Some pieces speak to me in their stories – dresses that come from the past seem to come with their own salacious history. Other pieces speak to me in their shape, their print, their color. Let’s just say that this amazing ombre dress from eShakti called my name from miles away…
I‘m not a gal who will shy away from color – oftentimes, the brighter the better in my book. I find it always elevates my mood – if I’ve got a tough week ahead, you can always spot it. And by that I mean you can always spot me. Probably from space. (I don’t think I would make it in New York. There would be a sea of black clothing, with a bright pop of ME right in the center).
It’s been a bit stressful at the Dressed Household of late – we’ve been moving forward on our house purchase, and life has been a flurry of inspections and deadlines and contracts. Needless to say, a bit of extra color is much appreciated this week. So, I was really excited to give this stunning ombre star print georgette shoulder ties dress a whirl and brighten things up.
The Fit (and Flare)
I‘m lucky enough to have quite a few eShakti pieces gracing my wardrobe – up until now, they’ve mostly been day dresses (case in point here & here). So, I was really excited to give this stunning ombre star print georgette shoulder ties dress a whirl and flex my creative evening-wear muscles.
As with all garments I buy from eShakti, I always opt for custom measurements (if it’s offered, why would you NOT?). If you haven’t taken your measurements before, eShakti very helpfully provides detailed descriptions of how these measurements should be taken. Just for your reference, my measurements are (rounded to the nearest inch):
- Bust (around bust): 37″
- Chest (above bust): 36″
- Under Bust: 34″
- Shoulder: 15″
- Upper Arm: 12″
- Waist: 27″
- Hip: 40″
- Height: 5’9
I also always include my torso measurements, as my long torso is the hardest part of me to fit:
- High Point Shoulder to Bust Point: 10.5″
- High Point Shoulder to Waist: 19″
- High Point shoulder to Knee: 45″
Other than my measurements, I chose to keep the garment as it was designed (although you can opt to change the length to below the knee or widen the V-neckline). If you’ve never bought from eShakti before, their customization options are awesome. You don’t just provide your measurements, but you can opt to make style changes to the garment as well. We always find ourselves saying, “That dress is perfect. If only it was longer. Or had sleeves. Or a scoop neckline.” Say it no more – eShakti makes it so.
In this case, I stuck with the style of the dress as presented – I loved the below the knee length and wrap-top design. I also absolutely swooned over the print – it was vibrant and like a breath of fresh air. When you look past the dazzling ombre sunset of purples and pinks and oranges, there are tiny stars all the way throughout the dress.
Some of my favorite parts of this eShakti dress are the little details – the fact that this dress has a snap at the criss cross bust (for those of you who tend to burst forth from wrap tops know why this is awesome) and snaps at the shoulders for your bra strap. It definitely helped to make me feel more secure – I’m one who likes to batten down the hatches when it comes to all things bust related, as they can take on a life of their own. I could also wear a modest petticoat with this dress (although the lining wasn’t quite as full as the outer sheer layer), which gave it that bit of extra pouf that I crave.
With this particular style, I struggled with the fit a bit more than my first two previous dresses. This was the first style I’ve gotten that had no stretch, and in this case I found the fit to be large. My dress measured 39″ bust, 36″ underbust, and 29-30″ waist – you can see this is about 2″ above my bust and waist measurements above.
An important thing to keep in mind with dresses is knowing the way you like things to fit – most people do appreciate having an extra inch or so above their measurements for ease of movement. My personal preference is to have a very cinched waist (as this is a true 50’s style, I’m very comfortable with an uber fitted waist that is very close to my actual body measurements). Given my preference, I may subtract an inch or so from my measurements above in future orders, knowing there’s likely to be that extra give factored in to the finished garment. I used a belt to nip in the waist for these photos, but I will spend a few minutes with my sewing machine to get the cinched fit I prefer.
This vibrant ombre star print georgette shoulder ties dress can be found at eShakti and normally retails for $74.85, though is currently on sale for $63.95 (!). If you’re not as enthralled with this colorway as I am, this dress comes in two other options – a lighter coral/violet and a deep indigo/pink. And you can register on their homepage and get a $25 coupon on your first order. Note that dresses come and go quickly – so if you see something you like, my advice is to pounce!
eShakti truly remains one of my favorite go-to vintage inspired shops for customized garments. Although they offer all garments on their site in a range of standard sizes as well (0-36W), I personally prefer to go the custom route (which is a flat fee of $9.95 per garment). Although my dress was on the larger side for me, in the future I will consider how eShakti adjusts for ease of movement, and adjust my measurements accordingly.
Now, the Mr. and I are hopefully going to head out somewhere fun tonight and forget about all things house related for an evening. Oh who are we kidding. You know we’ll be talking about paint colors the whole time…
Have a colorful Friday!
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: c/o eShakti
Headband: Giant Dwarf, closed (similar)
Necklace: Efva Attling
Belt: Anthropologie (similar)
Handbag: Bettina Darling (identical vintage bag here)
Shoes: DSW (similar here & here)
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