Well, I know last month I said I was going to put Stitch Fix on hold for a while, but that was obviously a big fat lie because the poor beleaguered FedEx guy dropped off Stitch Fix box #4 today.  It was actually a bit early – it was not supposed to show up until Saturday, but it wasn’t a total surprise, as I’d gotten the shipping notification a few days early, as well.

To review, or if you are unfamiliar with Stitch Fix: you pay a $20 a month subscription fee (which can then be applied to the items you purchase); if you don’t like any of it, you can send it back in a prepaid bag, but then you are out $20.  If you purchase all of it, you get a 25% discount off the total.  You can read more about my first three fixes here:Fix One & Fix Two & Fix Three

I pried open the box and spied nary a hint of those summer brights, huzzah! That’s actually not sarcasm. My stylist (again, Macy) knows me and my colorphobia pretty well, I think.  I’d requested a summery feeling dress but in dark (or no) colors and an airy white cardigan, as well as, the Market & Spruce dress. She also included an item I’d pinned and one that I thought about pinning…but never did.  The lady is obviously a mind reader.

The Fate Reem knit top, size Large, is the one I thought about pinning but did not, and somehow my stylist picked up on it anyway. Looking at it now, I am not sure what about it I thought I liked, and after trying it on, it would seem I’m too broad shouldered (and maybe just broad everythinged) for this to fit properly. It was just too snug and shows off all of the wrong lumps. It also didn’t seem to be the same quality as the other things I’ve gotten used to receiving from Stitch Fix.  The look and feel of the material reminded me of something you might get off the clearance rack at Marshalls or Ross. This one was sent back.

The Daniel Rainn Pelzer tie neck top, size Large,  is an item that I had actually pinned. I love that it’s flowy and light, yet dark colored with some interesting embroidery detail. And the fit was OK too, but I guess I keep forgetting I don’t like flouncy ties and bows and drawstrings. They irritate me. What do you do with this floppy shit? How does it not constantly get in the way? This one was sent back, as well.

This Market & Spruce Spencer striped dress, size Large, is one that I had seen several people receive and so I specifically requested. I thought it fit into that simple + cute category that I often turn to when I don’t want to think about what to wear. The dress is totally adorable but it seriously makes me look like Chesty McGee, and aside from that, because I’ve got a rather sizable bum, it ends hiking up several inches in the back and is way too short to be appropriate.  If this were just a couple inches longer the butt problem would be solved and I could deal with the boob problem separately, but alas, it is not to be. Will have to sadly send this one back.

These last two are definite keepers. She totally delivered on the airy cardigan and the summer-but-not-summer dress. The La Made Litana cardigan, size Large is slightly oversized, the way I like (and it has pockets!), and Papermoon Alona dress fits perfectly. Didn’t even have to unzip it. These two are staying with me.

This time around I am only keeping 2 out of the 5 items, and that is fine with me.  Everything else was actually things I myself had requested, and due to fit issues or my weird quirks, they just don’t work…but that’s really doesn’t reflect poorly on my stylist or Stitch Fix at all. No discount because I didn’t keep all five items, and there were no referral credits, so I didn’t get any extra monies off for that either.  I think the items that I kept were between $56 sand $68 or something like that, the total for both of them ended up being $106.

Now this time around I really am waiting a few months before scheduling another box.  I am absolutely stocked up by this point and there is truly nothing else I need.  As a matter of fact, in the note for my next box, I just told Macy to surprise me, because I am fairly certain she will do an excellent job of it.

Warning: I have been bitten by the subscription box bug, and although this may be the last of the stitch fixes you see for a while, there’s definitely going to be some other reviews coming up. Just bear with me while I get this out of my system.  I am pretty sure it is just a phase.

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After a weekend roadtrip, I arrived home Sunday afternoon to find a familiar package on the doorstep.  You’re probably thinking “…good grief, give it a rest, lady! Enough is enough!”  And you’d be right!  I told myself I would give Stitch Fix  2-3 times to see how I felt about it – and to build up a bit of a work wardrobe – and I think after this box I have hit my threshold. I am probably going to scale it back to every other month, or as needed at this point.

You’ve got to understand, though, that most of my clothing purchases in the past few years have been tee shirts, and I brought practically nothing work related with me when I moved back from NJ to FL.  I didn’t bring much with me at all, actually – only what I could fit in my car. “You even couldn’t find a place in your car for a cherry pitter?”  my boyfriend will incredulously ask me.  Well, no.  I’m a terrible packer.  And I was never any good at Tetris. So I stuffed everything I thought I could fit into my little car and a lot of it had to go – including work clothes…and the aforementioned cherry pitter.  I guess that could have gone into the glove box.

To review, or if you are unfamiliar with Stitch Fix: you pay a $20 a month subscription fee (which can then be applied to the items you purchase); if you don’t like any of it, you can send it back in a prepaid bag, but then you are out $20.  If you purchase all of it, you get a 25% discount off the total. Whew! I think that’s basically the gist of it!  You can read more about my first two fixes here: Fix One & Fix Two.

