I appreciate it more these days.  I think that biking and seeing it at that speed helps, and I think I might (after three summers here) finally be getting used to the heat.

A little silly and a lotta hat

Outfit: Dress, Hat: Target, Shirt: Victoria's Secret, Belt: BR, Bag: Jess LC, Shoes: Lulu's, Ring: Clyde's Rebirth

It's Friday, and I think that means I'm fresh out of words today.  I can't really think of anything to talk about how than my delight in having cake for breakfast (I didn't have any last night, so it's okay).  Plus it has strawberries in it, so it's basically healthy for you, right?  On a completely unrelated note, I'm still not sure how I feel about myself in hats (I was an avowed non-hat wearer for years), but I am sure that I love this hat.  And I kinda love that last picture (even though you can't see my hat).  I shall now write a sentence composed entirely of the word hat: Hat hat, hat hat?

Just a little trespassing

Outfit:  Dress: Modcloth, Shirt: Express, Leggings, Target, Shoes: Lulus, Necklace: Jess LC, Bracelet: self made (inspired by the mixed chains of this bracelet and this necklace)

Hey guys, haven't died over here (okay if we're friends on Twitter you already knew that)- just dealing with some changes in scheduling (by which I mean I had social engagements every night for awhile) and recovering from a fall on my bike (scraped up my knee, so I was cranky from pain and limited knee flexibility for a week straight).  I still have scabs all ova, but I was able to crop them out here, and I started taking pictures again towards the end of last week.  I even found myself in a random field, where I may or may not have been trespassing (well I happened to be driving past a random field and thought that no one would see me since it was in a business park and it was after 7.  And then two trucks turned in past me.  Fortunately no cops were called)

I find myself feeling like this past weekend marked the beginning of summer for me (for no real reason) and that I'm really looking forward to this summer.  Even though I'm a student, the summer coming doesn't really change up my daily schedule-so I'm going to have to figure out how to change things up on my own, and I feel like I have many things to look forward to:

Long bike rides with the bf and biking to places as often as I can
Trivia nights on Tuesday with delicious gyros and kebabs from the restaurant next door.
Fresh produce for baking and cooking (and making more of an effort to fit those in)
A trip to Mexico
Wearing those gold sandals all. the. time.
More random jewelry making and sewing projects
Making the time to fit in things I enjoy that are good for me (yoga), and I'm seriously contemplating signing up for a ballet class even though I'm woefully out of shape and haven't danced since college

What are you looking forward to this summer?

I've worn heels three days in a row, I think I might be turning an adult over here

Sarah- This photo is for you. I finally wore this dress with nothing over or under it and took a photo. These photos may have been awkwardly taken outside my apt building while waiting for a ride to a going- away dinner, since I've been missing my daily outfit posts, but have just been swamped this week.  Grad students know what I'm going through if I mention that next Monday is my committee meeting (amiright?) and since my last one didn't go as well as I would have liked, I've been trying to get as much done as possible before this one (and naturally it feels like I've been spending all my time on the absolute wrong thing).

Outfit: Dress: Modcloth, Cardigan: Anthropologie, Shoes: Lulu's, Necklace: Jess LC, Bracelet: Hawaii Airport, Clutch: Mommed

Since my brain is short on insight, I'll leave you these thoughts:
1. I love this cardigan and have wanted to wear it pretty much every day this week (although I have refrained from it cuz it's dry clean only).

2. Ditto with the necklace, except it's jewelry so I Can wear it everyday (yesss).

3. I miss the internet

4. And sleep

5. And the bf a little bit (I'm sorry I haven't been around this week!)

An ill wind

First- I wanted to say that I am in awe of your response to my EBEW post- from both regular readers and those of you who clicked over.  I'm pretty sure I have the best readers in the world, and I love that so many of you took the time to comment (and I know that I am not the best at responding to them quickly), since every comment I read is like a wonderful validation that what I'm posting here is being read, enjoyed, thought about, and so on.  I'm honestly still a little shocked that people read this (other than Vicki and Sarah and you guys know I love you lots) and so very grateful that you do.  I wanted to take the time to make that clear as a blanket statement how touched I am that you come here (unless you found me via the search "barney stinson penguins," in which case, I totally apologize- I love both of those things but don't really relate to them on a daily basis) and I hope to get better at making that known on an individual basis.

And now for an outfit with absolutely no bedsheets!  I'm pretty sure that Kendi has pointed this out before, but inevitably with a good hair day (or in my case, I've actually put a moderate amount of effort into my hair- okay, any effort) comes the wind.  I really loved the dress with the jacket (but it felt scandalously short without tights, and I liked the dress with the slip, but I'm not sure all three work together.

Outfit: Jacket: Urban Outfitters, Dress: Target, Slip: Anthropologie, Shoes: Liz Claibourne, Necklace: Jess LC, Bracelet: Hawaii Airport

In my head, this is what my hair was going to look like all day:

But then this kept happening:

Design your look with Jess LC

One of the non-style blogs that is on my daily read mental list is the same brain behind Jess LC (Make Under My Life).  Although a lot of her posts are more business-geared, it all speaks to something that I'm working towards- living a life with intention.  And her jewelry's pretty too :)  (The fifth grade me who sold daisy chain bracelets to her classmates is in love with the fact that someone actually had the moxie to make selling their jewelry a full-time gig out of college).  So when I came across her "Design Your Look" contest  I managed (okay gleefully went into day-dreaming mode) to come up with a look that encapsulates the top items of my spring wishlist:

Another pair of Chelsea Crew shoes (t-strap this time): Check (Lulu's)
Yellow full skirt pockets: Check (Anthropologie)
That cardigan at Anthropologie that is calling out to me: Check
Darlingtonia bow belt: Check
and Jess LC Franklin collection necklace: I've actually just bought this one and pretty much haven't taken it off my neck since it got here, and I've been seriously coveting the bracelet below

 

And right now my ideal spring activity includes throwing on some sunglasses (since I'm a mole-man/vampire hybrid having been trapped inside the lab and am sensitive to light) and hopping on my bicycle (as soon as I get a new pedal), since Bf just decided to get his own bike (inside I am skipping with gleeful abandon).

What are you looking forward to doing now that it (in most places) is starting to feel like Spring again (and what are you looking forward to wearing while doing these things)?