Stitch Fix – Like Bringing a Personal Stylist Home

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It’s Spring Fashion Week here at DMMB! Today, Jody brings this series “home” with her fabulous review of Stitch Fix!

I used to love shopping for clothes. The hours spent hunting for the perfect outfit, visiting different shops, piecing together every bit.

Of course, that was before I had kids – before birth took away the body I was so accustomed to and time to myself became something to cherish.

Now clothes shopping is something I rarely do. And when I do venture out, it is often with my two young “style consultants” in tow. No longer do I have the time to search for clothes that will make me feel fabulous; “It’s okay,” is too often good enough.

A few months ago I began seeing mentions of Stitch Fix floating through my Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter streams. Best described as a personal stylist you can actually afford, Stitch Fix stylists choose items they think you will love based on the very detailed style profile you fill out.

Knowing I had nothing to lose, I signed up for my first “fix” last November – and waited impatiently until March to receive it. Tip: If you know you want to try Stitch Fix, get it scheduled now!

Signing Up – Filling Out Your Style Profile

Your first step is to complete your style profile. It begins with the basics – your birth date, height, weight, and sizes you wear. But then it goes deeper. Do you have a long torso or legs? Maybe broad shoulders? You note it here.

Then you move on to the styles of clothing you like. This is answered by both text questions and images, so your stylist can really get an idea of what you do and don’t like.

But it’s not done yet. Next you explain how often you dress for certain occasions – work, special occasions, laid back casual – and then how much you want your “fix” to focus on each occasion. You move on to choosing the prices you want to spend on items, materials and colors you want to avoid, and links to social media profiles if you want to share them. Tip: If you have a “My Style” Pinterest board, share it! It will help your stylist a lot!

You finish your profile with Final Comments. Put in anything that might help your stylist. For example, I shared this:

I can be hard to fit tops to; while my breasts are very big, my rib cage is smaller. Finding the right mix of fit without pulling can be a challenge.

I prefer classic cuts, with a bit of something to make them special. I’m curvy with a definite hour glass figure (think Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page).

I shop at White House Black Market, Nordstrom, and small boutique stores. I’m open to anything – as long as it fits.

Style profile complete, you schedule your first fix.

Stitch Fix - Schedule Fix

Getting Your “Fix”

When the email arrived saying that my fix had shipped, I was as excited as a child in the week before Christmas. I may have checked my front porch half a dozen times the day it was due to arrive – and anticipation had me opening it as soon as it hit the doorstep.

Stitch Fix arrival

Each box has five items; mine had four clothing and one accessory and a style card. (You can choose the items you receive. Need jeans? Just ask! Don’t want jewelry? No problem!)

What to Keep – and Send Back

Now comes the fun part – trying on clothes in your own home where you can pair them with the clothes and accessories you already own! So much easier than guessing if something will match, like you have to do at a store.

First Fix - Stitch Fix

I was pretty impressed by my first fix: two tops, a denim jacket, a necklace, and a dress. The styles were chosen well, but the sizes were off. The shirts were too tight, and the jacket was too small. But the dress was a dream – and perfectly matched a pair of shoes I already own.

Fixes should get better as time goes on, as your stylist learns your likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, my second fix was a disaster.

Second Fix - Stitch Fix

My second fix was like a really bad shopping trip. Nothing fit, the styles were just bad for me, and the necklace was far too long. It left me wanting to eat a pint of ice cream. Every bit of it went back.

In fact, I was so disappointed by the fix that I emailed Stitch Fix and told them how bad the fix was. Within a couple hours, a reply popped into my inbox. Not only would Stitch Fix credit my account the styling fee, but they would arrange for a new fix to arrive the following week. So, silver lining to a bad situation – great customer service!

Third Fix - Stitch Fix

My third fix was much better! It included a pair of small hoop earrings, basic black leggings, a cardigan, a maxi dress, and a top. You can see how I paired the pieces with clothes I already own to try different looks. Ultimately I kept the leggings (everyone needs a really great pair of black leggings) and the cardigan. The earrings were similar to a pair I already own, the dress was a bit pale, and the red top just felt matronly.

Sending Items Back – and Checking Out

Each time a fix ships, you are charged a $20 styling fee. That fee is refunded if you purchase any of the items you are sent. If you purchase all five items, you also receive a 25% “buy all” discount.

Items you don’t want are placed in the labeled bag, and you just drop it in the mail. For the items you wish you keep, log in to your Stitch Fix account and check out. You’ll see each item you received, listed and awaiting feedback. It’s your chance to share why you didn’t (or did) keep each item. Be honest here – it will help future fixes! The feedback for my second fix included statements like, “Why would you send a top with horizontal stripes to a woman with large breasts?” while in my third fix I asked that if the maxi dress is available in a darker jewel tone, I would like to have it sent with my next fix.

Finish your feedback and purchase the items you wish to keep.

Then, schedule your next fix! It’s a bit addicting…. I’ve got another coming in a month!

What do you think? Is this something you would try? Or do you still enjoy shopping for clothes? If you have any questions or I didn’t explain something thoroughly enough, be sure to leave a comment – I’ll happily reply!

Disclosure: I was not paid for this review, nor was I given any incentive to share my experience with Stitch Fix. That said, links to Stitch Fix are referral links, and if you sign up I will receive a referral credit toward my next “fix.”

3 COMMENTS

  1. Very interesting! What kind of price point were these items and did you feel they stayed within your requested budget area?

  2. Dawn, you can choose your price points. I said ‘the cheaper the better’ for accessories and $50-100 for most other items, except outerwear, which I set a bit higher. All items were within the budget I set; the dress from the first fix was $108.

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