the one about my first stitch fix

For me to actually take the time to shop for something that fits me correctly, flatters my ever-changing pre/post-pregnancy figure, and is of any kind of quality to speak of, I would have to either arrange a time to shop while my husband is home (either on the weekends or at night), hire a babysitter and go during the day, or just buy online and return what doesn’t work. Online shopping has become a new favorite thing of mine due to the hassle it is to take 3 children out to a store that most likely doesn’t (gasp) have carts. However, I have been in a bit of a style rut for, well, probably all of my life, and I find myself gravitating to the same styles and stores over and over again. There’s no one there to push me outside of my comfort zone or suggest something I might not have normally tried. 

I have been hearing of this service for a few years now, but it has recently become quite mainstream. Stitch Fix is basically a cross between an online clothing store, a personal stylist, and a daring best friend. I decided to give it a try because I think I’m going to be on a decent non-pregnant stretch for a little bit, and I’m ready to buy some clothes that make me feel* at least like I somewhat have my stuff together. I always feel so much better about myself if I can manage to wear something that doesn’t involve a yoga pant of any kind (because we all know I don’t do yoga) or a shirt I slept in the night before. 

Stitch Fix assigns a personal stylist to you, and that person uses your profile, preferences, and feedback to pull 5 items for you to try on in the privacy of your own home. They are mailed to you in a pretty box, which makes you feel quite special* when you open it. 

Enclosed with the items is a styling card that shows you how to wear each item and gives you two different ways to accessorize or change up the look. There’s a personal note from the stylist with some other helpful tips, too. Also enclosed is a return mailer for all of the items you do not wish to keep. The postage is prepaid, so all you have to do is put the items in the mailer and drop it at a USPS mailbox. 

The cost is $20 for the “styling fee.” The $20 is credited to you if you choose to purchase any of the items. If you don’t purchase any, you are just out the $20. If you purchase all of your items, you receive a 25% discount, which is pretty awesome.

To sign up, you fill out a pretty extensive style profile. You tell your height, weight, clothing sizes, and style/color preferences. You are shown a number of various outfit ideas, and you can indicate whether you like, love, or hate each style genre. You can identify what types of clothes you would like to receive more or less of. For me, I wanted more casual looks because I have a pretty casual life style, but I wanted just a little bit of dressy clothes thrown in every now and then. You can tell the stylist whether you want accessories pulled for you and how much (in a general sense) you want to pay for each type of clothing item. I said “the cheaper the better” for everything except jeans. I’m willing to pay more for those because I basically wear jeans down to the threads. 

You answer a lot of questions so that your stylist can get an idea of what you may like or absolutely hate. You can also attach a link to your style board on Pinterest, which is very helpful as your stylist “gets to know you.”

There is even a place to leave a personal note to the stylist, and I provided more information about what I was looking for. I wanted tops that were easy to breastfeed in, and I also was looking for a dress to wear to Cancun next month. 

Lastly, you schedule “your fix.” When I signed up, I scheduled mine to arrive in about 4-5 weeks. You can also schedule them to come automatically, or you can just schedule them on your own time frame. I didn’t set up any automatic shipments because I wanted to see how I liked the experience first. They insist you can cancel any time. 

I scheduled mine to arrive at the end of January, so I was so excited when I saw that my fix had shipped and would arrive about a week earlier than I anticipated. When I heard the mailman place it on my doorstep, I couldn’t wait to open it up and try everything on.

I had been warned by friends who use this service that it takes a couple of fixes for the stylist to get it right. I knew that there was a strong chance that I would be sending everything back after the first shipment, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up. 

When I pulled out the  Brixon Ivy Kahlia Lace Sheath Dress, I knew that this would be a “return.” It was much too structured and had a formal feel. To be fair, I did say I would allow some of these types of clothes, but this wasn’t the type of dress I was wanting to take to Mexico. It would be a great fancy party dress or wedding reception outfit, but it wasn’t screaming “90 degrees in Mexico!” I loved the color, though.

