Fictional and Factual Fashion with eShakti

I apologize for the alliteration in the post title. I couldn’t help myself.

I love fashion. If I were to get deep about it, I’d say that clothes and accessories are a way to express myself when words fail. But really, it’s a fun hobby of mine—consuming it, discussing it, reading about it, and even writing about it. In my first book, Front Row, fashion on a budget (and dirty laundry) almost became another character in the story, especially in scenes like this:

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Customized Party Dress from eShakti

I've worked with eShakti once before, so I was excited when they contacted me again, offering me a sample. I love that they let you to customize their dresses by changing the neckline, sleeve length, and tunic length, depending on the style. Not only that, you can input your exact measurements for a perfect fit. And best of all, they're very reasonably priced.

Since I wanted something festive to wear to my husband's work holiday party (and possibly again for my Valentine's birthday!), I went with the asymmetric bell sleeve jacquard knit dress. 

I then customized it by bringing up the hem to mini length and opening up the neckline to a boat-neck style. I kept the sleeve length as is. My measurements were saved from last time I used the site, so I left those as is except for adding an inch to the waist measurement just to be safe.

I wasn't sure what my husband was going to think about the trendy bell sleeves, but he liked the dress, and so do I! I'm sure the short length helped with his opinion although it's quite a bit shorter than my usual comfort level. Nothing a pair of tights can't fix. 

Dress: c/o eShakti; Necklace: Christmas gift; Tights: Spanx; Shoes: Vince Camuto

Holiday Party Makeup:

Happy New Year! We're ready for you, 2017!

I (Self-)Published a Book!

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you may have already seen the news, but I wanted to let anyone who was still subscribed know that I self-published a book! My 2012 NaNoWriMo work-in-progress (that I first blogged about here) is now a real, live novel. You can purchase it on either CreateSpace or Amazon.

Obviously, I don't update this blog anymore, but if you want to keep up with my noveling adventures, here's where to find me:
Website: rebekahnbryan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebekahnbryan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebekahNBryan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11880945.Rebekah_N_Bryan

More Elie Tahari for Kohl's Fitting Room Reviews

Since I had to take something back to Kohl's today because the security tag was left on, I decided to try on more of the Elie Tahari collection while I was there. Here is my first set of reviews from Friday. Everything pictured here is an XL.

Open-work chenille sweater on sale for $48

Funny story. I didn't realize I had this sweater on backwards. The split is supposed to be in the back, which I think I would've liked a little better. As is, it highlights my biggest problem area - my mom gut. Check out the product photo to see how it should look.

Ombre convertible cardigan on sale for $66

I tried this cozy, comfy sweater on Friday but forgot to get a picture of it. I still like it - the gray version and the cream version. The scarf is detachable. I didn't purchase it, but I did add it to my Christmas list.

Drape-back mixed-media top on sale for $36

Quite a few of the tops in this collection were wrinkly in the store - this one included. It's fine, but it does nothing for me. You can't really tell in the above picture, but it has some extra draped material in the back.

Mixed-media high-low hem tee on sale for $33

I like this T-shirt and almost bought it. I had it in my cart but later reconsidered. The notch detail in front is cool and different, but where the black part hits me is not the most flattering. It was made from a very comfortable material, too, but I had to pass it up.

Faux-fur sweatshirt on sale for $55.50, Textured midi skirt on sale for $40.50

Another wrinkly top. I actually really like this sweatshirt, in theory, with the faux fur panel in the front. It's just not something I needed. Plus, my daughter watched Tarzan on repeat all weekend, so I couldn't help but think "gorilla" a little bit (GO-RILL-A). But besides the wrinkles, I thought this was a cute, casual sweatshirt.

I ended up buying the sweater skirt! I loved the stretchiness and the length, and I felt bad for taking so much into the fitting room that I had to buy something. With a coupon and a $10 reward, I ended up getting it for $22. It's described as "midi," and I s'pose it would be on shorter ladies. On me, it hit right below my knees.

Chenille sheath dress on sale for $58.50

This sweater dress is something else I tried on Friday but forgot to get a picture of. It could've worked with Spanx, but eh. I would like it on someone else though.

