I'd first heard aboutStitch Fix when one of my favorite bloggers,Joy the Baker mentioned the service on her website. It sounded like an interesting concept and, being me, I spent a lot of time after that first review researching and reading up on what the service actually was. In brief: Stitch Fix is a mail order styling service for women. You sign up on their website, answer their questions to create a style profile, pay the $20 styling fee and receive 5 items curated for you by one of their stylists. You also have the opportunity to create a Pinterest board to link to for your stylist and a place to write notes about any details you want to share with your stylist that you think will help them understand what you're looking for. Clothing goes from sizes 0/XS-14/XL.
Once you receive the items, you have 3 days to try them on and decide which item(s) you want to keep. The rest can be sent back with the prepaid shipping bag that comes with your order. All shipping is included in the price of your styling fee. For the items you want to keep, you go through a simple check-out process on their website.
I decided to try the service for my birthday and wanted to review the items that I got. Spoiler Alert: I loved this service and actually kept the whole ox of items! Score!
Once you receive the items, you have 3 days to try them on and decide which item(s) you want to keep. The rest can be sent back with the prepaid shipping bag that comes with your order. All shipping is included in the price of your styling fee. For the items you want to keep, you go through a simple check-out process on their website.
I decided to try the service for my birthday and wanted to review the items that I got. Spoiler Alert: I loved this service and actually kept the whole ox of items! Score!
Dominic Geo Print Shirt Dress
When I opened the box (with flourish) I immediately fell in love with this bright, geometric print shirt dress. It's all kinds of cute and can be dressed up for work or down for something more casual. In fact, I wore it to a job interview and felt 100% comfortable, appropriate and authentic. When I first opened the box, I was interested to try it on, because I find that shirt dresses can be hard to find where the proportions are correct with your shoulders, waist and bottom half. I was happy to see that the bottom fit without drowning me on top. The waist could have been a bit smaller, but still fit just fine. The fabric belt was pretty long, so I ended up wrapping it around twice for a kind of obi-inspired look. I also like the epaulets on the shoulders and the detailing on the sleeves (<3 3/4 length sleeves!). All-in-all I loved it.
VERDICT: KEEP
VERDICT: KEEP
Brendan French Terry Leather Trim Blazer
Next up: the blazer. I admit, when I first pulled out the items from the box, I was a little dubious about this jacket, if only because it looked like it had been smooshed and beaten into submission in order to fit into the adorably neat stack that the fix arrives in (I'd share a picture of said adorable stack, except I was too excited to take a picture before I opened everything :)). So, I was worried that it would be wrinkled and that the shoulder pads would have lost their shape from the packing. However, the amazing thing about this jacket is that it doesn't look like much "on the hanger," but when you put it on, it creates an amazing shape! I think the genius lies in the placement of the leather pockets on the side of the waist, as opposed to the front of the jacket, as well as the shoulder pads which help create an hour-glass figure. I also love that the jacket is made of a softer cotton material which makes it comfortable and easy to dress up or down.
VERDICT: Keep!
VERDICT: Keep!
Lydia Floral Print Key-Hole Blouse
When I saw this summery top in my fix, I wasn't surprised because it was one of the tops that I had pinned on my Pinterest board. It is exactly the same top that I had pinned and I think it will be very functional during our hot summers for both work and play. The colors aren't as vivid and the noncommittal white/cream on the shoulders wasn't visible in picture I had pinned, so I wasn't as 'in love' as I thought I might be, but still this top is a definite keeper.
VERDICT: Keep.
VERDICT: Keep.
Giovanni Straight Leg Jean
I have to admit that when I saw a pair of jeans in the fix I immediately thought "ugh, not jeans!" and then pronounced to anyone within earshot that I would NOT be keeping these jeans. Honestly, finding a pair of great jeans is often the bane of my existence and when I saw that my stylist had boldly put a pair in my fix I was sure that they were going to be returned. Even when I took a closer look, I thought they looked small and wasn't sure about the lighter wash on the thigh area. On top of that, they were pricey. I was shocked, however that once I tried them on (always try clothes on - you never know!), that they actually fit and - what? - they actual looked pretty good. What black magic are you playing with Stitch Fix? I ended up being persuaded to pay slightly above what I was comfortable with because of the 5-item discount and the fact that I did actually feel really good in them.
VERDICT: Keep.
VERDICT: Keep.
Joya Bauble Pendant Necklace
Finally, the jewelry. Jewelry is an enigma for me. I search - and occasionally find - jewelry I can wear and when I do, boy do I wear those pieces to the ground. I've tried time and again to get into the whole "statement necklace" thing, only to feel really silly wearing costume jewelry with a t-shirt. Which is to say, I was so so happy to see that a really great, unexpected, and versatile necklace was added into this fix. I probably would not have picked it up in a store, but I like the length and have worn it a lot already. I think this piece epitomizes the point of a service like this: to help people find great clothing pieces and get them out of their comfort zone a bit.
