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At first glance, eShakti seems too good to be true. Fabulous clothes with unique boho flair, handmade, in sizes 0-26W…..and affordable….AND custom. That’s right, if you order something and want a sleeve shortened, the hem lengthened: they will do it for you with a minor fee.

So who is eShakti?

“eShakti makes distinctive designer clothes for women. We offer custom-size as well as standard-size. And our custom-styling option makes it truly unique - you can make a top/bottom shorter or longer, change the sleeve length or the neckline, the way you want it. We are based in Seattle, USA and Chennai, India.

Our design team creates magic. They work at the details; a lot of the designing is hand-crafted. In some, hand-working starts with the weaving. In others it is the fabric texture, detailing, hand-block printing, or embroidery. We like cotton, linen and silk, but also use some man-made fibers. Our clothes are comfortable to wear – customizing helps this further. ‘Comfort and workmanship’ is our design philosophy.” (read more)

I’ve read a lot of reviews online, and the majority is very positive. eShakti is very popular with plus sized women because they offer such wonderful customization and styles that aren’t always available in plus sizes.

I’m putting an order together for myself, check out the cute stuff that is about to find a home in my closet:

Smooth cotton satin top is designed with precise pin tucking along the front and back yoke that releases at the waist and finished with leafy print at the hem and cuffs.

Pintuck trapeze top $39.95

-Cloth covered button-and-loop front closure.
-Three-quarter length sleeves with banded cuffs.
-Mid-thigh length.
-Side slits at hem.
-Cotton satin; machine wash.

This would be so cute with jeans!

Pleat front kimono silk top $34.95

High-sheen, drapey silk shapes a gorgeously subdued top with an easy cut through the body. Pleated layers on the front offer a structured contrast, while curved side panels cleverly convert to floaty flutter sleeves.

-Center back zip.
-Curved hem.
-Hip length.
-Silk; dry clean.

This is a sexy top! $34.95 for 100% silk?! WOW!

Shop for affordable plus size clothing at Smarter.com.

Ok, I think I found another favorite online store:  Metrostyle.com.  It has some of the most fashionable ensembles.  I could not make up my mind as to which outfit I liked better.  So with much thought I picked this one out, but of course there were many others.

I love this outfit..so tre chic!!!

Smocked Peasant Top:  $29.99

Sateen Cropped Pants:  $19.99

Boho Bag:  $59.99

Thai Silk Wedges:  $39.99

The best part about this outfit is you can mix and match all the above items with just about anything else you may own…Perfect!!!

Get this great look at Metrostyle.com

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more smocked peasant tops.
Discounts on sateen cropped pants and silk wedges.

For those who aren’t the best at putting an outfit together (**cough-most men-cough**), The Buckle’s website features already put together styles for easy shopping and easy fashion decisions.  Here is one of my favorite outfits they feature called “Mr. Clean” - they even give them cleaver little names.

So, if I want to purchase this entire outfit for my boyfriend, brother, cousin, etc…I would just need to select (check) all the items on the right of the page, add them to my shopping “bag” and VOUALA…I can check one more person off my holiday shopping list!

For those ladies who don’t like the hassels of shopping around for an outfit or putting a fashionable outfit together, here are two of the cute outfits put together for the ladies at Buckle.com:

                                            ”Check Mate”                                                      “Home Spun”

Click here to check out all the outfits put together at Buckle.com for women.

Check out all the outfits put together for men.

*One more awesome thing about Buckle.com - they offer $5 shipping on every order!

If you love cute, comfy and quirky tees with fun sayings, you will love the t-shirts from QueenofSuburbia.com.

They have a variety of “Queen of Suburbia” shirts in many colors and styles, but here are some other shirts you can purchase:

                             Flattery Operated: $22.49                                  Over the Hilton: $21.99

I happen to like more of the styles that are offered in their UK shop only because at the moment they have a larger selection.  Here are some that are only available at their UK shop: 

                         Will Work for Shoes: £ 16.99                           Karma Suits Ya: £ 15.69

UK residents: You can use coupon code SHIPFORFREE until September 30th, 2008 and send your favorite shirt for FREE!

US residents: mention this post on Smarter Fashion and send Queen of Suburbia an email with your order number and/or Pay Pal address and they will refund your local shipping cost!

Here is something fun you can do at QueenofSuburbia.com:  They have their “Campaign to Pass Love On!” where you can fill out a little form and send someone an email telling them why they are loved.  The fun part..you don’t have to reveal your identity!

Online shopping has really improved my outlook on the holidays. Remember when you used to have to go to the mall and fight your way through the crowds to find something for everyone on your list? Well, who needs that? Now, my shopping takes a few hours instead of days…and nobody gets hurt.

This year, one of my fave sites to make everybody I know squeal with delight is 80sTees.com. They have lots and lots of funny and cute shirts–it’s one of those something-to-please-everyone places. I mean, where else can you nab an “I Heart Jake Ryan” or a Monchhichi shirt? They also have fun 80s and non-80s movie, cartoon, tv shows, superheroes, and brand icon tees. I think I might need the “Flux Capacitor” shirt to wear with my orange puffer vest. Ah, the irony.

They also carry sizes from small to 3XL, which is good because my family and friends come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of my top picks (they all range between $20-25):

And for me, you ask? Well, I’ll be grabbing this “FRA-GEE-LAY” ornament for myself:

At $8.00 bucks, it’s a scandalous steal.

I’m the queen of waiting for sales because there’s nothing I hate more than buying something only to find out that its price got a lot nicer after I dished out real dough. So, I often wait for price reductions, but it’s a tough task to keep up with all the sales, and sometimes real gems slip down the drain into fashion oblivion. That’s why I was excited to hear about SavvyCircle, a site that alerts users when a favorite item hits the sales rack.

I tried it out, and it was pretty easy–you just join and download a plugin. Then, whenever you’re shopping on one of the sites Savvy Circle works with (including Shopbop, Target, Ron Herman, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, JCrew, Zappos and lots more), and you see something you like, you just press a little icon and it’s added to a watch list. As soon as that favorited dress, sweater or pair of shoes goes on sale, you’re the first to know about it. I put this sweet little honey of a jacket from J.Crew on my Savvy Circle list (fingers crossed).

Tactical shopping made easier. I love it.

Click here to check out Savvy Circle.

Tired of people wearing bad denim? Who isn’t?  Well, now there’s a forum for you to register your distaste.  RateMyDenim.com was introduced on one of my favorite sites, Denimology, today. It’s a fun new site where you can vote on how bad or good a featured jean-wearer is and, if your so inclined (and brave!) you can even upload your own photo for an appraisal.  I don’t think I’m quite their yet, but it’s pretty fun to be on the other side.

Check it out!

See the latest denim styles here.