OOTD: Velvet for the holidays

Note: this dress was given to me by eShakti, but all opinions are my own. I only review items that I like and would have considered buying anyway, so don’t worry, I won’t try to sell you any random ugly things.

I’ve been drooling over so many velvet dresses this season, including this one from eShakti. So when they offered me a dress to review, I couldn’t help but pick it. Unfortunately, it was sold out in my first color choice of burgundy, but I love it in black too.

Dress: c/o eShakti, necklace and wristband: So Good, earrings: Domino Dollhouse, boots: Target, hair bow: Crown & Glory, rhinestone ring: ASOS Curve, bangles: Torrid, clutch: eBay

What makes eShakti different from most plus size retailers is that, in addition to carrying sizes 0-36, they offer custom sizing for $7.50 per garment. So if your body is proportioned differently from the standard size chart–and really, most of ours are–you can have something made to fit your own measurements. You can also customize things like skirt length, sleeve length, neckline style, etc.

The dress fits wonderfully, and the material is comfortable and stretchy. There’s only one minor fit issue: the upper part of the chest is loose, so the neckline gaps when I sit down. But as long as I wear a bra that’s the same color as the dress, this isn’t a big deal.

I love, love, love the puff sleeves and the buttons on the bodice. And another awesome thing about this dress is: it has pockets!

I wore the dress to a holiday party hosted by my friend Shana, who was wearing the very same SWAK dress that Liz from With Wonder and Whimsy recently wore.

It was a fun, low-key party, full of silliness and delicious latkes. And check out the interfaith holiday display that Shana put together–there’s even gelt (chocolate coins eaten on Hanukkah) under the Christmas tree!

A few recommendations for buying from eShakti: If there’s something you really want, buy it as soon as possible, because their products tend to sell out quickly and rarely come back in stock. I received this dress just last week, and now it’s no longer available. (To be honest, I find this pretty frustrating–their clothing is fairly expensive, and many people would either need to save up money or wait for a sale in order to afford it, so I wish the rate of turnover weren’t so high.) I also recommend either getting the custom sizing or ordering two sizes up from your usual size, since my past experience with eShakti is that they run small.