This particular post is going to be a break from my usual commentary on running and races.  Though it may surprise some of you, I don’t live my entire life in lululemon shorts and tech tees.  I have a professional job and a social life that requires me to look my best, or at least presentable, on a regular basis.  I like fashion but its never come naturally to me to shop the latest trends and get creative to what will look best on me.  All winter long I tend to wear a uniform of corduroy pants and sweaters. Sometimes I’ll throw on a pretty scarf to look a little more ‘put together’ but its often just a mix of J.Crew neutrals 5 days a week.

Recently, my friend Kate encouraged me to try Stitch Fix.  Stitch Fix is a subscription personal styling service that allows you to try on clothes in your own home.  After completing a detailed profile about your size, style, pricing preferences and what type of items you want to receive you are shipped a box with five pieces.  The service is $20 which includes shipping. Once you receive the five items you try them on and decide what to keep and what you will send back.  You can subtract the $20 fee from anything you purchase but you are not refunded if you decide to send everything back.  If you purchase all five items you get a 25% discount.

At first, I wasn’t sure.  I kind of like shopping and if someone does it for me does it take the fun out of retail therapy?  Then I remembered that I only go to the same few stores and end up buying similar clothes season after season.  With Stitch Fix a styling professional is picking out new pieces just for me – many that I would not have thought to try.  After doing some research online and looking at some review blogs I decided to give it a try.

Some advice that I found in my research was to give as much information as possible in your style profile.  This can be updated at anytime and the more details you give the stylist the more likely it is that you’ll be happy with what you receive.  I also created a Pinterest board called Stitch Fix Inspiration and put the link to the board in my profile.  Whenever I see something online that I like I will ‘pin’ it to this board so my stylist can see.

I also found that once the package is shipped (about two days before your set delivery date) you can go into your check out and see what is on its way.  It is only text so you will have to google the item and do some digging but it will still give you an idea of what to expect.  I found a couple of my items on other blog reviews.  This kept my expectations in check.

My first Stitch Fix box arrived last week with five hand picked items from my stylist Katie, styling suggestions for each item and a personal note from Katie letting me know why she picked each item.  It also included a prepaid shipping envelope for all the items I would not be keeping.  You have three days to try everything and make your decisions.

Here are the items that arrived in my first Stitch Fix box:

Gorjana Witherford Oval Shape Collar Necklace ($92.00)

This is very pretty and I would probably wear this often but I thought $98 was a little steep for such a simple necklace.  I feel like its the kind of thing I could find at Macy’s or Kohl’s for $30.  I decided to send this one back.  I also changed my price point preference in my style profile to have my stylist look for more affordable pieces.

 

 

Papermoon – Melanie Lace Detail Button Down Blouse ($28.00)

This is very simple and pretty.  I knew I could easily work this blouse into outfits I already owned and it was seasonally versatile.  It also came with a white camisole that was so soft I felt like I was wearing a puppy. Sold! I kept this one. (see picture below)

Margaret M – Emer Brocade Print High Waisted Cropped Pant ($98.00)

When I took these out of the box I thought there was no way these tiny pants would fit me.  When I tried them on I was pleasantly surprised that they fit really well and didn’t look inappropriately tight.  They also had a very subtle but super cool pattern on them.  The only problem was that the length wasn’t right.  They were too long to be cropped but too short to be a regular length.  If I wore them with boots it wouldn’t be a problem but that makes them less versatile and for $98.00 they needed to be versatile.  After much debate I decided to send them back.

41Hawthorne – Emilia Geo Print Pencil Skirt ($64.00)

When I saw that this skirt was coming in my Stitch Fix and found a few photos of it online I was already planning to love it and wear it immediately.  I find pencil skirts very flattering and have several in my wardrobe but nothing in a cool pattern like this.  Unfortunately it was a bit too tight so it didn’t work out.  Bummer – it would have looked great with the lace detail blouse.

Skies are Blue – Lunah 3/4 Sleve Abstract Print Blazer ($78.00)

This was the only piece of the five that I didn’t like.  I rarely wear blazers and this pattern was just a little too much for me and it fit a bit boxy.  I felt like when I put this on the blazer was wearing me rather than the other way around.  Kudos to Katie for throwing in something quite a bit outside my comfort zone – I just wasn’t ready for it.

It took me the full three days to part with the pants and when I completed my checkout I was sure to give very specific reasons why I was sending back the items I didn’t want. I was very happy that I liked most of the items Katie chose for me and really looking forward my next shipment in October.  I am certain they improve with time and if I find one or two items per month that I want to keep that would be perfect – if I love all five every month we are going to have a budget issue.

The Monday after I received my Stitch Fix I made a point to wear the blouse and make a full three item outfit.  I picked gray sloan fit pants from Banana Republic, the blouse and almost grabbed a cardigan that is in heavy rotation 12 months a year but digging into the closet I found a cute dark rose colored blazer I haven’t worn in years. It was a great outfit for the first day of fall and a perfect start to a fashion forward season.

I will continue to post reviews of my Stitch Fix shipments and promise to improve the photos.  Feel free to share your experiences in the comments or post any questions about the process.

To learn more about Stitch Fix or set up your first shipment click here!