I apologize for the alliteration. I couldn’t help myself.
I love fashion. If I were to get deep about it, I’d say that clothes and accessories are a way to express myself when words fail. But really, it’s a fun hobby of mine—consuming it, discussing it, reading about it, and even writing about it. In my first book, Front Row, fashion on a budget (and dirty laundry) almost became another character in the story, especially in scenes like this:
The first thing I saw upon entering my room was the concert clothes from the last week strewn across the floor. As I picked up each piece to stuff into my nearly full laundry bag, I thought back to a memory that each item represented for me. On top was the shirt I wore last night—the pink peasant top that made me remember sitting on the loveseat upstairs in that house as I developed some sort of a friendship with Jacob. Next was the skimpy tank top I borrowed from Alex that earned the attention of Gabe in Chicago and awarded me a guitar pick at the end of the show. I tossed that one in a separate pile to wash first so that I could return it to Alex right away. The next item I retrieved from the floor was the black halter top that had aided in successfully getting us an invite to Moe’s Bar after the Milwaukee show, where I got to cozy up next to Gabe while taking my first tequila shot. I couldn’t find the red halter top I had worn to Detroit, but I didn’t need a reminder of that horrible night. Good riddance. As I pushed aside work clothes and hoodies that I wore to class, I found my newest purchase from Walmart. The top that started it all, the little pink silky camisole. I would always be nostalgic when I looked at it and recalled my meet-n-greet…
One thing I especially find enjoyable is shopping with friends, whether it’s in person or via text messages from the fitting room. My friend Barbara and I have been talking about shopping together pretty much since we started working together almost two years ago. What better way to start than gifting her a free dress?
The online women’s fashion clothing company eShakti was kind enough to offer to send me one of their dresses to try out and post about. I’ve loved my experience with eShakti in the past, but the last thing I need is another dress. I don’t wear dresses to work anymore, so the stuffed dress area of my closet and bin in the basement is relegated to weekends. And weekends are only two days long.
These eShakti styles are no longer available, but you can get a sense of the customization offered:
(Left: 2013 | Right: 2016)
Together, Barbara and I narrowed down the many choices eShakti offered us, and we decided what would be the best bet based on her preferences and what we thought would be the best silhouette for her body. Not to mention what would be the most fun! The great thing about eShakti is that they do custom sizes by allowing you to enter in your measurements, AND they let you further customize the dress by changing sleeve length, tunic length, and neckline style depending on the dress. So. Much. Fun.
Barbara picked out the Contrast Tie Neck Cotton Knit Flounce Hem Dress, which ended up looking ABSOLUTELY SLAMMIN’ on her. (Do kids these days still say “slammin'” because I’m still basing my hip lingo off of Save the Last Dance with Julia Stiles from 2001. Long before Kerry Washington became a “fixer.”) Anyway, she looked hot and classy. She opted to have the sleeves made into short sleeves and the hem raised to just under her knee.
Not only are the dresses super fun to customize, they’re also really affordable. If you have an event coming up, or even if you don’t, I highly recommend checking out eShakti.
Next week, I’m going to show you some of the fashion I’m using in the book I’m currently working on, which I posted an excerpt from a couple weeks ago.
And speaking of Kerry Washington: