Several years ago, I wrote a very positive review of the online retailer eShakti. Even though I had a successful purchasing experience, I haven’t ordered anything from them in quite some time. But recently, I came to the realization that almost my entire dress wardrobe is vintage-inspired. Sometimes, that just doesn’t suit the event. And sometimes, you just want something stretchy you can throw on. I ended up browsing eShakti and found a jersey wrap dress that I really liked, so I placed an order.

This is the “High-low hem cotton knit wrap dress” in “Peacock blue” (i.e. teal):

I’m happy to report that eShakti has really been updated since my last order! The customization fee has increased from $7.50 to $9.95, but there are way more options now, including all sorts of neckline, sleeve, and length changes. With some of the dresses, you can mix and match the fabric of your choice with the dress style of your choice. There also seem to be more color options for the solid fabrics. And they offer more body measurements than ever before. You can basically design your own dress almost from scratch!

This time, I had my husband help me measure to ensure it’d be totally accurate. Here is what I provided:

Bust 38”
Chest (above the bust) 36”
Hip 42”
Shoulder (across the back) 15”
Underbust 30”
Upper Arm (bicep) 12”
Waist 30”
Height 5’6”
High Point Shoulder to Bust Point 11”
High Point Shoulder to Waist 18”
High Point Shoulder to Knee 43”

I also changed the sleeve length to three-quarters instead of elbow-length, changed the neckline from deep-V to standard V-neck, and kept the length as-is, which appeared to just cover the knee. In hindsight, I wish I’d changed the skirt to knee-length because I think it’d be more flattering if it was just a wee bit shorter, but it does hit my leg exactly where it hits the model, so that just goes to show how good they are at matching the garment to your measurements.

Did I mention it has gigantic pockets???

I’m really pleased with the dress! The fabric is much thicker and nicer than I was expecting. I don’t really see a difference between the original deep-V neckline and this standard V, but my cleavage is covered (a rarity in wrap dresses, as I’ve discussed before), so I’m happy with it.

The construction is also really swell for a full bust. There are darts on each side of the top and you can pull the fabric up onto the breast (rather than cupping below it) if you want even more coverage. I think the shoulders are still a little wide, leading to some bunching around the armpit, so next time I’ll probably decrease that measurement by an inch if I’m buying something stretchy or sleeveless.

The sleeves themselves are perfect—tight enough to look clean, but not so tight that they scrunch up at my elbows or feel binding.

There is a reinforced hole on the right side through which you thread the waist wrap, so it stays nice and smooth. The wrap is also long enough that you could tie it in several different ways. And both layers of the skirt reach all the way to the far outer side of the hip, so there’s no worry of the “slit” blowing open and exposing your leg.

As I mentioned, it also has pockets, an absolute necessity in my book! In fact, every eShakti dress and skirt has pockets, and you have the option to remove them (though why would you???).

The dress’s list price was $74.95, but I had a 35% off coupon, for a value of $48.95. With shipping and customization fees at $9.95 each, that’s a total of $68.85. It’s certainly more than you’d pay for fast-fashion, but I think it’s beyond reasonable for a custom-made garment.

Finally, I was really happy with the shipping speed. I placed the order on November 17, it shipped via DHL on November 27, and arrived at my door December 3. Considering that it’s a custom-made item and came all the way from India, under two and a half weeks is crazy fast speed!