stitch fix review

Last year I got an invite to a fashion blogger thing in L.A. I laughed from inside the warmth of my hoodie, and pushed my greasy hair back from my face before I deleted it.

I am not good with the dressing myself thing. I mean, I can get dressed. I don’t typically go out in public naked. I just… it’s nothing special, the stuff I’m wearing. It’s mostly ill fitting and probably wrinkled, maybe even a little dirty.

I don’t think I’m inherently fashion challenged. If I had the time and the money, I think I could put together a pretty nice wardrobe for myself.

These days, though, those are both a limited resource. Even as I’ve come to the place where I have a little bit more of a budget for clothes than I did in those early days of my stay-at-home-mom career, I actually have far less time now.

I imagine a lot of you have heard other bloggers and maybe some of your friends talk about Stitch Fix. If you haven’t, or aren’t clear on what it is, it’s basically an online personal styling service for women (up to a size 14 at this point). You fill out a pretty detailed fashion profile, and you can even create a Pinterest board for your fashion inspiration. You schedule a box, then pay a $20 styling fee and a stylist puts together 5 pieces based on your budget preferences and profile. They ship it to you, you try stuff on, keep what you want, and send the rest back (in a postage-paid bag they provide you) within 3 days.

It’s the closest I’ve ever come to having a personal shopper and/or stylist. I’ve done a few boxes since the beginning of the year, and finally signed up for the monthly shipment option since I’ve always found at least one item per box that I love.  (If you don’t keep anything in the box, you lose your $20 styling fee. If you do keep at least one thing, it’s applied to the cost of that.) I planned on doing this review-ish post about it for y’all before I even got this month’s box, so naturally this was my least favorite shipment. I only kept one piece. In the past, I’ve kept anywhere from the whole dang thing (and you get a discount if you keep all the pieces), to 3 pieces.

Here’s what they sent me this time:

They are very thoughtful when it comes to my “breastfeeding friendly” requests. In theory, this maxi-dress ($78) should be perfect. It’s super soft, and has a snap at the chest that allows for easy access. Unfortunately, I have no natural waist line (yay apple shape!), and could not figure out where to put the elastic on this. Also, despite being tall, maxis look horrible on me. And they hide my best feature- my legs. No likey. It went back. This sweater ($78) was simply baffling. I wondered if I even knew how it should work. On the picture that came with it, it looked a lot more drapey than this. So it’s very possible it was just too small for my lactating boobs. I don’t think the stylist gets that even if this did fit, I literally wouldn’t be able to wear it until at least late October here in Texas. It also went back. (Also because no way could I spend nearly $80 on this.) This jean jacket ($118) was, again, small for my chest size currently, but I would have considered keeping it if I didn’t already have one nearly identical to it. My 2 very favorite pieces were this navy tie-top, button up blouse ($68), and these jean shorts ($88). I was on the verge of keeping the shorts, but they are a smidge too big, which will mean they’ll be hanging off my butt after 6 hours. And also? $88 for cutoffs? I just can’t. I can’t.

The blouse is very forgiving and flattering, and can easily be dressed up or down. It’s a quality piece that I feel will wear and wash well. Ultimately, it’s the only thing I kept, and I’ve already packed it for Blogher this week. But hey, I consider this whole thing a win if there is at least one thing in each box that I genuinely want. So I’m not displeased.

I know a lot of you might be balking at the prices right now. I’ll be honest, this is not a service for people who are die-hard bargain shoppers. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a sale, and I definitely can’t afford to fill my closet entirely with pieces at these prices.

That said, I realize I’m paying for 1. convenience (time is money, and I don’t have the time to go shopping) and 2. professional styling advice. The pieces they send me are not always what I would pick out for myself. I would have looked at that blue blouse on a hanger or on a website and  passed it up. When I pulled it out of the box, it was actually what I was least excited to try on.

So, for now, the monthly Stitch Fix box is a fun treat for myself. And even if I’m only adding one quality piece to my wardrobe a month, I feel like it’s worth it.

**Disclosure- all SF links are affiliate links in this post. After you sign up, make sure you share your affiliate link with your friends so you can earn credits!