Surely you've already started wearing velvet this season!! Can anyone resist its Victorian appeal, its sensuous caress, its close proximity to royalty, its luxurious richness? Velvet is wonderful!
I've had a beautiful black velvet coat for the past 10 years. I bought it at a sample sale in New York and it is one of those items that seems a little too fancy for everyday use and yet I love wearing it everyday! When I was recently contacted by eShakti to choose a custom made article of clothing I decided right away I would go the velvet route to up the amount of this pleasurable fabric in my wardrobe.
How to Wear Velvet Everyday and How to Wear Velvet to the Office
I love dressing for the office. Honestly, dressing is probably 90% of the reason I wake up in the morning, followed by eating breakfast! I'm not sure if I've mentioned yet on the blog that I bought a house in Italy at an auction for a great price and was then offered a job helping other people do the same thing. Sometimes if you open your life to new opportunities that is the exact moment that they appear!
One of the things I love about my job is how it is a "desk job" without the desk! I meet with different clients all week, get to drive all around the Province where I live, I get to dress all fancy to go to the courthouse and my boss actually likes my company when we're alone, so all in all I'm happy. But the greatest part is that I get to wear whatever I want!
On this particular day I had gone to the office on my bike because it is warm enough in Modena to ride a bike year- round and the city is built for cyclists with tons of bike paths. I'm usually done work at 3:30 p.m., which gives me enough time to pick up my son from school and hang out a bit with my mom-friends and their kids.
This afternoon we decided to hangout in the Piazza after school and have a snack together with the kids in one of the caffès that overlooks the Piazza. This of course after we let the kids burn off some steam by climbing on the marble lions of the Duomo, which isn't only a UNESCO World Heritage site it is also the quintessential spot for hangout sessions!
What I Wore - A Custom Altered Dress with eShakti
I was contacted a few weeks back by the online store eShakti which you may have heard of. They offer an incredible service because ALL of their designs can be custom made. Every.Single.Design.
If you are short, if you are petite, if you are tall, if you are a pear, an apple or a whole fruit salad, they can and will accommodate your shape to give you access to all of the latest trends at a perfect fit and a modest price.
The only problem with online based made-to-measure services is the hassle of taking your measurements, which is why I LOVE their semi-couture option. Basically, this is an opportunity for you to choose any style and indicate custom modifications (like hem length, sleeve length and your over all height) and they will custom make your article based on your indications, without you necessarily needing to provide every single measurement.
Below you can see which modification I chose to create the dress I'm wearing in these photos.
I loved this dress which is a great mix between a vintage inspired military dress and a modern above the knee mandarin collar dress. I had a few customizations made and it literally fit me like a glove, not to mention the waist height and hem length were both EXACTLY what I had hoped they would be.
The great thing about eShakti is that if you love a certain style there is a good chance that you can find the same cut in many different fabrics, with lots of variations. For example they currently have over 75 styles that are similar to my dress and you can find them all here. Plus, if you sign up for their newsletter and it is your first time ordering you can save 30% off your order!
This is the velvet cord mandarin collar dress, modified for my petite 147 cm (4 ft 10 inch), 43 kg (95 lb) frame and it has become one of my favorite work dresses especially paired with these black velvet wedge heels, a black velvet coat and my fold-over leather bag.
It has been a long time since I've had a daily office job and I have to admit I was a little nervous about putting myself out there and feeling confident in the role after what seems like a lifetime of being "maintained" (as my husband says). I have always believed in how clothes can influence your self confidence and self esteem even though I don't necessarily believe in judging others based on their appearance.
I think it is all relative. If you FEEL good in your clothes than you will exude confidence. People will pick up on your confidence and treat you the way you treat yourself - GOOD! I cannot stress enough how having a dress that fit PERFECTLY made me feel so prepared and sure of myself and I don't know if it is a coincidence that the same day I wore this dress I also closed the biggest contract I've had this month!
Have a great week everyone, always dress to impress 🙂
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