eShakti: A Review

Ok, not to overwhelm the blog with reviews, but I have another great one for you guys. eShakti asked me to review a sample for them and I was really thrilled to do so. I've looked at some reviews by other bloggers and thought their site and style looked very interesting. One of the things that caught my attention was that for $7.50 you can have whatever garment you order completely customized to your measurements. This is a suuuper wonderful thing for a lady shaped as I am. I have a large difference in my waist to hip ratio and even though I'm not busty I still have problems with things being perfect at the bust but too big in the waist. So, given this fantastic option I decided to go for it. I got this lovely dress fit to my measurements and it did not disappoint.

I also like the other options that eShakti offers such as adding sleeves (and lengths of sleeves), different neck lines, and dress length. There are many times I have looked at a dress and thought it would be so adorable if the length was a little longer.They have a wonderful classic and vintage flair to a lot of their clothing that makes it perfect for any vintage lady and also with most things under $100, makes it more budget friendly. The size choices for their garments are also fantastic going up to a 6X or 36W. Their custom options can accommodate any size though.

The dress I ordered is very well made. It is good sturdy material that feels as if it will last and nothing about it seems cheap. This will be a dress I will wear over and over again. 

 

dress c/o eshakti

shoes remix

vintage pin wonders on woodland

vintage scarf hip zipper

bakelite wonders on woodland

 

Have you ever bought from eShakti? What was your experience?

xo,

 Em

Spring/Summer Inspiration

It seems like people either love or hate Pinterest, but I really love it. I use it as a place to keep inspirational style photos, vintage photos, and lots of hair and make up inspirations. Here are some lovely things for the season that are on my "stylish" board.

Simplicity. Here in Tennesse summers can be incredibly hot, made worse by the relentless humidity, so sometimes throwing on a simple outfit is the best way to go. I recently thrifted a lovely simple cotton white t-shirt because I loved this photo of Dita in her simple outfit. I plan on rocking the shirt this summer with all my cotton skirts.

Play suits. Oh. my. goodness. I'm in love with play suits. I have two from my lovely friend Quincy, and I can't wait to break them out when it gets warmer. I would love to collect a few more this summer.

Shorts and pony tails. I thrifted a cute pair of high waisted shorts recently that I really adore. I want to work on being more comfortable wearing shorts this summer. They have never been something I have gravitated towards, but I love this darling lady in her cute shorts! Also, my hair is finally getting long enough, I think it'd look nice in a curly pony tail.

Hair flowers. I want to build my collection of hair flowers this spring/summer. I have a few I've made, but I don't wear them nearly as often as I should.

 

Colorful wedges/summer shoes. I adore these 40's red wedges. I would love to have a nice pair of wedges for the summer.

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What are some of your inspirations/wish list items for the spring/summer?

xo,

 Em

Popina: A Review and Being Brave

When Will from Popina swim wear contacted me about doing a review for one of their suits I was over the moon. I've been needing a new vintage inspired swim suit in my life and their Jantzen Vamp did just the trick.  I've always been interested in trying out Jantzen swimwear because of the history, and I was not disappointed in the quality or loveliness of the suit. Popina also has some other lovely vintage inspired swim wear as well.

The first thing I would like to say about dealing with Popina is that these people are seriously friendly and helpful. I've been contacted by some companies/people that are not helpful at all and really have no interest interacting with you. This case was the total opposite, they were really wonderful. Even suggesting sizing options about the suit I chose since it ran small.

This is a really big deal for me showing photos of me in a swim suit. I have never been comfortable in one and definitely not having my photo taken in one. I'm also still in the process of loosing weight, so I'm a bit more self conscious than usual. I have a pear shaped body and it's taken me a long time to come to terms with loving my body just how it is. I just want to be honest. Here's to facing fears and being brave and bold.

 

 As I said I'm usually not comfortable in a swim suit but I really am in this one. I feel like it flatters my body and is super comfortable. I usually can't wear one pieces because my waist is so long and my booty so large (also I'm super short) so it always ends up giving me a wedgie or hardly covering my chest, so I was very impressed that this one piece actually fit! I did go up about two sizes because they said it ran small and the waist is also short, and it worked perfectly.

swim suit c/o popina

skirt q's day dream

shoes swedish hasbeens

hat j crew

sun glasses anthropologie

The straps are also removable on this suit so you could wear it strapless. I wouldn't personally do this as I feel my booty gravity would win out and it would fall down, but it's a good choice to have.

