Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Stitch Fix, which is a sort of clothing delivery club that selects and sends you a personalized wardrobe every month. Because of my limited closet space, I am forbidden from partaking in such a service. But my talented friend Grace L. Williams has recently joined the service and has provided a play-by-play below.
Would you put your wardrobe (and funds) into the hands of a digital stranger?
I took the plunge and recently subscribed to Stitch Fix. For anyone who’s been under the same rock as me, it’s a service that quizzes you on everything from style preference to budget to body type and then assigns you a personal stylist. Once a month, that stylist picks a few items from a magical closet of awesome and an adorable, tidy little bundle of these items arrives at your doorstep. They include a pleasant note from your stylist along with suggestion cards for how to style the items. You then have three days to decide what you’re keeping or returning. Stitch Fix offers a handsome discount for buying the entire bundle. If you return everything, you are charged a $20 stylist fee.
I tried Stitch Fix because I’m usually a thrift/treasure hunt shopper without much in the way of direction. That approach has served me well, but there’s not much in the way of risk taking. There’s also overlap. The other day, I counted upwards of 10 A-Line little black and off black/grey dresses hanging in my closet. I love them, but it’s literally the same dress again and again. I specifically went in blind/without all that much criteria in terms of what to select for me, because I wanted to challenge my LBD tendencies.
My pieces this time ranged from $35-$80, and I opted to save by buying the entire bundle. These three are my favorites:
Margaux Button Up Top by Bajee Collection ($48). The shirt fit loose, which is great for chasing my toddler son at the playground. I also gave a nod to Ellie Mae from the Beverly Hillbillies and tied it up. I probably wouldn’t have chosen it myself because I prefer more form fitted tops. However, it goes nicely with a lot of other items in my closet, so it’s a keeper.
Kahlo Knit Top by THML ($58). I normally avoid stripes like the plague. In my mind, my body and stripes are not friends because of my pudge. However, I loved the orange embroidery detail and gave it a shot. It fits close at the top and then drapes/flows downward toward the bottom (aka where the baby jelly hangs out). I loved it and I’ve worn it with this black cardigan to work, to brunch with friends, and on a day trip to visit some family.
Leighton Metal Bauble Necklace by Bancroft ($34). This necklace is beautiful. Now that that’s out of the way, I usually shop the really fake fakes at Forever 21 or H&M for my accessories, so the price tag made me triple take. Infact, I’m saying “damn! $34?’ in my head as I type this. In my review, I asked the stylist: ‘how soon til it turns my neck green? Price is too high.’’ It was a gut reaction–but the piece itself is growing on me. I can always gift it to a friend if I don’t find a suitable excuse to rock it for myself.
My other two items (not photographed–we’ll get to why) were: Cheli Striped Maxi Dress by Renee C ($68) and Brittany Bermuda Short by Liverpool ($48).
The maxi dress is cute–I am still on the fence about if it’s nearly $70 worth of cuteness though. In terms of the fit, my stylist clearly paid attention to how petite I am, since it didn’t swallow me, it hit properly at the tops of my feet and wasn’t dragging behind me. Aside from the price, my issues with the dress is that it’s a form fitting, thin material. If I’m going to be wearing orange and white stripes from head to toe, the material better make it worth my while! I used two pairs of Spanx to remedy some of that issue and am almost to a place of being stoked about the dress. (Editor’s note: Here is another review that also mentioned this dress.)
The shorts are a work in progress. It was crazy how my stylist read my mind–just days before, I had been thinking: ‘I need bermuda shorts.’ I love the fit and the style of the shorts–as well as the price, but I still have a hard time dressing my post baby-post mid 30s form sometimes. I picture these going well with tank tops and hoodies this summer though (and maybe 3lbs. less?) (Editors note: Here is another review that features these shorts.)
Final Thoughts: I would say that for a first crack, my stylist did very well—she chose items that I wouldn’t pick for myself and I was pleased to find that for the most part, they worked well/will work well in the future. Stay tuned for the next installment when my next parcel arrives!
About the Author: Grace L. Williams: grew up in northern Michigan digging for gold in the racks at St. Vincent’s, Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Although it was born out of financial necessity, this tradition has continued and she still never met a rummage she didn’t like. Her style muse is her mother, who taught her the skills of the treasure hunt. For her day job, Grace writes about investing. She lives in Montclair, NJ with her husband and son.