Saturday, April 4, 2015

Easter Bunnies

easter dress
bunny dress
bunny print dress

Happy almost Easter!  As a lover of pastels, I have quite a few dresses that are especially apropos for Easter, but I couldn't resist wearing this adorable bunny print dress from eShakti this weekend!  It's such a perfect shade bubblegum pink and looks great with a petticoat.  And it's currently on sale!

pink dress
carrot brooch

This outfit also gave me a chance to wear this vintage carrot brooch.  I found a great shadowbox at Marshall's to put some of my brooches in (I usually just keep them in a box and I'm always worried I'll ruin the more delicate ones), so I've been having fun organizing them for display.  I had actually forgotten just how many brooches I have -- I couldn't even fit all of them in the case!  At least this will remind me to wear them more often.  

eshakti dress
rabbit dress

I've heard that it is supposed to snow tomorrow (ugh!!!), so I've been enjoying the springy weather during the past couple of days.  And since we celebrate both Passover and Easter is my family, this weekend has been filled with lots of yumminess.  Maybe some Reese's eggs will offset a snowfall?

pink eshakti dress
Outfit Details
Bunny dress: eShakti
Cardigan: ModCloth
Carrot brooch: vintage
Shoes: ModCloth
Petticoat: eBay

Have a wonderful weekend!
xox Sammi

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Wedding Bell Blues

Outfit Details:
Dress: c/o eShakti (other colors here)
Hat: moving sale (c/o my voice teacher)
Gold flats: Marshall's (old)
Petticoat: eBay




It's no secret that I am a huge fan of eShakti.  Not only does eShakti provide incredibly high-quality garments at affordable prices, but they offer a vast range of customized options for making their pieces one-of-a-kind and uniquely suited to each customer.  I'm always impressed with all the different styles they carry (they have virtually everything from boho to retro to preppy), and the fact that they can make any of their styles in sizes 0-36W is truly an incredible business model.  It's obvious that they care for each customer, and want to make each woman's experience a positive one.  In my experience, their customer service is top-notch, their shipping is fast, and the workmanship is always fantastic.  I own two other dresses by eShakti (seen in posts here and here), and I was over the moon when they reached out to me to see if I'd like to work with them and offered to send me a piece to review.  I was even more thrilled (if that's possible!) when I received this dress and put it on for the first time -- man, oh man, it is a thing of beauty!




I want to go on record as saying that I would have bought this dress myself in a heartbeat.  It's in the same style as the denim dress I have from eShakti (neither color seems to be currently available on their site), but this fabric feels much more luxurious.  Anything with scalloped detailing is always up my alley, and I love the fact that the skirt is full enough to look great with a petticoat.  Plus, I think the silhouette is incredibly flattering and works really well for my shape.  There's also some stretch to this dress, which gave slightly more "give" than I really need, but I'd much rather have some breathing room.  AND this dress has pockets!  What more could you possibly ask for in a dress?  I'm eager to try styling this dress in other ways; the fabric is heavy enough that it can span the seasons, and I think it'd be adorable with a cardigan, too.




The color in these photos actually looks a little more off-white than the dress does in person (the true color has a slightly pale yellow hue -- it's almost a buttermilk color, I'd say), so these shots ended up looking more wedding-esque than I had planned.  I used to think about my wedding all the time; my ex and I had talked about marriage in terms of "when," not "if," and our future together seemed definite.  I had an idea of my dream wedding dress in my head (something blush pink) and my Pinterest wedding inspiration board was always expanding.  I started thinking a lot about weddings while taking (and editing) these photos, and it's still surreal to me to not think about my own wedding as something on the horizon.  I kind of get upset watching wedding shows now.  Logically, I can believe that it'll still happen someday, but like many things in my life thus far, it won't be how I initially imagined or expected.  And I guess that's okay.  It's not like I want to get married right now, anyway... but adjusting to a different way of thinking about one's future is never easy.  I'm just eager for the day to come when thoughts of wedding bells aren't wrapped up in the painful memories of my breakup.  It'll happen, obviously.  But I'm impatient.  Anyway, if nothing else, I now have a gorgeous dress I could conceivably wear for my own wedding festivities (rehearsal dinner, etc.) -- for whenever they should happen... and for lots of other occasions, too!




The kind folks over at eShakti are offering my readers a 10% discount through June 9th!  Just enter the code brunettes in the promotional code box during check-out.  It can also be used in conjunction with other promotional offers and gift coupons (which eShakti is pretty generous about giving -- for instance, if you're a new customer, you can sign up and get a $25 gift coupon!).  If you're interested, you can follow eShakti's social media outlets via Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, too.