I got Macy again as my Stylist and she really did a fantastic job with the items she picked out this time.  A monochrome palette – black and white and grey.  I am starting to think of it as Summer Goth Business Casual. AND was included the very same skirt I had seen someone else receive in their fix a few months ago.  I pinned it to my pinterest board and she managed to track it down for me.

The Teren Dot Print dress by Papermoon, size large ($68) was very similar to the dress I received last month, but this one is infinitely more flattering. I think if I had gotten this one first I might not have kept the other one, but eh, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose. The material up top has more give and it creates more of a waistline, I think.  And the material for the skirt is really interesting.  Keeping this for sure.

The Lyla Skirt, by Gilli, size large ($54) was an item that I’d seen another Stitch Fix subscriber receive and although we have totally different body types, I know that this is the kind of swingy-not-clingy skirt I love and it probably looks good on just about everyone.  It’s a lovely light grey, jersey-ish material, and though on the card it looks pleated, the pleats seem really soft, not stiff or severe.  Super cute with a Danzig tee shirt and a cardigan, right? A keeper!

I am a little unsure about the Astrid Spade Print Tie-Neck Blouse by 41Hawthorn, size large ($54). I love the black and white spade print, it reminds me of elegant lattice wall inserts I saw in a movie, maybe a recurring motif in The Fountain? The fit is fine, and I am really starting to love these sleeveless blouses.  Not because I love sleeveless tops or because my arms are attractively toned, but because I am a strong believer in cardigans with everything and in Florida, sleeves on top of sleeves starts to get pretty toasty. It’s nice to forego that extra layer of sleeve.  That tie-neck, though.  If it’s too floppy, it might start to get annoying.  However, with the discount for buying all five pieces, I am thinking it might be worth it to just keep this one.

People who know me well might be surprised that I am keeping the Esten Split Neck Blouse, by Collective Concepts, size large ($58).  Well, that’s assuming that anyone really cares, which I suspect they do not. But I am pretty notorious for never wearing white tops – as a matter of fact, I hate on them pretty openly.  But how cool and unexpected is this tiny lightening bolt print?  I had to have it.  Guess I will need to purchase a nude bra now.  At my age I should probably have more than just black underwear, anyway.  The fit is almost perfect, except where it doesn’t quite sit right along the bottom. it sort of flaps open.  But whatever. There’s going to be a cardigan over it.  Definitely keeping this one. Also, I think this will look pretty snazzy with that grey skirt, above, and this mustard cardigan (which I actually ordered this week).

The Leticia Lattice Detail top by Fun2Fun (god, I hate the name of that company, ugh) size large, ($44) is probably the most comfortable piece of clothing I have ever owned, except for these yoga pants I am wearing right now that are ten years old and the elastic is totally shot. But this blouse is so light and airy, it’s practically like wearing nothing.  The lattice detail gives it a bit of visual interest and I bet you could dress it up a bit with some jewelry.  Keeping this one, too.

Speaking of jewelry, I realized after my last Fix that I didn’t have many baubles that I would feel comfortable wearing around the normies, and I also don’t have much in the way of gold, which even though I don’t wear it much, I know it looks nice with my skin tone and coloring. I picked up a few really pretty gemstone necklaces from this etsy shop.  I thought the prices were reasonable and they have a nice selection.

So, getting back to what I said at the beginning of this post – I think this will be it for Stitch Fix for the time being. I guess it looks like I am quitting while I am ahead (I’ve been lucky enough to get a few stylists who really figured me out), but truthfully, I just have everything I need right now.  I scheduled my next one for sometime in June/July, as I have a family reunion coming up around that time and I might need a few appropriate summer things to bring.  One of the things I love about this service is that in your notes to your stylist for an upcoming fix, you can indicate things like that.  Or, as I demanded: “Please send me summery dresses but no gross, bright summer colors!”

Money details: my merchandise total was $278, but minus the upfront styling fee of $20, and another $25 credit I had for referring someone, PLUS the 25% discount for buying all five pieces, I paid $168.50. I think that will probably seem more budget friendly once I start doing this every other month, or every three months.

My conclusion with this particular subscription box experiment is that it was absolutely worth it, and if you hate shopping and trying on clothes under florescent lights in unflattering changing rooms – I highly recommend that you try it out, as well. Again, if you do sign up for Stitch Fix, please use my referral link!

Now!  I think I need some new shoes…

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Last month I received my first shipment, from Stitch Fix, a monthly subscription box that sends you five curated pieces of clothing/accessories picked out just for you by a “personal stylist.” At that time, my sister told me that she tried to read my post about it but she gave up because I was too wordy (which is rich, coming from HER) and she got bored and quit reading and probably started looking at pictures of kittens or monkeys instead.

To review – and I’ll keep it short – you pay a $20 a month subscription fee (which can then be applied to the items you purchase); if you don’t like any of it, you can send it back in a prepaid bag, but then you are out $20.  If you purchase all of it, you get a 25% discount off the total. Whew! I think that’s basically the gist of it!

