Fashion Friday: My Stitch Fix

Welcome to Fashion Friday #3!  This week, Kirsten, Kara, and I are sharing with you about our recent experiences with a service called Stitch Fix!  Before we get started, let me just say that I am not an affiliate {yet!} for Stitch Fix; I went through the process I’m about to describe exactly like anyone else would.  Ready to hear all about it?

What is Stitch Fix?
It’s a service for busy women who love looking great but want to shop from the comfort of home!  They send you fabulous fashion and you keep what you like, return what you don’t, and only pay for what you want to buy.

How does it work?
First, you sign up and create a profile where you answer questions about your height, weight, size, and style preferences.  You get to look at photos of clothing and indicate how much you like various styles, as well as answer questions about how often you wear various types of clothes, such as business casual, casual, formal, etc.  You can also put in any personal notes about your preferences or what you’d like in your particular box; for example, I said, “I don’t really need formal clothes right now, I would like Fall casual basics.” Or, if you were attending a major event, you could say you needed a dress for it!  You also have the option to link to your Pinterest and other social media accounts so that your stylist can get an idea of your style from the things you’ve pinned…how cool is that?

Then, you schedule your first fix.  You can order just one, anytime you want, or you can sign up for the monthly service.  Stitch Fix will assign you a personal stylist who will hand-select five items they think you will love.  There is a $20 styling fee that you pay up front, but the fee gets applied to your account and counts toward whatever you buy from your box, so really it’s pretty risk-free.  On the assigned day, your “Fix” will arrive!  Here’s mine:

When you open your box, you’ll get a piece of paper containing a personal note from your stylist {mine was Lauren} and a list of each item in your box along with its individual price.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Lauren had visited my blog as well as my Pinterest and used what she found there to help her choose my pieces.  It really paid off; even though I had said I didn’t really need a dress, that sneaky girl saw one she knew I would love based on how similar the cut and style were to some of my favorite pins!  More on that later…

 The next step is to have a mini fashion show!  Try on the clothes in the comfort of your own home!  Keep what you like, and put the items you don’t want in the big return envelope they provide for you in the box.  Ship those back for free, then log into your Stitch Fix account and pay for what you kept.  There is a slight discount if you keep all five items {I didn’t}.  While you’re there on the site, there’s a spot for you to give detailed comments about each item and tell your stylist why you loved it, hated it, or thought it was just “meh.”  The more feedback you give, the more they’re able to understand your style, and the better suited to you your next Fix will be!  That’s all there is to it!  I absolutely LOVED it; I mean, what’s not to love about having a box of awesome fashion show up at your doorstep and getting to try it on in your own house without a small person in the dressing room constantly asking if you’re done YET?!

So.  Ready to see what was in my box?  The five pieces Lauren sent me were an orange cardigan, a striped blazer, a red dress, a striped lace top, and a silver statement necklace.

Before I go on to tell you what I kept, I did want to point out that there’s a tag on each item that gives you two really cute outfit ideas!  So fun!  I also wanted to let you know that every item in my box fit like a glove.  Well played, Stitch Fix.

Anyway, I decided pretty quickly that I was definitely sending two of the items in my box back.  The first was the silver necklace.  I’m sure some of you love it and are thinking, “What?  Why?”  Honestly, it’s just not my style.  While I do prefer silver jewelry to gold, I like my statement jewelry to have lots of color to it.  This was just too, well, silver for me.  I actually turned it over when I took it out of the box because I thought that must be the back and the fun color was on the other side…ha.  The striped top looked incredibly cute laying there on the bed, but when I tried it on, although it was a perfect fit, I didn’t like the way the lace laid on the sleeves.  It just looked kind of funny.  So, I packed both things in the return envelope and turned to the difficult decision.

My biggest problem was that I liked everything else too much.  The sweater, the blazer, and the dress were all big wins in my book.  But since I’m not independently wealthy and the tree in my front yard just attracts bees instead of growing money, I had to make a choice.  I knew I couldn’t afford to keep all three pieces; the dress was $78, the sweater was $68, and the blazer was $58.  So, I had to choose my favorite two.  Well, actually, I tried to make YOU choose.  I asked for your opinions on Facebook, but you all were no help!  You were split down the middle, just like me.  Even Little Crafter wouldn’t decide; he said both were “so pretty.”  So, I resorted to asking hubby.  He picked the blazer.  That, combined with the fact that I had been purposely looking for a blazer sealed the deal.  Bye bye, orange sweater.  Sniffle.  Sob.  Back you went.

Which left me with two fabulous new acquisitions to add to my wardrobe.  My blazer and my dress.  {Hubby took one look at the dress and said, “I don’t care what else you do, you’re keeping that.”}  So here they are.  I hoped for some fun outdoor photos for you that would really show off the clothes, but alas, it was a rainy day in Artsy Land, so you’ll just have to make do with my front door.

First, the blazer: officially the Shae Striped Blazer by Cecico.  Here it is unbuttoned…

Magenta Tank, Boyfriend Jeans: Old Navy
Teal Bubble Necklace: Pick Your Plum
Heels: Mossimo for Target

Here it is buttoned up and paired with a fun sparkly clutch my mom bought me last Christmas.

Now, for the red dress.  This piece is the Olivia Fit and Flare Pointe.

Boots: Belk
Grey Tights, Necklace: NY&Co
Belt: Pick Your Plum
Bracelet: Made by me

So, what do you think?  Did I make good choices?  What were your favorite things in my Stitch Fix box?  After I logged in and paid for my two pieces, I went ahead and scheduled my next Fix for November 1!  I’ll be sure to let you know what I get this time!  I did make a note to my stylist that the more inexpensive the pieces, the more likely I am to keep them, because let’s face it, money is a factor.  But I can’t wait to see what she chooses for me next time!

To sign up for your first Fix, {remember it’s free shipping both ways and you can send back anything you don’t want to keep!}, just head on over to the site!  I’d love for you to use my referral link because it earns me credit to use on my next purchase!  Once you sign up, you’ll get a referral link too to share with your friends.  Now, be sure to stop by and see what Kara {Happy Go Lucky} and Kirsten {One Tough Mother} got in THEIR first Fixes!  Happy shopping!

Hugs & Glitter,