It's good to be a blogger

This has been one of those weeks where I've been really happy about my harmless little blogging habit. For one thing, I met up with my girl Kelly again for tea/pastries. It was such a fun few hours (Baby T was there, too!) and I know that I never would've had the opportunity to meet such a cool lady had it not been for our blogs. Yay for blogging!

Something else kind of nice happened this past week that had to do with blogging and I've been putting off writing about it for fear of not doing it justice. A little over a month ago, a nice lady from eShakti.com contacted me about reviewing a sample garment. We both agreed that it would be a challenge, due to my current condition, but the offer still stood and what can I say - I was curious; I've known about eShakti for a while now and I've never had something custom-made for me except for one salwar-kameez in Pune, so... I was game.

For those of you who don't know, eShakti is an online retailer which believes that every woman has the right to look her best. They offer sizes 0 to 26: you can choose to tweak the garment you choose to be made to your personal measurements (and even change the length of sleeves/hems around, if you so choose!) or you can just get the standard model. Isn't that awesome? I think it's an amazing store.

Now, I mostly drool over their dresses, but I've decided to put that aside until I'm more like my normal figure. I decided to be sensible and go with a cardigan (alas, it's no longer available online, so I can't link to it. Boo!). Well, after procuring a measuring tape for seamstresses, figuring out my measurements, and getting everything sorted, this week, my cardigan finally came and I was thrilled. I do have some reservations, though, but I think that was due to my own carelessness, rather than the company.

Whoah.

Stuff I wasn't too pleased about:

• I'm pretty sure the color was a little more turquoise online. I was slightly disappointed to receive a darker, more generic blue color.
• Some aspects of the cardigan don't seem to match what I remember asking for: I'm pretty sure I requested to have the cardigan made to hip-length. I know I have a long torso, but seeing that picture above, DAMN. That might be the shortest cardigan I own. And at this moment, being pregnant and depending a lot on leggings, this really limits the use I'll get from this. 
• I'm not a huge fan of the "bathrobe" effect that I get when you view me from the side. Again, though, that might be the nature of the 8-month-pregnant beast and most probably not the fault of the awesome company. 

Stuff I'm pleased with:

• The fit is pretty flawless, measuring issues on my part notwithstanding. This picture is the first time I've seen the cardigan from the back and I couldn't be more pleased. Love!
• The fabric is wonderful. It's a soft, subtle fleece that I can see myself enjoying for many years. 
• Contact with the company: the ease of ordering can't be beat, even when asking for a garment made to measure. Every time I had a question, Jennifer (the representative with whom I was in touch) wrote back immediately with patience and grace, even e-mailing me independently when my measurements didn't seem to make sense. Talk about your customer service.

So, although this cardigan wasn't exactly what I envisioned, I still really like it. Its overall look is pretty cute and it'll be a fun challenge to style it. I think I would've had more luck ordering it in a standard size and then making it work for me in my current condition, but at least I know that it'll be roomy enough for me if I ever return to my pre-pregnancy body. I mean, it's really cute, right?

I think that when I get back to a semblance of my old shape, I'll indulge in buying a dress from eShakti. No thoughts yet on whether it will be made to measure or standard size: I'll be a lot more careful with my measurements and my choices if I decide to customize it, but I know I'll get a good quality article of clothing whatever I choose. Thanks for this opportunity, eShakti!

*Note: eShakti.com contacted me to review a sample garment and sent it to me for free in exchange for the review. Apart from the sweater itself, I received no other compensation.