Measure for Measure: An eShakti Review

I was super excited when eShakti contacted me last month about doing a review! If you're unfamiliar with the name, eShakti is a women's clothing manufacturer and retailer based out of India.  The manufacturer part is important, because eShakti specializes in made to measure clothing! In addition to standard sized options, eShakti offers custom tailored garments for a (very) modest fee, as well as some other opportunities to customize the clothes to suit your taste.

Want a shorter hemline than the pictured dress? You got it.

Longer sleeves? Sure thing.

Lose the embroidery? No problem!

So, people of the internet, you want to know how I found my eShakti shopping experience? Well, let's get down to it!

The Store

I found eShakti's webstore to be very easy to use.  I loved all the chances you had to make little changes to really suit your style.  I did not opt for a specially tailored garment, as I fit comfortably into a standard size.  Regarledd of whether you choose to submit your measurements (and eShakti provides a guide to help you record your measurememnts accurately), you must provide your height so that the hem lengths are made appropriate for your body.  SO HELPFUL for a girl on the taller side who's tired of every dress fitting firmly in the "mini" category.  Some of us like to be fully covered when we sit down, you guys!

Shipping

As a Canadian, shipping from other countries is a hassle and a half that I prefer to avoid.  Because of this, I have never bought clothes online before, and generally keep my online shopping limited to a couple books off Amazon every once in a while (well, Amazon.ca, to avoid duty charges!). I was provided a tracking number for my parcel, and outside of a delay heading through customs, I was pleased with how promptly my package arrived.  If you are ordering from a country that is less insane about international shipping, you should be in great shape! I have seen it noted in other reviews that it can take garments longer than noted on the website to be packed and shipped out, and I did find that it took 3 business days longer than the quoted estimation.  This combined with shipping from India could result in a delay, so if you're purchasing a piece for an event, be sure to order as early as possible to ensure minimal stress.  

The Garment

I was so excited when my package from eShakti arrived I couldn't wait to tear the box open! The garment was folded neatly and then sealed in a tight fitting plastic sleeve.  A quick pass over with the iron took care of the creases once I was ready to wear my dress (pictures to come!).  I was very impressed with the construction of the piece.  It was at least on par with stores in a similar price range, featuring neat stitching, tidy finished edges, properly bound cuffs and a well inlaid hidden side zipper.  I was pleased with the feel of the fabric, and I think the weight of it should make it appropriate to wear most of the year round!  The dress has a deep V neckline that was a bit too chilly for the winter, but will be very comfortable come June!  The only part of the dress that I was concerned with is the embroidery.  The polka dots on the dress were a big selling point, but as I was given the option to omit the dots, it became clear that the embroidery is done in-house and the fabric itself is not manufactured with dots.  Because the dots are too small to make efficient use of stay-stitching, and to tie off the start and end of each dot would take an absolute eternity (and thus become very costly for labour), I found that some of the dots had started to unravel.  I have clipped the threads as close as possible to avoid them catching on anything, but I think in future I will skip the embroidery (the dress is really lovely on its own), unless the design is large enough for the threads to secure properly.  

All that being said, I am totally thrilled about my experience, and I look forward to styling the dress differently for different seasons! The silhouette is perfect for me, and I was super happy when Ephraim's Mother thought the dress was vintage.  It always feels good to add a piece to your closet that looks and feels great! Another big thank you to eShakti, for the gorgeous dress and for offering a service that allows us to shop for cute clothes online and know that it will fit when mail day comes! Plus, now through December 7th, they're offering 25% off! Score!

--Erin

PS. Check back tomorrow to see how I styled the Marigold Dots dress pictured above!