Stitch Fix is . . . well, an experience! It is a mail order/shopping experience where you fill out a very thorough profile online and then pay $20 for a stylist to read said profile, and pick out five clothing (and/or accessory) items for you. They are sent by mail. You keep what you want with your $20 being credited towards your total purchase (25% off if you keep all five items) and return those you don't want in a prepaid envelope/bag within 3 business days. Keep nothing and all you lose is the $20 styling fee. Provide feedback to your stylist about her selections for you, and help them "fine-tune" your next Fix to be even better than the last!
No malls. No digging through racks or scouring stores. No maneuvering a double stroller through tight aisles or trying to keep three wandering explorers from climbing clothing racks or under dressing room stalls. No searching for the right size or feeling the pressure of just taking it to try on at home, knowing full well the return will be just as painful as the purchase.
In thinking about what I might do with my selections (details below) and whether or not each was worthy of purchase, I realized my feelings about this experience are worth considering as well. I mean, I haven't been this excited for clothing in a VERY long time and haven't been this excited about shopping for myself in, well, EVER! Even Raleigh told me he's had fun watching me talk about my upcoming Fix and then watching me tear into the box with such anticipation and joy. I don't know if it's the fact that the box is a mystery with the contents being a great surprise, if I'm just that excited to get something new and different from what I've already got in my closet (can you say BORING?!), or if I've just been curious to see if someone who doesn't know me, can really "know" me. Regardless, waiting for my box and then exploring the contents has been a blast. And I think that is worth something right there.
So what was inside? Here you go:
My sylist's name is Jenna. Her note to me said that she gave me versatile pieces I could dress up or down (a request I'd made in my profile) and that helped me look "put together" without even trying (another request, being a busy mom of three littles). I was excited to see what she picked out for me!
Thoughts: LOVED the jacket at first glance, and thought--Jenna nailed it! This is totally me! Saw the price and lost great enthusiasm to keep searching through the box.
Verdict: Unsure. With consideration to the fact that the jean jacket I wear now was purchased for my 8th grade class photos (yes, really!) and has seen better days with regards to wear, I think it is time to perhaps purge an old object for a new one. And as Raleigh pointed out, even if I keep this jacket far less than I have the other one (say, only 5 years), I'll be paying just about $1.25 per month. Taking that into consideration, the cost of the jacket doesn't seem so great. Suddenly, I'm seriously considering the jacket again as it doesn't seem quite so expensive.
Thoughts: Also loved this, and felt like it was a great fit for my style/personality. And it is very unlike anything I already own, so liked that. It has a cute notch in the back that makes the shirt a bit "flirty" per Raleigh's description, and the offset stripes are positioned just right so as to make the shirt more slimming than I'd have thought.
Verdict: Keep!
Thoughts: I wasn't a fan of the shirt right off the bat--it seemed to "printy" and just not the right cut for me. However, in trying it on, I liked the rounded cut along the bottom (not visible in the photo) as well as the cuffed 3/4 half sleeves. It is a push for me (style-wise), however I think I could feel really good in it with a grey pair of dress slacks or a fitted pair of jeans.
Verdict: I'm going to give it a go; keep!
Thoughts: I like the basic style of this dress and color, however the midline was a bit too high to feel or look "right" on me. Raleigh wasn't too excited about it (said that it didn't give me much shape) and I agree.
Verdict: Return.
Thoughts: The color is great and the texture is soft and unique! In putting it on, however, there are many spaces between the sweater fibers, which I can see getting pulled on by little fingers (and eventually ripped). Furthermore, I didn't like the way the sweater just hung on me with very little shape or contouring.
Verdict: Return.
So to summarize, here's what I like:
- The "no shopping" shopping experience. No stress, no fuss. No wrangling kids. No taking time out of my busy day to go on a fashion hunt that may or may not be fruitful.
- The style cards. These are worth a few bucks right here as I am not great at pairing fashion items together. Thankfully, the cards take the guessing work out of it and give me great ideas on how to wear each piece with items I might already own.
- All but one piece (the red sweater) was made in the USA. I like knowing I'm supporting US manufacturing versus foreign companies.
- Material/fit. Sizes were true and everything (save the blue dress) seemed to fit well. And everything (minus the denim jacket) is SUPER soft to the touch. I wanted to rub myself all over the fabric is so comfortable.
Here's what I wish was different:
- Timing. I ordered my Fix nearly 6 full weeks before it arrived. I wish it came a little bit sooner after I'd ordered it, although waiting did add to the anticipation factor of its arrival.
- Cost. I selected "the cheaper, the better" option on my online profile, so I'm guessing this is standard pricing for their lowest cost items. If I were to keep all five pieces, the cost would have been $234 which averages to about $47 per piece. Definitely more than I'd spend on clothing anywhere else, but then again, I have to remind myself this isn't only about about the physical clothes--my time and well-being (low stress) is worth something too. As much as it hurts the pocket book, so as long as the clothes are of good quality, I'm game to pay a little bit more once and awhile.
I do think that I'll order another Fix, likely to come sometime after the first of the year. (I'd like to see what comes this Christmas though, first.) I'll let my stylist know what worked for me this round, and what I'd like to see different in the next batch. And then we'll see what comes!
Oh, and should anyone want to order their own Fix, please do let me know so I can share my referral code with you, or click HERE to visit my Stitch Fix referral page. I'll get $20 towards my next Fix, which is totally awesome!
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