Good evening friends! I stumbled across a Kindergarten blog the other day - and she was raving about this website called Stitch Fix. I am almost always in the mood for clothes, so I decided to look into it, because it sounded too good to be true. And you know, if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.
What they promise: for a $20.00 styling fee you get a personalized stylist who sends you five different outfits, or accessories to try out. You can pick out when they send it to you, how often, or even not at all. It's not a subscription service, or a fix-of-the month club, so you can basically have a "fix" as much or as little as you like (up to every two weeks now).
You go onto the website, fill out a personalized survey - basically picking outfits you like, or dislike. Then you get to tell them what kind of clothing you like and at what price. They gather all sorts of information on you. It takes about 10 minutes and it is kind of fun.
Now, I have tried other "personalized" websites in the past: Shoedazzle, Just Fab, etc, just to name a few. Is it personalized? No, of course not. All of your responses are read by a computer, and you are given generic "showrooms" every month that are just like everyone else's. So, I was highly skeptical about the "personalized" stylist bit.
But I decided to try it. The clothes this blogger got seemed stylish and cute, and she seemed to really enjoy the service. And I figured even if I waste my time doing this is was only $20.00, and I would never order another "fix."
The long awaited day arrived, today! I opened up my package and a beautiful stack of clothes all wrapped up in tissue with a sticker on top looked back at me. The excitement started to mount.
I received this lovely card from my stylist: Brittany. Low and behold - it really was to ME. How did I know? Well, I had told them in my notes that we were planning a vacation to the S.Western U.S. in the coming weeks and would like something fun to wear. I also gave them my blog link so they could see my style. Low and behold, Brittany actually knew about my vacation, and she actually looked at my blog! She knew that I love to belt things, and mentions it in my note!
I couldn't believe it. How awesome was that? I actually had my own person stylist. And they had actually read my message. And they had actually looked at my blog. And they had actually noticed something about my style. That alone was fun enough!
In your Stitch Fix box, you have a style card for each outfit they send, helping you see how to style your outfits. They also include instructions: try everything on. Even if you don't think you will like it. Try things on with things you already own in your wardrobe. They give you three days to check things out in your own home, with your own things, without the stress of going to a shopping mall, and without the stress of having to decide to impulse buy.
So... without further ado... here is what I got on my first fix. (Pictures are not the best, just trying to show them as I tried them on. They are not meant to be styled pictures.)
A really cute floral dress with a unique neckline. But a little short, as I prefer things to be at my knee. Most likely going back.
An amazing gray "leather" moto jacket. I have been wanting one of these for ages! But I loved the gray color - so different from the black I usually see! Plus I love the hard and soft of putting the jacket with a floral skirt. I was so excited about this one. Plus, it is so soft. I can see myself wearing this one a lot.
Jeans? Jeans! Ah jeans! I haven't bought a new pair of jeans for a very long time. So - this was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
A really cute black and white heart blouse. With a cute v-peep.
OK. I am so in love with the blouse - it is so versatile! I can even wear it with the gray jacket! Plus, I haven't gotten new jeans in forever... I think I need to keep these. They are so comfortable and I think they look pretty good.
The last piece was a gray and lemon yellow knit pencil skit. I didn't think I would like this one at all.
I tried it with the heart blouse, as well as a lace tank and gray jacket. Oh how it grew on me. I really really wanted to keep it! But I decided that it was a little too short, plus I didn't think I would wear it enough to justify keeping it for the cost...
The final verdict:
Jacket: KEEP!
Heart Blouse: KEEP!
Jeans: KEEP!
Dress: Return
Skirt: Return
Speaking of the cost, if you keep anything the $20.00 styling fee is deducted from your cost, so you are really not loosing any money. Plus... and this is a big awesome plus!!... if you keep your entire order you get an amazing 25% deduction from your cost! I was so tempted to keep all five items just to get that deduction! That is how low the price was for these items! If I would have been in love with the skirt a little bit more, and if the dress wouldn't have been quite so expensive, I probably would have kept it all, and sold the dress on eBay.
So, final thoughts: I am so in love! It was so much fun getting a personalized box full of goodies to try on without going to the mall. With 5 little chickadees running around, I seriously do not have time to go shopping anymore, other than if it is online, at night, when everyone is asleep. Not only do I not have time, do you know how unfun it is trying to shop with 5 little chickadees?
It was so fun trying things on in the comfort of my own home, with no pressure to make a snap decision. All these clothes were mine, and I had 3 days to decide what to keep and what to return. I loved that I could mix and match them with clothes I already owned. I loved that I didn't have to make a impulse buy. What I know about myself is: when I make impulse buys, I usually regret it, and I hardly ever wear what I buy. I need time to think about it.
The stylist really does listen to you, and read about you. You really do have a personalized stylist.
This is just so much fun, and I would highly recommend it to everyone! Here is a personalized link:
Have fun, and let me know if you decide to have a "Stitch Fix!"