1955 in 2015

If you've been paying attention (and I know that read this blog is all any of you do!), you would have learned the following things about me:
1. I love dresses.
2. I am glad to live in 2015 as a Talmud-learning feminist, but from a fashion perspective, I wish I lived in the 1950s.
3. You can always get me if you give me pockets
4. I am all about combining modesty with my own personal style, and not letting it ruin my overall esthetic.

Enter: eShakti. Do you know about them? If not, here's a brief overview. They are a clothing company based in India that does custom dresses. They have a great vintage feel to them, which makes me love them even more.
Here's basically how it works: They have many dresses, skirts, tops and the like on the website. So you browse through and see what you like. Let's say you like a dress. but it's too long, or too short, or doesn't have sleeves. For $7.50 extra, you can customize your dress. Yes, really! And once you are customizing, you can make as many changes (e.g. sleeves, neckline and skirt length) as you want for that $7.50 cost. For example, this dress was shown as sleeveless, but I added elbow length sleeves so I wouldn't have to wear it with a shell or a cardigan. Or, if you want, you can also choose to enter your own measurements and have the dress custom made to your body! And every dress comes with pockets!

I know what you're thinking. These dresses must be crazy expensive. But no! They start at around $50.  Okay, so are they using sweatshops? I did some research when I first heard of them, because I did not want to be responsible for children being forced to sew my clothing. But my research shows that they actually have good labor practices. So sign me up!

Ok, I look sort of demented. Ignore the face and love the dress.

I got pretty hooked last summer, and ended up with more eShakti dresses than could really be considered reasonable. I pared down a bit by selling a couple on eBay, but these are still going to be go-to summer dresses. I get tons of compliments every time I wear them, including many for this one when I wore it to synagogue today.

I have already converted my sister Sarah. Want to join us? Let's bring the 50s back! (For fashion only, I promise.)

Some things to know:
1. Because they custom cut every dress and then ship from India, the process takes a while (about 3 weeks in my experience.) So this is not great if you're in a big hurry. And shipping, not surprisingly, is a little pricey, but it balances out in the end.
2. They ship via DHL, so you need to be there to sign for the package. Consider shipping to work if you live in a house or don't have a doorman.
3. They run a little smaller than most of the other clothes I buy. For example, I almost always wear a 4. in dresses, but the dress you see above is a 6, and as you see, it fits me like it was made for me. So if you're between sizes, order up. (And trust the measurements they give on the website.)
5. I have a couple of friends who were not happy with eShakti's quality about 6 years ago. I have been nothing but happy with what I've gotten from them. The only problem I've had is buttons falling off every once in a while, so you might want to hang onto the extras that come with the clothes. The fabrics are also mostly lighter weight, so they're better for the summer months.
6. If you're not happy with your purchase and decide to return, you can get your money back for the base price of the item, but not for the customization fee. (That $7.50.)
7. Right now, you can get a great deal! All new customers can get $40 off their first order right now, and everything on the website (other than the overstock section) is buy two get one free, or buy three get two free. Free dresses! Click here for more information.

That's all from me for now. Happy weekend, friends!

What I'm wearing: eShakti shirt dress (similar here), Franco Sarto sandals

How To #3: How to Shop in Normal Stores While Staying Modest

Hello from the airplane, friends! My brother-in-law has a conference in St. Louis this week, so I'm off to LA to help my sister with the kids for the next 6 days. I hate almost everything about flying, but I have to say that JetBlue is more civilized than most airlines. And I get free internet! So I can update the blog! Guys, life is so exciting.

This marks a return to our how-to series. Today, I want to offer some tips for how to look for modest clothing in mainstream stores. Depending on fashion trends, modest clothing can be more or less difficult to find without shopping from designated modest clothing stores and websites. These days, midi and maxi skirts seem to be having a moment, so it's easier to find skirts that offer a little more coverage. However, mini skirts and sleeveless dresses will always be around, so it's helpful to know how to adapt (and when to pass on a look.) Here are some of the things that have worked well for me. If you have other thoughts, please leave them in the comments!

