Adventures with Stitch Fix

I tried Stitch Fix and I was pleasantly surprised. Read on for my review, if you’re looking for a quick coupon code, click here to get your first box free and free shipping.  

If you aren't aware Stitch Fix is a subscription box that sends 5 stylist selected clothing items to you, as often as you choose, for your trying on and potential purchase.  

I loved this outfit !

My short story: I used to love shopping, but at some point I realized I was spending a lot of time finding items and either never finding what I wanted or finding a ton of different items and being overwhelmed by making a decision within my budget. It always ended up with me spending more time or money than I wanted and still feeling like there were better options out there.

Then I realized a lot of my money was going to clothes, but I never felt like I had complete outfits to wear! My pieces didn’t match because I would buy them at the mall and go home to remember I don’t really have anything that goes well with this piece.

Finally Covid happened and shopping became less fun and more of a chore and an unnecessary risk. 

So with all these things Stitch Fix was looking like a pretty good option.

So I signed up and it was only $20 per box, but they put the $20 toward anything you buy so it ends up not being too bad. 

Second Outfit

Things I like about it:

1. It's safe and convenient. I don’t have to go to the store, wear a mask or go out in public.

2. It simplifies shopping and limits decision fatigue. I don’t have to get overwhelmed by multiple choices, many stores and various brands. They send me just 5 pieces and I only have to make 5 choices. The clothes are from different brands so they did the searching for me.

3. You get a personal Stylist like some kind of celebrity! A stylist picks the clothes for you based on your personal tastes so you can trust the items will be within the realm of things you like.

4. Helps you stay on top of Fashion Trends. They have trendy items so even if you aren’t able to keep up with all the trends you don’t have to worry because they will do it for you.

5. You get to try very nice new or even luxury brands. The clothes are good quality and better brands, but you can also let them know your personal budget so whether you want to save or splurge they have some items for you. In my opinion I have found buying higher quality items, even if they cost upwards of $50 is usually a better bet. I would rather have a minimal amount of clothes that look nice after being washed and can go well with each other, then have a bunch of cheap shirts that go out of style fast and get misshapen after one wash.

6. Find what clothes look best on your body type. Because there is a stylist they pick items they think would look good on me and fit based on the information I give them. Some of the questions are do pants in your size usually fit tight, loose or just right around the hips, waist etc. so I feel like they are getting as much information as possible to find what brands and style of clothes may work best for you.

7. Create new outfits with your current wardrobe. Because you get to try on the items at home, you have the luxury of taking them to your closet and comparing them with the clothes you already have. It can be hard to remember what you have when at the store, but with Stitch Fix items they are already home with me before I buy. 

8. Buy entire outfits and pieces that you know go great together. Aside from buying a whole outfit straight off the mannequin, there are not always great ways at traditional stores to find an entire outfit that goes well together. Even if you do have a very good eye for fashion it can be tricky, and if you have shiny object syndrome like me you may end up with a bunch of mixed matched pieces that go with nothing. But Stitch Fix Stylists send clothes that could be mix n matched or purchased altogether as a whole outfit. They generally send patterns and colors that complement one another so you have a complete outfit if you buy the whole look.

9. Discounts! In addition to getting the $20 styling fee applied to your clothing purchase, you also get free shipping, which is not limited by the amount of items you buy, a very rare thing indeed. And what's more if you buy all the items in your box they take off an additional 25% off the total, which can be quite a large number!

Easy Return Bag

10. Flexible Timeline and Simple Return Process. If you can't decide on your items within the usual 3 day time limit they will let you add additional time by simply pressing a button in the app once your time is up. Once you decide you just let them know which items you want to keep in the app, pay through the app and send any items you don't want back in a pre-postage bag. You just drop the bag off at the post-office or a blue box.  Its very easy and convenient. (Also Pro-tip, you don't have to wait in the post office line, unless you want a receipt, you can just drop it in the box or leave it on the counter for them).

Shirt, Purse and Pants from Stitch Fix

Things I don't Like:

1. You have to pay the $20 whether you buy anything or not. I wish they would let me apply that $20 toward a future box or maybe if you don't like anything let me get a new box free. If you contact customer service they might do this for you one time, but as far as I know that's not the policy. I think $20 feels like a lot when you don't like any of the items enough to buy them.

2. Its a little tricky figuring out the system at first if you want specific items. You don't control what type of items you get in the box specifically. There is a section where you select what kind of items you don't want, but there is not an option really for selecting what items you do want. However, after looking in the FAQ's I found that before you get a box there is a section for notes to your Stylist, and that's where you could tell them something like " I need new boots for work" or " I really like a red dress I saw on the site, can you send me something like that."

3. No discount for buying directly from the app. The app also has a shopping section if you want to buy clothes directly from them, but unfortunately there is no way to say "send this in my next box" so you can not get a discount of 25% for buying it as a whole outfit and you have to pay shipping. The other downside, you don't get to try it on in the same convenient way. I suppose maybe you could tell your stylist the item number and see if they are able to send it, but I don't know if that method would work.

4. All the items comes with multiple tags that make it impossible to wear out. Obviously this service is about trying on clothes at home so they don't want you wearing their clothes out. It makes some sense, but personally I don't like to be micromanaged like that. I want to wear the shirt out while I grab coffee to see if its comfortable in situations where I am walking and to find out how I feel wearing it in public.  I want to test whether it gets any compliments or positive looks.  I like to be adventurous, but sometimes I need to travel outside to see how that outfit is viewed by the real world. They could trust adults to not make messes on their clothes and if they do follow the "you stain it you buy it " rule. I mean its not like they don't already have your card on file if you send back a shirt that's too worn to be re-sold. Also I'm pretty sure there are dry sterilizing processes that can be used on clothes now. I'm not in the dry cleaning business, but maybe they should be.

Your stylist even gives you outfit suggestions and a little note. 

IN CONCLUSION:

Overall I am really liking this option. I think you probably should only buy a box when you are ready to add to your wardrobe because of the discounts you get when you buy something in the box. So far I have loved the choices my stylist gave me and I would have bought them all if my budget allowed at the moment. Its fun to get and try on new clothes and its even more fun that I didn't have to put any effort into finding them. The stylist must have really looked over my notes because the clothes looked great for my hair color and complexion, something they don't ask, but I mentioned because certain clothes don't mesh with red hair as much as others. 

I will definitely be trying Stitch Fix again. 

Interested in trying Stitch Fix? Use my link to get your first box free:  Coupon code automatically applies and you get $20 off your first styling fee, making it free and you get free shipping.