Caution: Gushing Endorsement Ahead

You can't imagine the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth that accompanied posting this picture. I am the world's worst selfie-fyer. I mean, here I'm staring at my phone as if I am expecting some kind of terrible news to be revealed, and the streaky full-length mirror is original to House on the Corner (ca. 1927) and I have nothing on my feet except a summer sandal tan. Worst of all, the dress had been pulled from the shipping box two minutes earlier and I didn't even take the time to run a steamer over it before its digital immortalization.

That's what happens when I open a box from eShakti.

I mentioned in my last post that my MoG rehearsal dinner dress came from eShakti and the lovely Swistle asked for details on my experience. How do I describe it? Wonderful? Exciting? Fortifying?

Fortifying. Yes. That will do it. Ordering clothes from eShakti has made me feel stronger and more in control of my wardrobe. I'm no longer at the complete mercy of ready-mades.

As most of you know (Hi, most of you who are my friends and family in real life!) I am a plus-size girl. I have been a plus-size girl all of my life with a couple of momentary dips into regular sizes, and except for those few (very, very) brief moments, clothes shopping has been a decades-long  nightmare.

It wasn't just that for most of my life plus sizes didn't exist in regular stores. It's also that my top half and my lower half are two different sizes, by several numbers. I'm long in the leg and have assorted and sundry quirky body variations that combine to mean that as I reached adulthood I settled on almost exclusively wearing skirts and tops. No dresses for me.

But then a non-standard-sized columnist I follow mentioned that she had tried eShakti and liked it, so I clicked over and looked around. What I found was unlike anything I'd seen in clothing.

The short description is that this company custom makes a dress for you, based on your size or (if you're like me and don't have a standard size) based on your measurements. You can buy any of the dresses, skirts, pants, tops, etc., on their site and it doesn't matter if you're normally a size 0 or a size 36--it's available for you.

So I took a deep breath, pulled out a tape measure and started documenting every inch of my amplitude. Not just bust, waist, and hips--I measured from top of shoulder to waist, circumference of upper arm, bent arm from shoulder to wrist, hip to knee, etc., etc., etc.

And then I chose the cutest dress I could find on the site, entered a coupon code provided by another happy blogger, took another deep breath, and hit the order button. Then I waited to be disappointed.

People, when the dress arrived two weeks later and I pulled it on I almost cried. Do you know how seldom bigger women get to wear cute clothes? Oh, I usually think I look fine when I leave the house. But I never look cute. This dress is cute.

Straight out of the box, it fit well, which is also unheard of for oddly-sized women. The eShakti folks apparently know me and had thoughtfully provided some kind of undergarment that smoothed the drape of the skirt. The stripey dress was of a knit that was perfect summer weight--not clingy or see-through, but not hot. And the dress had POCKETS! (All of them do, unless you request that they not be included.) I LOVE POCKETS!

It's no wonder I immediately took a selfie to send to the enabler who provided my coupon code.

The biggest surprise is that the company does this magic at prices that are not custom-made prices. The base cost of most dresses is $50-ish. Customizing (using your own measurements rather than giving a standard size) adds $10, but is so, so worth it. Oh, and if you like a dress but want a different neckline or sleeve or length, you can change that, too. There are always sales and coupon codes available. All told, I think my first order cost something like $45.

And frankly, that was my one concern with the company. Was my dress being produced in a sweatshop that took advantage of its workers? An online review said this: "It’s true that eShakti manufactures most of its clothing overseas. Its largest production facility is in India. India, however, has fairly strict labor laws that match those of the international community. The laws in India are much more stringent than those in Bangladesh."

In the box with each of the dresses I've ordered has been a card thanking me for my business, and naming the women who worked on it--Kamlesh the pattern make, Shyam the cutter, Miraj the tailor, and Kunwar quality assurance. I like to think that my business is helping them make a living wage for their families.

If you don't like the dress you ordered (and I wasn't crazy about one I received) a postage-paid label is included so that it can be returned.

So, eShakti. All the thumbs I have enthusiastically up. Or they would be if I didn't have pockets.

Want a coupon code for $35 off your first purchase? I can hook you up, and get a slightly lesser code for my own next purchase. Just leave a comment here or message me on the Empty Nest Feathers Facebook page.

If I have not yet convinced you to take this plunge, I have only one final word:

Pockets.