My First Stitch Fix!

Well everyone. I jumped on the Stitch Fix bandwagon.

I first heard about Stitch Fix back in April when I asked my friend Sarah where she got her supercute black and white polka dot top. She told me about this website that sends you clothes and you send back what you don't want. Sarah is a busy mom of two babes who also works as a nurse...so it's a great thing for people who either hate shopping (not me) or are super busy (not really me either). I just thought it sounded like fun.

I basically forgot about it. Then a couple of blogs I religiously read posted reviews of their monthly 'Fixes' (Candace Cameron just posted one yesterday!). Now I was interested. I completed my style profile and signed up for my first Fix in May (their website and service is becoming sooooo popular, they're behind a couple months) to arrive in July. I opted for a one-time Fix, instead of choosing to receive five new items each month (but I could see this being REALLY convenient for busy moms!).

The style profile is a detailed questionnaire where you fill out your height, weight, shape, what you love and what you hate. You pay a $20 'styling' fee and are assigned a stylist...you can even link your Pinterest board so your stylist can research a little and get a 'feel' for the kinds of things you like. The questionnaire was kind of tricky for me since I like a lot of things and will basically try wearing anything once as long as it fits...prints, sparkles, pink jeans, leather jackets...There's not much I'm afraid of when it comes to clothes. I tried to be as accurate and specific as possible but I still thought it might be a shot in the dark and was sure whatever they sent me for pants would probably be a disaster...but I was hoping I might get a couple cute shirts to pick from.

So the best (and most unique) part about the Stitch Fix setup...you pay the $20 fee, they send you FIVE pieces (dresses, skirts, tops, pants, accessories), you pick what you love or just keep everything, and send back what you don't want in a pre-paid UPS package. If you decide to keep everything from your Fix, they offer a 25% discount. The $20 styling fee becomes a credit toward whatever you keep.You checkout online, and  return the unwanted items within three business days to a UPS drop box. If you hate everything, send it all back and you're out the $20 (but I've heard their customer service department is excellent and will likely waive the fee if you're willing to give it another whirl). I also chose to give some detailed feedback about each piece so if I ordered in the future they would know what I liked, disliked, etc.

Boom. Done.

So easy. So fun.

So here goes...a breakdown of what I was sent in my very first ever Stitch Fix:

These are cute but I thought I was clear about not being a big 'jewelry wearer' when I filled out my profile. Apparently I wasn't clear enough. It was hard to explain that occasionally I like big necklaces, but unless I'm headed to a wedding, I wear the same four earrings every. single. day. I think I said I 'wouldn't mind' getting jewelry occasionally...but for my first Fix, I wish I would have gotten another top or a dress instead of these. They went back.

These skinnies are adorable. They're comfortable and a pretty light blue wash, which I don't currently have in my closet. They were a tiny bit snug around the waist, but I was completely and utterly SHOCKED that a pair of jeans that were blindly ordered online REMOTLEY fit. Shay (my stylist) was sooooo close to getting these perfect. But ultimately the $78 price tag wasn't worth it when I have a Gap Outlet down the street  (jeans for less than $15 WUDUP). They were cute, but a little tight, and I just couldn't justify keeping them. In the 'return' pile they went.

This tank top was SO SOFT. This is a terrible picture but I love the navy color and the sea foam detailing on the front. It wasn't too low, was long enough, and was comfy and flowy. Shay clearly understood this part of my instructions. I decided going into this I was only going to keep the stuff that I absolutely LOVE. And I don't love racerback tanks. The whole strapless bra thing makes them annoying to me, and if I'm stuck in a strapless bra, I usually layer a tank under whatever top I'm wearing...and I have an aversion to seeing bra straps and cami straps with shirts...which meant I sent this one back. It really was cute though!

I was hoping this maxi skirt would be a home run, but after tornadoeing through my closet, I decided the pretty teal wasn't a practical color for me. It's fun, but a black or gray maxi would have been a lot more versatile for my wardrobe. I liked everything they paired with the maxi in the sample pictures and it was super comfortable, but I just wasn't in love. Plus I know black would be a lot more flattering. It went back too.

They called this 'chevron' but I'm not sure that's accurate...in person you can see some little details and linees in each color. I'm a little over the chevron print and I'm glad I didn't commit myself to anything like chevron walls or a chevron rug because I've read that print is already on it's way out...anyway, this. shirt. is. so. soft. I'm not sure what blend of fabric it is, but it's a comfy and super soft cotton, and it hangs really nice. The sleeves go to my elbows and have buttons and it's not too tight on my stomach which I appreciate (nice work, Shay). It's a baseball cut around the waist, which makes it nice and long (one of my requests) and it doesn't go down too low up top. The colors are super cute and fun. I can wear it with jeans, capris, a denim jacket, a casual blazer, a cardigan, jean shorts, or even my hot pink colored jeans (if I feel like being obnoxious)...I wanted to make sure it made sense for every season (which it does). So it went on a hanger and into my closet, ready to wear this weekend when my mom and sister take our girl trip to Galena.

If we were loaded I definitely might have kept all 4/5 clothing pieces from my Fix...and I would probably do it every month...but that doesn't make sense for me right now. I like the idea of getting unique, quality pieces, but I can get a black maxi skirt at Gap for less than $20 and there wasn't anything that special about the skinny jeans or the tank top. I could totally see this being my primary way of shopping some day in the future but right now it was just a fun thing I wanted to try and tell my friends about.

If this is the first time you've heard about Stitch Fix and you want to give it a try, here's the link. If  you use this link and sign up, I'll get a credit toward my next Fix and since you love me, I'm sure you'll be happy to do that. ;)

http://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3740158

MmB