1. Get great layering pieces. Many things with no sleeves or that are very low cut can easily be made more modest if you have good layering pieces. Here are some thoughts and options that I have found helpful:

• I used to have trouble finding camisoles that weren't super low-cut (isn't the whole point of camisoles that they provide extra coverage???), but then I discovered these from Downeast Basics. They are cut with a higher neckline, and they're pretty inexpensive, making it more affordable to stock up. (Certain colors are also now on sale for half off.) They're long, so they give a little more coverage over the hips as well. I found that they run relatively true to size.
• If you have a sleeveless dress or top and are looking for sleeves, I recommend layering tops from Kosher Casual. The main complaint I usually have about layering shells is that they are often super high cut at the neck, which I find super uncomfortable. Since I don't mind showing my collarbone, I was really excited to find these. I especially like this one and this one, since they're cut lower around the neck but still provide a lot of coverage. They're also fitted enough wear under things, but sturdy enough to be worn on their own. The boatneck shirt is cut pretty short, and they are both on the tighter side, so you might want to size up, especially if you are going to wear them as shirts. I've never ordered the elbow sleeve shirts, but they look great as well.
• If you don't want to add a whole shirt under your outfit, you can try sleeve extensions. I've never worn them, but I have friends who swear by them. You can find options here.
• Believe in a good cardigan. Not only do they add coverage, they can also add a fun element to many outfits. I have cardigans in different lengths-- long/ grandpa-style, waist-length, and cropped. Between those three, I can make one type work with most things. Some of my favorites are here (on sale!), here (use my link from yesterday for 20% off!) and here.
• Use scarves creatively. If you have a cute top but it has a lower neckline, a scarf can be an excellent accessory if placed strategically. However, if it's the only layering piece, just be ready to commit to wearing it all day. (And if you're like me and you're cold much of the time, scarves are helpful for extra warmth as well.)
• Some people also wear pencil skirts under shorter skirts and dresses. This isn't generally my look, but if you like to go that way, you can find good options here and here. You can also buy a skirt extender, which is like a slip until the bottom, where the fabric is full.

2. Think creatively. A few months ago, I saw I dress that I LOVED at Anthropologie. Unlike almost everything else at Anthropologie, I could actually afford it, on account of it being on crazy sale. However, when I picked it up, it was clear that it was way too short for me to ever wear as a dress. It was a little too long, though, for me to wear as a tunic. So what did I do? I went back to the racks and found it in petite. When I put it on, it was just the right length to be a tunic! So don't feel bound by what an item is supposed to be. If it can work as something else-- a tunic, a vest or jumper, an accent piece-- then embrace that and make it your own!

3. Explore expanded sizes. On a related note to #2, while not often found in stores, many stores offer petite and tall sizes online. While it's not always possible to buy a dress in tall (or in petite to wear as a tunic), depending on your body's proportions, if you carry your height in your torso, a tall dress might provide the extra 3-4 inches that makes the dress adhere to your standards of modesty. And for skirts, tall length usually just means that the skirt is longer, so that should work no matter how your height is distributed. GAP, LOFT, Old Navy, Boden and many others offer tall sizes for at least some items on their websites, so order some things and see what works. (Even when extended sizes are only available online, you can almost always return them in store.)

4. Know when to walk away. I recently tried on a super adorable dress. It fit me perfectly, had a pleated skirt, and was made of a warm sweater-like material. I was in love. It was at least 4 inches too short for me. I tried to figure out if there was a way to make it work, over a skirt or pants, or if I tried the petite length. Ultimately, I had to come to terms with the fact that there was no way to make the dress work. Sad, yes, but there are so many options that can be worn modestly, that there is no reason to look silly unnecessarily. Not every trend can work for everyone. This is true because of modestly, but also because of things like coloring, body shape, and other factors. So admire yourself in the dressing room mirror and then move on to something else. You look fabulous!

What are your modesty-maintain tips? Leave them in the comments!