Wish list: Nautical and not-so-nautical from eShakti

I have such a love affair with the *idea* of eShakti, and the look of their clothing. Truly interesting prints and styling, totally customizable from the sleeves to the length to the measurements, and availability in plus sizes too? I'll take it! I love the modcloth-meets-anthropologie-but-cheaper sensibility to it all.

But, I say the *idea* of eShakti because I've ordered from them before and, with all online retailers, you can never be sure of the fit and fall, the feel of the fabric, or the customer service experience you will have.

That said, I agree with Christina over at Musings of a Fatshionista and am REALLY loving what they are doing with their new Nautical collection, and just with their new spring dresses in general!

Here are some of the pieces that are on my wish list:

1) How awesome is chambray right now?




2) Love the 50's housewife meets rodeo (in a good way) look:




3) My mom and I used to make much less stylish versions of these, with christmas fabric, marbles, and plastic beads. This one is much cuter:



4) So cute and strappy, and great for any shape from apple to pear to "rectangular with bumps" :)


5) Beige tweedtastic:


And the final one, which is no longer on my wish list because I ordered it:



I'll post pictures of it when it comes, provided it fits, which is always a concern with eShakti!

OOTD and a review of Jibrionline.etsy.com

I lusted after the Jibri high-waisted skirt for months. MONTHS! When Jasmine, the sassy lady behind Jibri, had a 50% off sale after Thanksgiving, I made my move and ordered it in black.



Unfortunately, I had eaten alot on Thanksgiving (thanks rooms and bunches :) and so, when measuring myself to order it custom-sized (which is at no additional cost!), I was a few inches bigger than I normally am :). So, when it came in, it was actually too big and I ended up needing to get it altered. But this was my fault, not Jasmine's!

I can't measure!

Details:
Shirt: From the recent seattle fats clothing swap, and is super soft! Unsure of size/brand
Brooch: from my broochified post, the Knitting Mill in Chattanooga, TN
Boots: I will do a separate post about these; miz mooz size 10, AWESOME boots.

A side view:


The black doesn't really show the structure of the skirt, the etsy post shows it better. It has pockets too! Really, really deep in-seam pockets.

Overall, I feel excited about the skirt, but also I think I hyped it up in my mind a little too much, so I'm also a little disappointed.

Good things:
- Really great structure and shape
- Awesomely versatile
- Pockets!
- custom sized at no extra charge
- Jasmine is a delight to work with and got the skirt out to me really quickly considering the huge volume of orders she had from her black friday sale

Things I would change:
- The waistband wrinkles horizontally after sitting in the skirt. Because it is so wide and cumberbundish, it looks great standing but after sitting in the skirt the wrinkles just won't go away and it looks sloppy. This is probably also due to my belly rolls. I may put interfacing/stiffening fabric in the waistband to keep it from wrinkling.
- The fabric kind of feels strange. I think this is just my own personal thing. Don't get me wrong, the fabric is substantial and not transparent but it is just a weird weight to still wrinkle so easily. The hang of it almost makes me feel like I am wearing a costume skirt rather than a real skirt. I don't really have a recommendation on what other kind of fabric to use though. I'm not verbalizing very well.

Overall, I would recommend this skirt because it is custom-sized for no additional cost, it has a great shape, and it is super versatile - but with the caveat that I'm not sure it will become the weekly wardrobe staple that I was hoping it would be due to the wrinkling and weird fabric weight. But Jasmine is great and it is really awesome to work with designers that are nice and pleasant people on top of providing a great product!

Has anyone else ordered the Jibri high-waisted skirt? What have been your experiences?

Brooches, and how to enjoy them.

Let me wax poetic about the brooch. Brooches are an awesome and frequently cheap way to accessorize, especially if you don't love wearing lots of jewelry. Rings and bracelets irritate me, earrings and necklaces are fun but not always what I'm in the mood for. But a brooch? It is super easy.

It all started back in 2007 when I bought a black flowered wooden brooch at a boutique where nothing else fit me. You know, fat girls always have great accessories and all. Anyways, I realized after I started incorporating this pin into my wardrobe that it made my otherwise predictable ensemble of jeans, shirt, cardigan somewhat kickier.

So, over Christmas break I had the chance to shop with my sister in law (Hi Mags!) at this awesome, huge vintage/antiques (what is the difference? I don't know!) store called The Knitting Mill in Chattanooga, TN. I would highly recommend it for anyone in the area! Anyways, I came home with many spoils, two of which were awesome vintage brooches that I will now show you.



This beauty cost me $8, and I love it!


Details:
Black sweater shirt: Target merona 14/16
Jeans: Avenue divine denim "the straight" size 20 (I usually wear a 22 at all other stores)
Shoes: Payless, AGES ago, size 11
Brooch: I believe you have been introduced.

Light blue/gold enamel: Also only $8!




Details:
brown tank/shirt: Old Navy XL (from a few years ago when everything was swing cut, this thing is like a circle skirt with straps, I swear)
cardigan: target merona xxl
jeans: same as above
shoes: same as above

So now, I'll bet you are wondering only one thing:
How can you get started in the brooch-wearing club? Easy! Just follow this 4 step plan.

1) Get a brooch. Thrift stores, vintage malls, open air markets, etc. are a great place for this, they always have tons of jewelry that is often $1 each or some such nonsense.
2) Hold the brooch in your right hand if you are right handed. Or left hand. Really, either hand will work.
3) Pick a side to wear your brooch. I always wear mine on my left, it just looks better to me.
4) Put the brooch about an inch or two below your collarbone, right where you bra cup meets your bra strap. Pinch through all the layers you are wearing if, perhaps, you are sporting a cardigan and shirt underneath. This will help anchor the brooch.
5) Be your sassy self, now broochified!

I think I probably include a brooch in my wardrobe at least twice a week, from my collection that now numbers around 10 brooches. I LOVE BROOCHES. Brooch.

OOTD: Playing with the idea of "shapeless"

(crossposted to fatshionista.livejournal.com)

Lately I've been thinking about the idea of "shapeless" and experimenting with baggy, flowy, and otherwise not-cinched-in-or-belted looks. This dress was a sales post dress, and normally I wear it belted with great success. Also, it looks like it is really long (like knee length) in the pics but I feel like it is shorter in wearable life!



Details:
Dress: Sales post, vintage
Tights: Target Merona collection 1x/2x, light grey
Shoes: Frye size 11
Bag: From a market in Brazil
flower brooch: from a jcrew bridesmaid's dress

Your model is 45/40(empire)/48(jeans waist)/53, 5'9" 240ishish

Outfit of the day: Mobile Chowdown Edition

After my Advent of Dresses posts, I was honestly getting kind of sick of dresses. And cardigans. So I've decided to deliberately put together outfits that don't include a cardigan. But here's one more dress :)!

This dress is too short to wear by itself, but paired with leggings I feel more comfortable.



Details:
Black long sleeved turtleneck dress: Old Navy XL, years old
Black coat: Target XXL, last winter
Black leggings: Duo maternity 2x, from sales post
Black boots: Target Kady size 11
Black dog: Waffles, pom/schipperke mix
necklace: gift from husband on wedding day, it's a tiny copper book that opens like a locket

No, not pregnant. But maternity leggings are COMFY!