eShakti is a clothing website offering a wide range of dresses, tops and skirts, many of which are vintage inspired, and all of which are available to be customised to not only your own measurements and height, but also to the neckline, sleeve length and skirt length you want. You can also ask for zippers to be moved to/from the back or the side and have pockets removed (but what kind of crazy would opt for that?!) And this special customisation fee available on all pieces? It doesn’t cost an arm, a leg, or even your first born. Whether you want just a zipper moved or the entire piece made to your measurements as well as changing the length, neckline and sleeve type, all customisation costs just $9.95 per item. (Previously it has always been $7.50, but over time costs have inflated and they’ve had to implement their slightly higher fee from March 1st.)

They offer designs in tons of prints, colours and styles, all reasonably priced, often available on offer, and, of course, I’ve been dying to try them out for a while. They don’t ship to the UK, frustratingly, and hopefully that will change someday and soon, but I have readers all over the globe, plenty of which live in the USA and Canada, where eShakti ships to, so I wanted to check them out for you guys at least. So, while I was stateside in October last year, I bought 3 dresses in a 3 for 2 deal. As each item is made to order, they ask you to allow 12-18 days for them to make and deliver it, so I had to ask my friend Sarah to forward my parcel on to me when it arrived, which it did within the allotted time frame and without having to pay customs (eShakti pays them for you when shipping to the States.)

I ordered 3 dresses all custom sized with altered sleeve lengths and some altered skirt lengths: one navy blue full skirted shirt dress, one grey longer sleeved coat dress, and one full skirted leaf print collared dress. Below are pictures of the dresses in their original form and the final pieces made to my specifications.

I was most excited about the grey coat dress, but when I received my items I was actually surprised that the leaf print dress, which I had only ordered considering it to be my ‘free’ item, became my instant favourite.

Dress: Leaf Print Shawl Collar Shirt Dress by eShakti
Belt: Red Sateen Slide Belt by Pinup Girl Clothing
Brooch: Crimson Callistemon by Erstwilder
Shoes: Handbedazzled by me (Tutorial)

While eShakti offer custom sizing, you can order by standard sizing according to their size charts. Looking at their standard size chart, my measurements would have fit one of their standard sizes so I could probably have just ordered one of those without any issues, but I ordered all mine custom sized to try it out. That means I had to provide measurements for my upper arm, hip, waist, underbust, bust, chest, and shoulder. To be honest, I took my measurements in the dark in my room at night after springing up out of bed deciding I would place an order, so I don’t think they were as accurate as if someone else had taken them properly for me. I think I even got weirdly paranoid about a custom piece not fitting (??) so I added a couple inches into the bust to accommodate potentially wanting to wear a padded bra, and as a result all 3 dresses are big in the bust and quite roomy in the arms too. This means I have to wear a heavily padded bra with them to make it fit properly, so be smart and get someone else to take your measurements carefully for you and note them all down.

I really love this dress, the full skirt, the fact that it came with pockets as standard, the shawl collar. The only thing I don’t love is that it has a size zipper, as they’re the bane of my existence when I have to get a dress on without ruining my finished hair and makeup, but the buttons are real and can be undone so I can get it on over my head without causing a mess, so it’s not the end of the world.

This particular dress is no longer available, but they offer similar designs across the site so I’m sure you can find something else you’ll love just as much if you’re particularly smitten with this dress. It cost me $89.95 plus the $7.50 customisation fee, but because of the 3 for 2 offer, which they offer regularly, you can either consider this free or a third of the cost.

Overall, I would really recommend eShakti and I’m only sorry that this post might have frustrated you ladies who don’t live in their current shipping zones. Hopefully, they’ll expand, but if not and you have friends in the US or Canada perhaps you can do what I did and ask if they would be willing to ship the parcel on to you once it arrives.

If you’ve never bought from eShakti before, the great news is that I can get you $40 off your first order over $70 by referring you to the site, you only need to click this referral link. That means you can get a dress for as little as $30, which is a down right bargain–so what are you waiting for?

Have you ever purchased anything from eShakti before, what’s been your experience? If not, are you tempted?