My mom will attest to the fact that I do NOT enjoy shopping for clothes for myself. I get tired, grumpy, overwhelmed, and frustrated very quickly, and almost always end up leaving empty-handed.
I have a pretty solid idea of styles that I don't like, but am bad at finding things that I actually do like. This leads me to always gravitate toward the same things-- solid colored tees and cardigans. But a wardrobe cannot survive on solid colored tees and cardigans alone.
To add to how bad I am at shopping, I have 5 kids, a Ph.D. dissertation-writing husband, and a busy schedule. Even if I wanted to go shopping, when would I??
My closet is simple and sparse by American standards (I completely acknowledge my first-world perspective here), and as the temperatures have cooled off I've found that I could really use just a few new well-selected pieces to get me through the fall, winter, and spring.
So after a year or more of hearing about Stitch Fix here and there, I finally convinced myself (and, more surprisingly, my husband) that it was worth it to try a couple of times. Even though I chose the lowest price range (yes, price range is an option), I knew it would be more per piece than I'm used to spending on the Old Navy and Target clearance racks, but we both agreed that it was worth it to save me the time and frustration of actually having to GO shopping and try to pick out clothes myself.
If you haven't heard of Stitch Fix, you tell them your sizes and all about what you like and don't like, and a real person picks out 5 pieces of clothing to send to you to try on. If you like it, you keep it. If you don't like it, you send it back. There's a $20 styling fee each time, but it applies toward anything you buy, so it's basically a free service.
I filled out a style profile on their website, created a pinterest board to show my stylist what I did and didn't like, ordered my fix, and waited, feeling equal parts excited and apprehensive about whether or not I would actually like anything they sent.
To my delight, I loved everything she sent!! I think the pinterest board and the comments I made there really helped her get a sense of what I would like, and I could tell from her note that she had really read them.
The first thing I got was a super cute polka dot dress. It was more flattering in person than this picture does justice to. In fact, the first thing Josh said when I came out in it was, "That is INCREDIBLY flattering." Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of the sweetheart neckline, so back it went.
Second, I got this great 3/4 sleeve top with a fun floral print on the back. It was definitely a keeper!
This is the front of the same shirt, but I'll use this pic to mention the sweet jeans she sent. They were short enough for me without having to roll them up! They were so soft and looked amazing on me. Or in my husband's words, a little TOO amazing. They fit great in the waist and hips, but were (intentionally) so tight in the butt and legs that they were not quite modest enough for me. So sad. I'm hopeful that my next box will have the perfect pair of jeans in it, because I could really use some.
This sleeveless top was so cute, and flowy. I really loved it, but sent it back because I had to wear a tank under it, and I don't like having to layer in the heat of the summer.
Lastly was this soft, beautiful, jewel-toned cardigan that paired perfectly with every single other piece she sent. I absolutely would have kept it if the sleeves hadn't been too long for my midget arms.
I have a pretty solid idea of styles that I don't like, but am bad at finding things that I actually do like. This leads me to always gravitate toward the same things-- solid colored tees and cardigans. But a wardrobe cannot survive on solid colored tees and cardigans alone.
To add to how bad I am at shopping, I have 5 kids, a Ph.D. dissertation-writing husband, and a busy schedule. Even if I wanted to go shopping, when would I??
 |
| Out with my mom, who loves shopping. I'm smiling because we were eating instead of shopping. Also because we were together. :) |
My closet is simple and sparse by American standards (I completely acknowledge my first-world perspective here), and as the temperatures have cooled off I've found that I could really use just a few new well-selected pieces to get me through the fall, winter, and spring.
So after a year or more of hearing about Stitch Fix here and there, I finally convinced myself (and, more surprisingly, my husband) that it was worth it to try a couple of times. Even though I chose the lowest price range (yes, price range is an option), I knew it would be more per piece than I'm used to spending on the Old Navy and Target clearance racks, but we both agreed that it was worth it to save me the time and frustration of actually having to GO shopping and try to pick out clothes myself.
If you haven't heard of Stitch Fix, you tell them your sizes and all about what you like and don't like, and a real person picks out 5 pieces of clothing to send to you to try on. If you like it, you keep it. If you don't like it, you send it back. There's a $20 styling fee each time, but it applies toward anything you buy, so it's basically a free service.
I filled out a style profile on their website, created a pinterest board to show my stylist what I did and didn't like, ordered my fix, and waited, feeling equal parts excited and apprehensive about whether or not I would actually like anything they sent.
To my delight, I loved everything she sent!! I think the pinterest board and the comments I made there really helped her get a sense of what I would like, and I could tell from her note that she had really read them.
The first thing I got was a super cute polka dot dress. It was more flattering in person than this picture does justice to. In fact, the first thing Josh said when I came out in it was, "That is INCREDIBLY flattering." Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of the sweetheart neckline, so back it went.
Second, I got this great 3/4 sleeve top with a fun floral print on the back. It was definitely a keeper!
This is the front of the same shirt, but I'll use this pic to mention the sweet jeans she sent. They were short enough for me without having to roll them up! They were so soft and looked amazing on me. Or in my husband's words, a little TOO amazing. They fit great in the waist and hips, but were (intentionally) so tight in the butt and legs that they were not quite modest enough for me. So sad. I'm hopeful that my next box will have the perfect pair of jeans in it, because I could really use some.
This sleeveless top was so cute, and flowy. I really loved it, but sent it back because I had to wear a tank under it, and I don't like having to layer in the heat of the summer.
Lastly was this soft, beautiful, jewel-toned cardigan that paired perfectly with every single other piece she sent. I absolutely would have kept it if the sleeves hadn't been too long for my midget arms.
So even though I only wound up keeping one piece from my first fix, I am just delighted with it overall because I feel like she really got me. And I didn't even have to leave my house! And when you send things back, you can go online and make notes about why they didn't work for you, so your stylist learns more about your preferences the longer you continue to get fixes.
I hesitated to share this, and have sat on the idea of posting it for a few weeks, but ultimately decided to share it because I've mentioned it to a few friends who also loved the idea of a personal stylist and not having to leave home to shop.
If you'd like to try Stitch Fix, you can waive the styling fee on your first fix (so if you don't like anything, you can send it all back and not be out anything) by clicking on these green words right here. If you do choose to try it and use my link, I get a little bit of a referral credit, and you can think of it as an easy way of supporting one of your favorite missionaries. :)
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