I hate shopping. Seriously, I suck at it. I get totally overwhelmed and frustrated during the entire process. In high school, I would go to the mall every week with a few friends, where I would get lost and separated from the group. I have never understood how shopping was a group or partnered activity. You walk in, you scan the items, you try on, you buy and leave. My objective is to get in and out as fast as possible. I do not want the sales person to talk with me. I try not to make direct eye contact with anyone. My fiance calls me the “store ninja”, as soon as we enter a store together, he loses me, and if someone tries to talk with me, I disappear almost immediately from their vicinity. I can get in and out of a store (except Target) faster than it takes most people to get through a singular section of the store.
So when I first heard about Stitch Fix*, I was skeptical but interested. You mean a “personal stylist” could pick out clothes for me and I could avoid all the anxiety-producing aspects of entering a real store? Or the feeling of complete overwhelm while online shopping? This sounded too good to be true!
I was skeptical because I figured they would jack up the prices (they have to make money somehow, right?) and spend way more than I typically like on clothing. Plus I have a really difficult time finding clothes that fit my bottom half… I got some junk in da trunk.
But I decided to give it a try. My first “fix” (the shipment), I was super specific about what I wanted: a dress for my engagement photos, some clothes that were casual & approachable but professional for my new business branding photos, jeans, casual work clothes that could double as hanging out clothes. When my first fix arrived I was SO pleased! The stitch came with two dresses, one for engagement photos (red below), one for brand photos (purple below), jeans (below), and two shirts. One of the shirts wasn't my style but it was cheaper to keep it than return it (if you keep the entire shipment you get a 25% discount on your order).
So my first fix was a success! I was so excited I scheduled another fix right away. This time I was looking for shoes and casual and comfy clothing. Although I was less specific about where I would wear these items, I added a ton to my Pinterest style board (yes, your stylist checks your Pinterest board to get a better idea of what you are seeking), and updated my style profile on their site in detail. I eagerly waited while my Stitch was “styled” and shipped to me. When I saw the box at my door, I felt like it was Christmas morning! Only to open the box and find nothing but coal!
I was SO disappointed! The jeans fit me great, but had weird paint/fades on them and were twice as expensive as the last pair of jeans they sent me (and far outside of the price range I specified I was willing to pay for jeans), the shirts were hideous, and the scarf was cute, but super thick and heavy (can't get much use out of that in Sunny South Florida). I ended up keeping the scarf just because every time you order a fix there is a “styling fee” of $20, which if you buy anything from the order will be credited toward the item, but if you mail everything back, you lose that $20 and get nothing. So I kept the scarf because it is cute, it's just not something I would've ever bought living in the Florida heat year round.
After the disappointing second fix, I decided to wait a few months to order another fix when I had something I wanted to be specifically styled for. So last week I received my third fix… This time I sent a photo of a top I was trying to specifically style an outfit around for upcoming photos. The Stitch Fix stylist sent me a skirt and shoes to go with it. I also requested jean shorts, which she sent, and included two shirts (you get 5 items per box).
While I am happy the stylist included all the items I requested, she even noted the skirt she included was a bit of a “risk”, which is why I wish she would've included a back up option that was less risky, instead of severely overpriced shirts which aren't flattering for my body type at all. While I didn't take pictures of any of the items I'll give you a brief breakdown:
1. The skirt was a great cut, but the print was all wrong! I was trying to style this intricate lace crop top (to the right) and was sent a HEAVILY patterned skirt… it was just way to much detail going on. Plus the skirt seemed a bit stretched out from people trying it on in the past.
2. The shoes. Uncomfortable! Plus these had ankle straps and with the length of the skirt plus my height, it looked like i barely had any legs… plus they also had really intricate details on them, which again was just too much for the outfit I was being “styled” for.
3 & 4. The shirts. Both were just really overpriced… I would've kept one but it looked like a $20-25 Target shirt but was actually $50… the other shirt looked like a $15 forever 21 shirt that was actually $60! The quality of neither was that much better than Target or Forever 21 so I can't even give them that argument.
5. The jean shorts. Jean shorts have always been really tough for me to find. I have short legs and they usually just fall funny. While they were good quality, they fell a bit like soccer mom shorts or golf shorts. I thought about keeping them, and again, if they were $30-35 I would've, but they were also $60.
In summary: I read so many great reviews about Stitch Fix that I was super excited to try it and finally escape the glare from fitting room lights! Unfortunately, it just wasn't a Cinderella Story for me. They hit the ball out of the park with my first fix and each one after seemed to get worse. Maybe I will give it another try in the future, but for now I'm going on hiatus.
Have you tried Stitch Fix*? What did you think?
I have always wanted to try – but I’m just so cheap! :/