Have a beautiful Saturday!
xox Sammi

Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post, but did receive a product for review purposes. All opinions are completely my own, based on my experience. Any company or product endorsed on this blog is one I fully believe in and support, and would continue to do so, regardless of whether items are gifted or paid for by me.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

25% off side-wide at eShakti -- plus a $30 off promo code!!

Hello, everyone!  I'm sorry for having two similar sale posts this week, but since I didn't have a post planned for today, I wanted to make sure to let you all know about the terrific 25% off sale going on at eShakti!  eShakti is not just any online clothing store; the wonderful thing about eShakti is that they provide an incredible amount of customization -- everything from hemlines to exact measurements!  You can basically have a dress custom made for your body, which is truly a great thing when we don't have standardized sizing in this country (I know that I often fall between sizes!).  Even if you don't have to provide your exact measurements for a custom dress, eShakti's size chart is super detailed and specific to each piece, which I really appreciate, and their garments are incredibly high-quality.  You can also customize things like sleeves, pockets, and hemline -- which is super helpful for gals who need pieces for an office environment, as one of the complaints I hear most from people who shop online is that it's very hard to tell the length of dresses from a website.  eShakti's dresses are totally classy and well-made, and are staple pieces that will last for a long time.  And although I'm always drawn to their dresses, their tops, skirts and sweaters are all great, too!   I've blogged about their online store before, and I'm the lucky owner of two of their dresses (seen here and here), but I couldn't resist posting about this sale, and a special deal in addition!  :) 

These are just a few of my favorite dresses on the site right now:

So here's the scoop: everything on the site is already marked down by 25%, which is a great deal.  BUT I also happen to have a referral code for *new eShakti customers* which can be used on TOP of this sale and will get you $30 off your total purchase!!!  This is a crazy good bargain, and just in time for cold winter and holiday shopping.  Just enter referral code SAMANTHAZ7DX at checkout to redeem (and please send me an e-mail if this code fails to work for some reason -- I'll personally send you a new one!).  Make sure to enter it in the box that says "GIFT COUPON / REFERRAL CODE," and please note that this code will work only for NEW eShakti customers.

Happy shopping!
xox Sammi

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Petticoat junction

Outfit Details:
Virginia Dress: eShakti
Red belt: Pinup Girl Clothing (sold out)
Petticoat: eBay
White flats: yeswalker
Heart necklace: ASOS (sold out)




Oh, eShakti, how I love thee.  

I actually scored this dress from eShakti's overstock section.  They make it super easy to search for pieces in your size at discounted prices.  Most of all, I love eShakti because of their amazing customization options!  I think it's pretty amazing that they give such accurate measurements for sizes, and that you can provide your exact measurements so they can make a dress that's specially made just for you!  Sometimes sizing can be really difficult when shopping online, and eShakti has truly made it a breeze.  I also love that you can have pocket, sleeve, neckline and hemline customization for an incredibly reasonable price.  I can't think of any other company that does that.


This dress turned out to be a little longer than I'd expected (though if I'd ordered it at full price, I would have been able to customize that!), but it's perfect with a petticoat underneath.  This outfit turned out to be really patriotic-looking - whoops!  Maybe I'll wear it for the fourth of July or something. 



Whoops, upside down necklace.  I still like the picture.






Obligatory petticoat reveal


Have a wonderful Wednesday!
xox Sammi

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Green apple

It rained for the first time this month last week (when I took these photos), so I'm inside once again for these.  At least the exposure isn't as blown out now!  And I'm wearing my new dress from eShakti

Outfit Details:
Gingham Check Dress: eShakti
White belt: ASOS
Core Values Necklace: ModCloth
White flats: Yeswalker

eShakti is a really cool company, because they offer a lot of customization for their shoppers.  They provide detailed measurement information for all their sizes, but they also allow you to provide your own measurements, and they'll make a custom size just for you!  You can also shorten (or lengthen) the hem of a dress, or add/change the sleeves or neckline.  They have some really great designs and interesting prints, too.  They are currently offering a couple of promotions: if you're a new customer, you can get a $25 gift coupon for registering on their website, or they are also offering a "buy two dresses, get the third free" promotion, or "buy two dresses, and get the second one 40% off" deal!  Check out all of their offerings here!






Have a lovely (and hopefully non-rainy) day!
xox Sammi