So Eshakti Does Not Believe in Fractions

December 1, 2014 9:04 AM

I’d like to order a dress from eshakti, but the sizing is off for me, so I thought I’d do the custom-sizing. However, the form for entering your measurements only accepts whole numbers, whereas all my measurements end in fractions of an inch (you know, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2). I'm having trouble reconciling this, as there is an huge difference between X overbust and a X+1 overbust measurement, particularly when you bother to take a bust and underbust measurement as well. So I’m having trouble reconciling this.

Do you just send measurements in an email, ignoring the form? Do you round up or down? Am I better off with the stock size? I tried to send an email via their contact form, but it did not appear to send properly.

The FAQ says “While choosing a size, we recommend you not to go up or down with your measurements hoping to get a looser or tighter fit based on the silhouette of the product displayed. It’s best to give us the exact body measurements and drop us an email if you need to leave any special instruction regarding the order. ” Which seems to me to be them suggesting you not round your measurements.

posted by crush-onastick to Shopping (8 answers total)

I would call them up. I've ordered from Eshakti before and I've called them several times and they were exceptionally helpful. Like, to the point where I thought "wow, I can't believe how helpful this human being actually is." I usually expect some bored teenager on the other end who doesn't give a crap, but nope, they were pretty gung-ho about solving whatever problem I had.
posted by JimBJ9 at 9:09 AM on December 1, 2014

Best answer: I would always round up, because my experience with them has been a bit on the snug side. I think the point they're trying to make is, don't add two inches to your waist measurement because you want a looser fit, that's not always the result you're going to get out of their patterns, and "oversized" is never going to be the same as something that was specifically cut to allow a little more room. But calling them seems like a good plan.
posted by Sequence at 9:18 AM on December 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

I just buy their standard sizing and then have a friend make the necessary adjustments. I guess for the $7.50 extra I could just have them do it, but SOMETHING is always off about their clothes, for me, so I'd just as soon start a little big and then have the item customized to my actual body. I know lots of people who ordered custom sizing from eShakti and the stuff still didn't fit right, so for me, my way leads to less frustration but YMMV. Full disclosure: my friends and I are all fat so if you're skinny your experience may be totally diff!
posted by masquesoporfavor at 9:51 AM on December 1, 2014

Round up. Unless you're ordering something that needs to be skin tight and perfectly fitted to your body, a quarter inch isn't going to make any real difference.

You round up, because on the off chance that it is too long/baggy, you can then have it taken in. Round down and you'll risk getting something too small.

Their direction not to size up or down is because the resulting garment will fit poorly if you're not clear about what your measurements actually are. They mean, like, don't tell us you have a 42 inch hip when your measurement is actually 36, in hopes that you get baggier pants. Rounding up for fractions of an inch is expected.
posted by Sara C. at 10:05 AM on December 1, 2014

This skinny girl has also been unhappy with their custom sizing, fwiw.
posted by gueneverey at 10:56 AM on December 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

Does the form on their site only accept whole numbers, or is it choking specifically on the fractions? What if you converted to decimal? (20 1/8 = 20.125 etc)
posted by misterbrandt at 12:50 PM on December 1, 2014

Does the form on their site only accept whole numbers, or is it choking specifically on the fractions? What if you converted to decimal? (20 1/8 = 20.125 etc)

I had the same question, so I went to the site to see. They do not allow decimals. The options are provided; you're forced to choose a specific whole number.
posted by vitabellosi at 1:21 PM on December 1, 2014

Best answer: Apparently, the email DID go through and my customer service response is as follows:

Please select the round numbers (nearest higher value) and add your actual measurements to the special instructions box at the time of placing your order. Please email us a copy of the order confirmation and the measurements for a our records and close follow up.

So, I guess that's the answer and Sequence pretty much had it.

(FWIW I wear one of the S/M straight sizes in most manufacturers, but in all commercial patterns, I have to raise the waist a minimum of 1 inch, usually have to grade one size from bust to waist (or do an FBA) and then usually two sizes to the hips. And do a square shoulder adjustment. And usually lengthen the sleeve. Basically, I am not expecting custom sizing to correct any real fit issues, nor am I intended to further correct fit issues once I get the garment. RTW just fits like it fits and it's not good, but if it's possible to keep the bust or hips from being too tight while keeping the waist from being too loose, I'll take it)
posted by crush-onastick at 7:37 AM on December 2, 2014