Tea Party Outfit

The best thing about this dress is that it was free.  The next best thing is that it was a little bit too big, so it still fits me when I am 8months pregnant!  I should probably have gotten it taken in a bit originally, but I'm glad I didn't, because I was very excited to wear it to the recent tea party that I attended.

Of course, I should be fired from blogging, since I didn't take any pictures at the tea party.  Just imagine a beautifully set table with pretty teacups at each place setting, and then imagine my friends all sitting around the table in pretty dresses, sipping tea and eating crumpets.  That's what it was like.

And then I went home and took pictures of my outfit next to the wall.

Jacket: Target
Scarf: JCF (top 10 item)
Dress: eShakti
Shoes: Target

Winter Planes

This is one of those dresses that makes more sense in the summer, but I like it too much to ignore for half the year.  The nice thing about this dress being slightly too big when I got it is that it still fits when I'm 5 months pregnant!  And most of my normal dresses are not even possible right now, so this makes me happy.  Looking at these pictures, there's a lot of white and black and snow going on, so I'm glad I wore the bright pink necklace.

You can also tell that I'm doing the "it's freezing" smile, and only took these 2 pictures, so you know, I'm super committed.  It's just that there was still a teensy bit of light when I got home, so I had to take advantage of it!

Necklace: Dillard's
Dress: eshakti (navy option)
Cardigan: Gap (similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)

Dress Week Overflow

Dress Week is officially over, but I've still been wearing dresses most days.  It's just easier than deciding on a top and a bottom to wear each day.  Also, my posts are generally about a week behind the day I actually wear something, and I felt like wearing dresses in real life during blog Dress Week.  So, more dresses it is. Hope you don't mind.  

Remember back in April, when I participated in the Looking Lucky challenge?  Well, I won a gift card!  YAY!  And I finally picked out this necklace, which arrived about 2 days after I ordered it.  I thought it'd be a fun accent for my plane dress.  I even pinned my hair back so the necklace was more visible.  I really need to learn some cute hairstyles for summer.  (90+ degree super humid days don't play nice with my hair!)

Dress: eShakti (navy option)
Necklace: LuckyB Boutique (exact)
Belt: Steve Madden (similar)
Bangles: Charming Charlie
Shoes: Seychelles (similar)

Defying Gravity

Last week, I got to sit in the front row at Wicked.  This is one of the perks of having season tickets to the Broadway Across America shows - I get early access to the good seats, and I don't have to pay as much for them.  It's such an incredible show, and sitting up front was even more amazing.

I was so excited about the show that I completely forgot to take outfit pictures beforehand, so I took these when I got home.  You can kind of tell I am slightly drunk on musical theater.  If I had an ounce of singing/dancing/acting talent, I'd probably quit my job and move to New York.  Okay, I wouldn't do that, because I'd miss John too much.  But you know, if I was talented enough, I bet he'd come with me.  And when I failed, I could always come back and do local theater.  That would be fun, too.  

Anyway, I took it as a good excuse to wear my airplane dress again.  Because Elphaba defies gravity, and so do airplanes.  See what I did there?

Cardigan: Gap
Dress: eShakti
Belt: Limited
Necklace: inPink
Shoes: J.Crew Factory    

Come Fly With Me

Note - this dress was provided by eShakti for me to review.  All opinions are my own. 

When eShakti asked me to let them send me a free item to review, I was like "YES, PLEASE!"  It only took 2.5 years of blogging to get something for free!  Any other companies want to send me free stuff??  Call me!  Or actually, email me.

It was tough to pick an item.  I probably should have picked a more practical dress, but I just loved the airplanes!  I kept going back and forth on getting just a solid color dress.  But then AIRPLANES!  So I got the airplanes.  Because while a navy blue dress would be very versatile, and airplane dress is unique.      

For my first time wearing it, I decided to play off the red belt and go for the primary color accessories.  I felt very adorable all day.  In a good way, I think.  I'm already thinking of other ways to style it, and wondering how frequently I can wear it before my co-workers notice.    

Anyway, here are my thoughts about the whole process:

• The ordering process was super easy.  I put my order in on April 11, and the dress was waiting for me when I got home from vacation.  So, I'm guessing it was about a 2 week turnaround.  Not bad for a custom fit dress!  I just wish I had been faster at deciding, so I could have worn my plane dress on my cruise!   
• My only complaint about the ordering process is that most of the items I liked gave me the "out of fabric" message when I clicked on them.  I don't know if this is a common problem on the site, or just on the list of options for review.  
• The fabric is a really nice cotton.  And there are pockets! The belt isn't great, but I probably won't wear it very often (you can see it's a little wonky in some of the pictures).  After sitting at my desk all day, the skirt was fairly wrinkled, but you can't really tell, so it isn't a real problem 
• Custom sizing is really cool.  I didn't fall anywhere on their size chart, and I assume most women don't fit perfectly into the proportions for each size.  It was nice to put in my exact measurements.  The dress fits really well in the bust and waist - which is usually a problem for me.  Oh, and it's long enough! 
• One note about the fit - basically the only measurement that I didn't have to submit is how "tall" my shoulders are.  Apparently my shoulders are shorter than expected, because I think I'll need to take the straps in a bit.  Not a deal breaker by any means, but on a dress that fits perfectly everywhere else, an extra half-inch in the straps was noticeable, and made it gap a bit in the front. 

In conclusion, I was pretty impressed with the whole process!  In generally, their dresses are reasonably priced for dresses (especially custom, sized), but a little higher than what I'm usually willing to spend.  I know that means my expectations are unreasonable!  I'll keep it in mind if I ever need a dress for something specific.  And I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who has trouble finding dresses that fit properly.  

I thought about trying to pass it off next week as aeronautical, but that seemed like cheating.  Remember to link up with me and Laura May 12th-16th to share your ocean-inspired looks!  

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Dress: c/o eshakti (exact)
Cardigan: J.Crew Factory 
Shoes: Old Navy