I was excited to see I received a pair of jeans. I desperately need new jeans, and the Target jeans I have been wearing (basically since birth) are nearly falling apart. They are stretched out, faded, and are ready to be tossed. The jeans my stylist sent me were Mavi Gold Ruxi Distressed Boyfriend jeans. When I tried them on, I realized that I really couldn’t keep them because they were far too distressed. I don’t care to buy jeans with holes already in them, and the “distressing” on the pockets and rear looked too young on me. I am going to be 31, and I don’t want to look like I’m trying to be 19. 

Next, I tried on the Papermoon Jamie Knit Top. I loved the softness, but I didn’t care for the horizontal stripes (clearly my stylist has never been fat), and the metallic threads in the stripes looked too juvenile again. The top was a little too big and didn’t flatter me. 

I was sent a pretty gold necklace that my stylist thought I could take to Mexico with me. It was a great idea in theory, but I don’t pay more than $5 for my costume jewelry because, well, I have 3 kids. They pull, yank, and destroy any jewelry they can grab. 

The item I did decide to keep was the burgundy Market & Spruce Aleah Heathered V-Neck Dolman top. In general, I don’t like dolman tops (the ones that kind of look like you have bat wings when you spread your arms out). I honestly wasn’t going to even try this shirt on because I never really care for these tops on the hanger, but Stitch Fix is about getting you to try new things, so I put it on. I was glad I did, as this top was super soft and stretchy, and it flattered my figure. I loved the color, as it reminded me of Pantone’s color of the year, Marsala. The v-neck will make it easy to nurse in, and I felt it was very versatile for my lifestyle. 

So, 1 out of the 5 items was a keeper, and I was just fine with that. 

What’s next? Well, I logged on to my account, and went through the checking out process. It was very, very easy. You simply click “Keeping” or “Returning” next to each item, and you give feedback on each piece. You can rate the fit, style, price, and size in addition to leave further comments. I was pretty honest, which you need to be in order to help the stylist know your style.

The top I purchased was a $48 top, but the $20 styling fee was credited to me, so technically I paid $28 plus tax. The other items are already back in the return mailer, and I will drop those off later today. I made my choices quickly, but you have 3 days to decide.

What I absolutely love about this service is that you can try on the items in your home, in real lighting, in front of real mirrors. You can do it at your own pace. You can get feedback from friends or a spouse, or you can do it completely alone. Your kids can be sleeping in the next room. You can use your own accessories and other clothing items to dress up or dress down each piece, and this gives you a realistic idea of whether or not you will actually wear the item. Sure, I could just buy clothes in the store and try them on at home (which is what I do IF I actually buy anything for myself at a store) and then return what I don’t like, but that then requires another trip out to the store. Stitch Fix has nailed the convenience factor, which is a dream for busy women (not just moms). 

Are the clothes more expensive than I would normally buy? Yes. I don’t normally pay $48 for a shirt. However, I will not be using Stitch Fix to completely fill my closet. I am using it to add some higher-quality items to my wardrobe as well as help me discover styles, colors, and designs that are flattering and work with my existing clothing items. Now that I know how flattering the dolman top is, I can look for those at less expensive stores and it saves me the trouble of knowing whether or not it is going to work for me. 

I plan to receive fixes every couple of months as the seasons change. I did schedule another fix for 2 weeks from now, as I am interested to see how they use my feedback to change their selections for me, and I am still on the hunt for great jeans. My Target Meronas are going to bite the dust any minute now, so the sooner I get new jeans, the better!

Overall, it was a great experience. I enjoyed receiving this type of fun mail, and I loved how seamless and easy the whole process was from start to finish. I have heard from other friends that if you receive something in the wrong size but still like the style, they will exchange it with the right size so long as they have it in stock. 

If you are interested in trying Stitch Fix, you can use my referral link (which does earn me $25 if you schedule a fix). 

You don’t really have anything to lose but $20 (and that is if you sent everything back), but you have a whole new, fun experience to gain!