With a new body and a new addition to the family, new moms don’t have much time to go shopping for themselves and figure out how to clothe themselves for this next chapter. I have always loved dressing nice and looking nice. My husband always says (and I agree)… “If you look nice, you feel nice. And if you feel nice, you do good!”. We end that sentence differently each time, but you perform better if you feel nice. You do your best if you are confident.
I’ve found myself going to Target and stocking up on the $6 t-shirts. This is all well and good, and I needed some inexpensive clothes to put on my new body, but I can also find some clothes that I enjoy wearing as well. It’s not that easy, however, when you have a baby in tow. Exploring the clothes section and trying things on isn’t as easy as it used to be, and we all know it takes some time.
This is where Stitch Fix is extremely appealing! Stitch Fix is an online clothing company that picks out clothes based on your style profile and ships them directly to you! You can sign up for monthly shipments or you can do a one time Fix (as they call it). It is pretty risk free. It takes about 5 minutes to answer the style profile questions about your likes/dislikes, lifestyle and size. You then pick a date that you’d like the shipment to arrive, and spend $20 to get something shipped to you. Each shipment includes 5 items. These items are everything from clothes to accessories. You can tell them not to include certain items. For example, I asked them not to send any jewelry because I know I wouldn’t be interested. Oh, and I almost forgot…you pick your price point. I picked “the cheaper the better” option. The next range is $50-$100 per item and on up. I stopped reading after that range, so don’t even ask me how high it went!
So, they send you 5 items. You try them on and decide if you like them. If you like all 5, you can purchase all 5 with a 25% discount. If you want 1-4 items, you pay for the ones you want (the $20 styling fee you already paid is applied towards your purchase), and ship the rest back in a prepaid envelope. If you don’t want any of the 5 items, you ship all of them back and lose the $20. There are several Facebook b/s/t groups dedicated just to Stitch Fix, however, so just try and sell one item to get your money back and you have a completely FREE process!
I decided this was a super exciting way to shop! I knew that these items would be a little pricier than I’d normally like to spend, but the mystery, excitement, and convenience of it all seemed worth it to me. I jumped right in and ordered my first Fix! If you are also so inclined, please feel free to use my referral link (thank you in advance). Here’s what arrived in my first Fix…
The mystery box…
The beautifully wrapped contents….
A sneak peak….
The personalized note…
The style cards (showing you 2 ways to wear each of the 5 items)…
The pricing sheet…
So disappointed in the prices. I specifically chose the option that was lower than the $50-$100 range, yet they still seem to have placed me in that category. I am going to note this when I try for another Fix and see if they adjust the prices. I would have to be head over heels in love with an item to spend this kind of money!
Here’s a look at each item that I received:
Sabrina Yoke Detail Blouse
This blouse is really pretty. I love the detailing in the back. I also love that I am not wearing a strapless bra and no one can tell! The fit is great. I wasn’t planning on purchasing anything like this, since I’m not sure how often I will wear it, but it is one of those pieces that I will be glad to have when I dress up one day!
Osage Scoop Neck Blouse
This blouse is just OK. The color is nice, but the pattern is a little off for my style. It is also HUGE on me. I put that I was a size medium on my style profile, and everything seems to be fitting big, other than the Sabrina Yoke Detail Blouse. So, I will definitely be updating the style profile to be a smaller size.
Finnan Keyhole Blouse
Again, this blouse is just OK. Very large on me. I like the detailing in the front. I am not a fan of this particular pattern- seems too busy. The teal color is nice. A little too “flowy” again for my style.
Emer Printed Straight Leg Pant
So these pants are interesting. They are quite possibly the most comfortable pants I’ve ever put on my body. They are also quite possibly the most expensive pants I’ve ever put on my body. $98!!! While the comfort may be worth that, the fit certainly wasn’t. They bunched in odd places, and I’m honestly not sure if they were too small or too big or just doing weird things! The pattern was not something I would have chosen, but it was nice and subtle. Had these pants fit as awesome as they felt, I MIGHT have been persuaded to spend that kind of money….maybe. They do have an appeal as well in that they can be worn casually or dressed up. We’ll see if one day I get to try another cut that fits me better.
Oberlin Poncho Cardigan
This one was an immediate “NO”. I love layering, and I love sweaters, but I do not love ponchos. I hate the openness and lack of control. The wings just aren’t cutting it for me!
So my thoughts overall…. opening my Fix was SO. MUCH. FUN. The prices were too high, the fit wasn’t quite right, and the style wasn’t quite right. That being said, I am going to give it another shot. I already scheduled another Fix to arrive late in August. They will learn my fit, style, and price range when I send things back. And, as I stated above, it is no risk. Worst case, I will buy an item and sell it on a Facebook group to make my money back. Things seem to sell pretty quickly. I feel as though I have to give them a few shots to learn more about my likes and dislikes before I can discount this idea all together- and it was just so much fun! At the very least, it got me to try on some clothes that I otherwise would have never picked out, and I might just be more adventurous when I’m in a store on my own (well, with baby Caroline in tow).
Something else I learned through this process…. people need to tell me when I need a different style of shorts! LOL After my pregnancy, I retained weight in my belly, thighs and KNEES. Yes I said knees! I didn’t even know knee fat was a thing! :/
I am all about being proud of my new body, but for goodness sake I can dress it in a way that compliments it. These shorts are emphasizing my new knee fat! Haha! I ran out and purchased these shorts because they were the only thing I could find in my new, post-pregnancy, larger size. And I wear them ALL. THE. TIME. Time to find something that compliments me a little bit better! 🙂
My plan for my next Fix:
Give feedback on the items they sent this time around.
Here is a picture of what the checkout screen looks like for each item. You can rate the item for the size, price, style and fit/cut. You can also give specific comments. I left very specific comments on the fit and style in particular so that the stylist can make appropriate changes in my next Fix.
Adjust my style profile.
Pretty much all of the items that they sent were on the larger side and not fitting correctly. Since this was the case, I am adjusting the sizing in my style profile so this doesn’t happen again.
Creating a Pinterest board.
You can provide a Pinterest link to your stylist! So, I am searching for Stitch Fix fashions in particular and pinning the ones that I like. I am also throwing in a few pins of other styles that catch my eye. I’ve heard that the trick is to not make your board too large, however, so that the stylist actually has time to review it. I am shooting for about 20 items.