I feel like I will wear this suit all summer as a top. It looks incredible paired with a skirt and I bet it'll look super adorable with shorts as well.

Altogether, my experience with Popina was wonderful and the suit was of great quality and I'm sure I'll be wearing it for years to come.

xo,

 Em

Peasant Blouse

The other day one of the ladies at my work surprised me by giving me three lovely vintage skirts that had been her older sisters (and perhaps mothers?) in the 50's and 60's. She talked about how one skirt in particular she remembers her sister wearing with a lovely peasant blouse, and so I immediately knew I had to have one to wear with my darling new skirt. I can't really afford much new clothing at the moment, but I did have some fabric and so decided to grab a pattern and see if I could swing it. I have tried sewing on and off for several years now, and it just never seems to stick. However, this blouse turned out pretty well! I'm already plotting a few more, and I'm gonna try to stick with it this time.

Those who actually sew will scoff at me I'm sure for how nervous I was making this super simple blouse. It was really nerve-racking though! I did it, it's far from perfect, but I will make a few more, and who knows maybe I'll try to make a skirt or dress?

 blouse made by me

skirt gift

shoes anthropologie

belt thrifted

scarf target

What have you all been sewing lately?

xo,

 Em

40's Bling

I've been struck with a bout of sickness this month that just didn't seem to want to leave. A couple weeks ago I had a horrid sinus infection and laryngitis. As soon as that left I promptly caught a nasty virus and pink eye...and then laryngitis again. Oh, the joys of working with kids. Any way, all that to say I look a bit peaked in these photos. No eye make up because my eyes are still sensitive from the pink eye and my roots are looking rough, but whatevs, that's life. 

I bought this awesome 40's dress over the weekend. It's too big for me, but I belt it really well, and I think it works. I couldn't walk away from the amazing detailing.

 dress katy k's ranch dressing

belt thrifted

shoes remix

I had so many plans this weekend. I was going to paint our bedroom and stay outside as much as possible (the weather here has been oh so lovely), but all of those plans were dashed with more sickness. I also have a really lovely review coming up soon for you all! It will all happen in time, and I plan on enjoying this week to it's fullest, even if my voice does sound like a man's. How has your weekend been?

xo,

 Em

Style Inspiration: Stoker

Tyler and I went to see Stoker at the Blecourt a while back, and while it was a bit disturbing and creepy, the style was incredible. I don't do well with scary things, being a huge scaredy cat, but anything that has amazing style I have to see. I really loved Stoker as a movie (plus it was filmed here in Nashville!), despite it disturbing me a lot (haha), the style has left a deep imprint on me. All I want to do this summer is dress like India, played by Mia Watsikowska. Light cotton dresses and blouses, crisp and buttoned up. The character also revived my love of the dark hair I've been sporting. I've been getting a bit down because I've been missing my natural color which is still gonna take a while to grow out. While watching the lovely India go about with her darling dark hair parted down the middle, it made me excited to have dark locks.

Have any of you seen Stoker? Did you like it/dislike it?

xo,

 Em

In Color

This past weekend was not only Easter, but also my littlest brother's birthday. He turned 15...it's just so weird. I'm the oldest of five, if you didn't already know, and I'm having a hard time seeing all my little siblings grow up. I can't even imagine how it must feel to be a parent!

I also had the fortune/misfortune to get a new car! (read as: used car). My old car was a piece of crap, and finally the repairs were too expensive to keep it around, so out we went to get a newer, steadier, and better car. Sadly, this puts house hunting on hold as all our savings went to the car. BUT, I have a car where all the lights work (all the time!), the horn works...I really missed that... and most importantly the breaks work, so it's ok in the end.

 So, I'm pretty much in love with this dress. I wore it a lot this winter, but it didn't get the spotlight it deserved here on the blog. I'm addicted to the Sweetie style dress on the Trashy Diva website. They have the perfect 40's silhouette, and the most amazing prints.

dress trashy diva

belt thrifted

shoes swedish hasbeens

xo,

 Em