VERDICT: Keep.
VERDICT: Keep.
The Nitty Gritty
So once I tried on all the items, I had to decide what to keep. While I was still on the fence about the jeans, the one thing I had to keep in mind was that if you buy all five items, the entire purchase is 25% off. When I crunched the numbers, I felt comfortable with the price and decided I would keep all five items.
A few other details: Every fix comes with a personalized note from your stylist describing briefly why s/he picked the items for you. In addition, there is a card that shows two ways to style each item in the fix in order to give you inspiration. The necklace didn't have a "styling card," but my stylist did suggest to pair the necklace with the key-hole blouse, jeans and blazer, which made a lot of sense.
Overall, I was very happy with the experience and have already scheduled another fix. From the other reviews I have read, I think that I had positive results with this company for a few specific reasons:
1. Realistic Success Rate: My hope going in was that one item would be a keeper, because the $20 styling fee is applied to any item you buy. I figured if I liked one item, I would not be losing the $20. Because I only hoped for one item, having all of them work out felt like a home run. I still think that hoping one item will work out it a reasonable expectation going forward.
2. Willingness to Pay: Let's be clear: you can get clothes for cheaper than what you'll pay doing Stitch Fix. While they do ask what price range you're looking to spend when setting up your style profile, the clothes are going to be closer to retail. The clothes I got are also more stylish and higher quality than what I feel I often get at TJ Maxx on the regular. (No hate for TJ's - I lo-ove it!). If you're not willing to pay the true cost, then I think you may be setting yourself up to be disappointed.
3. Honest Details: I told the truth about my weight, clothing size and proportions, whether I liked it or not. I think this made a world of difference in getting the clothes to fit right. If the clothes don't fit, no matter how cute they are, you won't keep them.
4. Lots of Information - I think my Pinterest board made a big difference. I set up a board solely for Stitch Fix and only pinned things that I would both love to wear and thought that I could wear in terms of shapes and styles.
FINALLY, if you refer a friend (or inspired stranger), then you received a $25 credit when that person orders and receives a fix. So, if you're interested in signing up, I'd love for you to use my Referral Link. ;o)
I hope you found this helpful! I'm pretty fascinated by Stitch Fix and would love to hear other people's experiences!
To read a review of my 2nd Stitch Fix, click here!
*disclosure: this is not a sponsored post, just a service that I'm using that I want to share
A few other details: Every fix comes with a personalized note from your stylist describing briefly why s/he picked the items for you. In addition, there is a card that shows two ways to style each item in the fix in order to give you inspiration. The necklace didn't have a "styling card," but my stylist did suggest to pair the necklace with the key-hole blouse, jeans and blazer, which made a lot of sense.
Overall, I was very happy with the experience and have already scheduled another fix. From the other reviews I have read, I think that I had positive results with this company for a few specific reasons:
1. Realistic Success Rate: My hope going in was that one item would be a keeper, because the $20 styling fee is applied to any item you buy. I figured if I liked one item, I would not be losing the $20. Because I only hoped for one item, having all of them work out felt like a home run. I still think that hoping one item will work out it a reasonable expectation going forward.
2. Willingness to Pay: Let's be clear: you can get clothes for cheaper than what you'll pay doing Stitch Fix. While they do ask what price range you're looking to spend when setting up your style profile, the clothes are going to be closer to retail. The clothes I got are also more stylish and higher quality than what I feel I often get at TJ Maxx on the regular. (No hate for TJ's - I lo-ove it!). If you're not willing to pay the true cost, then I think you may be setting yourself up to be disappointed.
3. Honest Details: I told the truth about my weight, clothing size and proportions, whether I liked it or not. I think this made a world of difference in getting the clothes to fit right. If the clothes don't fit, no matter how cute they are, you won't keep them.
4. Lots of Information - I think my Pinterest board made a big difference. I set up a board solely for Stitch Fix and only pinned things that I would both love to wear and thought that I could wear in terms of shapes and styles.
FINALLY, if you refer a friend (or inspired stranger), then you received a $25 credit when that person orders and receives a fix. So, if you're interested in signing up, I'd love for you to use my Referral Link. ;o)
I hope you found this helpful! I'm pretty fascinated by Stitch Fix and would love to hear other people's experiences!
To read a review of my 2nd Stitch Fix, click here!
*disclosure: this is not a sponsored post, just a service that I'm using that I want to share
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