Mom to Mom Talk

Has your body, um, changed since having kids? Of course it has! Growing tiny humans is quite a feat. And that means your favorite clothes that you wore pre-pregnancy might not fit anymore. We went on vacation with our 6 month old and I remember feeling horrified when I realized none of my clothes fit correctly once we got to our destination! That’s why I want to talk to you about where you can find custom pants, dresses, jumpsuits and more without having to drag the kids shopping.

Clothes Can Define Us

A few months ago, I attended the Women in Travel Summit in Quebec City as my first “professional” business trip. In my B.C. life (before kids) I worked in non-profit development and organizing community events.

There was never an opportunity for me to travel for work. I was really excited to network with other travel bloggers and soak in as much information as I could.

Life with two kids can be pretty busy, so I didn’t start packing until a week before the conference. That’s when it hit me: I have NOTHING to wear.

See, we had done KonMari on our home last Fall and I had donated all the clothes that didn’t fit right after having two kids. That left me with mostly yoga pants, a few t-shirts and one pair of jeans. Now, normally that fits my mom lifestyle pretty well.

However, I was going to a professional conference and I wanted to FEEL professional. It’s amazing how clothes can transform a person.

So, I frantically went shopping for clothing but couldn’t find anything that fit right. I ended up having to get tailoring on them (and pay the rushed fee) in order to have something ready in time for my trip.

Oh, and I had my toddler and preschooler with me in the dressing room begging for snacks and trying to escape. The whole experience was a bit stressful. And I wished I would have started a lot sooner (and without my kids.)

Finding Cute Travel Clothes for Women

But, did I learn from my mistake? No. My husband and I got to go on a kid-free getaway to New York City! I’d been planning it for almost a year. It was going to be the longest trip we’d ever taken without the kids.

Because of that, I wanted to take advantage of doing activities that weren’t kid-friendly and wear stylish clothes without fearing my toddler wiping his sticky hands on me.

I knew we’d be taking lots of photos and I wanted to feel cute and stylish. I was able to mix in a few pieces that I had just bought for my conference, but I wished I had a few more options. This was one of my limited opportunities to get a break from mom life and just be Marcie for a bit.

Actually, I felt myself getting frustrated. Why did ALL my clothing have to be kid-friendly? How come I didn’t replace clothing that didn’t fit correctly with pieces that actually did? Why did my boys have extensive wardrobes of adorable clothing and I had my “mom uniform?”

I wanted to feel better about myself. Self-care is a real thing and it does involve clothing choices. I decided I needed to invest in a few pieces that made me feel like the strong, confident woman I am. Then, I could quickly put them on anytime I needed a little self-esteem boost.

How eShakti Can Help

I found eShakti online when I was trying to find clothes that would fit my post-pregnancy body. The brands I used to wear just didn’t fit the same. The hardest thing for me to find was a pair of pants that fit my waist and hips correctly (without pulling or gaping.)

eShakti is a company that makes custom clothes. You pick the style and then customize from there! Like, for dresses, you’d pick the general style you like and then choose the color, the neckline, the sleeves, and the skirt length.

They have a lot of options that fit an array of fashion styles. Several of their items reminded me of Mod Cloth, but I loved the option on customize them. It’s a great spot to find wedding clothes, business casual looks for women, date night dresses, and more.

My Custom Pants Experience with eShakti

Since I was struggling to find chic pants to wear for date nights and for traveling kid-free, I headed straight to eShakti. I’ve been eying those paper bag pants for months now, but couldn’t find any in stores that looked right on me. So, when I saw this pair on eShakti, I was really excited!

Even though the bright red pants looked so fun and amazing, I ended up ordering the dark blue pants because they were more versatile. I liked that they had a bit of drama and I could wear them in a professional setting, pack on vacation, or wear for a date night.

Now it was time to customize! I entered in all my measurements (double checking each one.) Then I added my height. Finally, I picked my pant length (choices included gauchos, capri, cropped, ankle, and full length) and sent it off!

And what’s really cool is that the price is really competitive, especially since they are custom clothing! These pants were $57.75. I hate to pay full price for just about anything (I’m a true discount shopper) so I was surprised that the prices were the same as I’d pay in stores without tailoring.

My pants arrived a couple weeks later and I couldn’t wait to try them on. They fit perfectly! I’m excited to order a few more pieces from eShakti throughout the year.

They have some gorgeous jumpsuits right now (which are so tricky for me to find the right torso length) and their dresses are super cute!

What I love most about these custom paper bag pants is that they FIT! No more tugging or hiking up pants when I stand up. Plus, they have real, full-size pockets that can hold a phone or keys. I’m in love!

You can find out more about eShakti on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

eShakti provided me with product for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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