Mixed-media sheath dress on sale for $63

Such a cool dress. The sleeves are made of a stretch fabric, but the dress is not and fit me pretty much how every sheath dress fits me - loose on top and tight on the bottom. The zipper details on the bottom half add some edginess. I much prefer this black patterned version to the solid blue version. If I had anywhere to wear this dress, I might've just bought it and took in the top to fit better. But alas.

Mixed-media sweater on sale for $45

Ew. The notch detail at the hem made my hips look wide, and slouchy doesn't really work on me. This could be cute on someone else, though. On the other hand...

Ribbed funnel neck sweater on sale for $48

I can't see how this would be cute on anyone. I don't even like it on the model.

Elie Tahari for Kohl's Fitting Room Reviews

Hi! I'm back for an ad hoc post on the Elie Tahari for DesigNation collection at Kohl's, which is in stores and online now. I'm about 3 weeks postpartum (check out my Instagram for pics of the new baby!), so right now I'm in size 18 pants and probably size 16 dresses for reference. I grabbed everything the store had in an XL, but one thing I did miss out on because they didn't have my size was the skyline fit & flare dress - not that I need another dress in my closet anyway. Also, lately I've only been buying and wearing things that are nursing friendly.

Mixed-media pleat-back sweater on sale for $48, French terry jogger pants on sale for $37.50

The sweater was huge and unflattering on me, but the pants were fun. The pants ran big, so I would size down if you're interested in those. You could probably size down in the sweater, too, if you didn't want it to look quite so huge. I passed on the sweater obviously, but the pants were my one purchase from the collection since all I basically wear on maternity leave is yoga pants. Now I can mix it up a bit.

Graphic mixed-media tee on sale for $36

This t-shirt was fine. Not very flattering on me, but I could see how it would be cute on someone else. The two XLs I picked up were both kind of wrinkly, but laundering it once may remedy that.

Ombre georgette tunic on sale for $48, Mesh ponte leggings on sale for $37.50

For people with a straighter shape, this tunic would be great. On me, it was tight in the stomach and hips area but fit fine in the chest. The sleeve length was perfect. Usually shirt sleeves hit me somewhere around the wrist. I see online that these leggings come in short and long lengths, which is intriguing to me. I did like these, and they would fit even if and when I did lose more weight, but I just didn't feel like I needed them.

Faux-suede motorcycle jacket on sale for $75

I have no complaints about this jacket. It fit well and looked chic, but the length was tricky on me. Plus, it's not something I needed. It also comes in cream.

Chrysler building chiffon top on sale for $40.50, Mixed-media leggings on sale for $40.50

This top didn't interest me at all on the hanger, but I love it on. I have no use for it right now because it's dressy and not nursing friendly, but I'm hoping it'll still be around when I go back to work. The pants - ick. The color showed every lump and bump - I'm not sure if these would work on anyone besides the model. They certainly weren't for me. To be fair, the leggings also come in gray and black.

Mock-layer sweater on sale for $48, Rock & Republic mesh scuba leggings on sale for $36

I liked the idea of this top, but the proportions did not work on me. The Rock & Republic leggings were fine - I just grabbed them to have something to try this top on with. They seemed to fit a little snugger than the Elie Tahari leggings.

Want more reviews? Check out part two.

Oh Hey

So yeah, I'm pretty much done blogging, at least for now. I may pick From the Mixed-up Files back up in the future if the muse descends. But I wanted to pop back in quickly to review my goals for 2013 because I actually did pretty well. As a reminder, here are the goals I set for myself on December 31, 2012:

• Celebrate my 30th birthday in New York - DONE! Between that and my actual birthday celebrations, I could not have asked for a better way to ring in my 30s.
• See another Hanson concert (at least one) - DONE, DONE, AND DONE! 
• Finish revising my novel, get a few more eyes on it, and decide what to do with it - Still working on this one. But I have started.
• Participate in NaNoWriMo again in November - DONE!
• Develop and add more structure to the blog - I think I was a lot more style- and outfit-of-the-day-centric in 2013, so we'll consider this done.
• Continue to attend blogger meetups - Sort of? There were bloggers at both those events.
• Get pregnant - DONE!!!! 

So yes, the point of this post was really to announce that my husband and I are very excited to be welcoming another member to the family, coming in September! Since I've now announced it everywhere else, I wanted to make it known on my blog, too. Thanks for reading!

Blue Nile Branch Necklace Giveaway Winner

And the winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congrats, Susan! I'll be emailing you shortly to collect your information.