I received my second shipment today and I am pretty happy about it.  Although, if I were not, I don’t think I’d publish a youtube video about it.  Those ladies get pretty melodramatic about this.  I am not going to link to any of them because I don’t want to come across as tearing other women down, but Jesus – get it together, ladies.  It’s just clothing.  No need to record yourself in front of the world doing a weepy unboxing video.

I had a different stylist than I did last time (I think that was Emily?) but this one seemed to get me pretty well.  She mentions checking out my pinterest board and found a blouse somewhat similar to something I’d asked for, and she also included a few pieces for a business trip I’d mentioned in my notes/request for this shipment.

The first item was the Kristah Ruffle Knit Blazer, size L ($78). I don’t own many blazers and there’s a reason for that.  I work from home in my pajamas all day.  I do have a business trip coming up, however, during which time I will be representing my company and expected to look like some sort of professional individual and so I thought a blazer might be a good start. This one is a lightweight, somewhat stretchy material, fitted, and has a cute little ruffle in the back.  If I am going to have to wear a blazer, I’d at least like it to be interesting, and this one fits the bill.  Keeper.

I believe the Harriet Geo Print Fit & Flare Dress, size L, ($64) was meant to be paired with the above blazer, so that’s how I tried it on and it was super cute and fit quite well.  On it’s own I am not sure this would be dressy enough for the cocktail reception I am going to be attending as part of the aforementioned business trip, but with the blazer and some pumps, it will probably be perfect.  Otherwise, I would probably wear this with a cardigan and dressy sandals. Keeper.

This Shivan Split Neck Blouse, size L ($48), was the piece I was most excited about.  I know dark florals are trendy right now, but I have loved them since I was 8 years old and adored all things “flowerdy”.  In my notes, I had asked them to send me this blouse, if possible, (I had seen it in someone else’s Stitch Fix review, and that’s how I knew it existed)  and while what they sent isn’t quite it, it’s still beautiful. (Though some – like my late mother and my grandmother –  would accuse it of resembling “Aunt Maude’s Curtains”)  Unfortunately, the fit is so weird – it looks like it would be loose and flowy, but it’s strangely tight around the bust and hips.  I kept it anyway because I am a nutjob and I just like looking at the print. Maybe one day it will fit. Don’t laugh.

Another sleeveless top! But I really like it. The print, the navy color, the split neck, all of it.  The Meryl Tulip Print Sleeveless Blouse, size L ($54) almost had the same fit issue as the floral print blouse, but not nearly so severe.  Definitely workwithable.  Probably will wear it with black jeans and a black cardigan.  Although…what about a mustard yellow cardigan?  I don’t have one of those, but for some reason the idea appeals to me.  I don’t like most colors, but the ones that appeal to me sound pickled or sour or bitter: mustard, olive, etc.
Anyway, this is a Keeper.

Now I was fairly certain that when I filled out my profile I specifically opted out of accessories.  I always carry the same bag, I am not a lady who constantly switches out purses.  If I want a scarf, I will knit one.  And as far as jewelry goes, to quote an absolutely odious fictional character, “my tastes are very singular”.  I prefer unusual pieces made by independent artists who have a certain vision and aesthetic.  I will never find these sorts of things through a service like Stitch Fix.  No offense, Stitch Fix.  However, when I checked, I apparently did not opt out of the accessories, and they sent me this Emory Swallow Bird Charm Necklace ($28).  Which, all things considered, it’s not too hideous, unless you are the sort who cares about trending motifs and would say something like, “Oh, well, swallows are so 2006”. Not that that crossed my mind or anything.  I am considering this a Keeper because quite honestly, it’s something I can wear to a family dinner or work function that will dress an outfit up, but no one’s going to ask me an questions about it.  (“Is that satanic?  Are you a witch? ARE THOSE REAL TEETH?”) Also, if I keep everything, I’ll get a 25% discount on the total and it’s basically free anyway.

So, I am keeping everything.  I had a $25 credit because someone used my referral link (thank you!) and with the 25% discount for purchasing all five pieces, my total came to $184. That’s probably kind of expensive, but everything here feels high quality, and I didn’t have to leave the house or spend time humiliating myself in a dressing room, so that’s kind of worth it to me.  You mileage may vary in that regard.

Also, a few tips, if you decide to sign up!

One – You can change the frequency on your deliveries.  For example, I just changed mine to every two weeks because I am hoping to amass a few more pieces before my business trip in April. After that I will probably change it to once a month, or maybe once every other month.

Two – The more specific you are in your notes to your stylist and your feedback on the items you receive, the better.  I have stressed over and over that I am dipping my toe into colors and so far I have not seen one brightly colored item.  This time around I mentioned that although I love dresses and skirts, I’d like them knee length because my bum is so sizeable that it makes everything shorter in the back.  I also mentioned I am on the hunt for a mustard yellow cardigan! Tune in next time to see how they deliver on my weird requests.

Three – If you’ve just signed up and are expecting your first delivery and you don’t want to be totally surprised by the contents of your box, here is what you do.  You’ll get an email noting that your Fix has shipped. They don’t include a list of the items, HOWEVER, if you can locate within the email the link to the checkout survey, it will take you to a list of the things that were shipped -“Kristah Ruffle Knit Blazer”, for example.  If you do a quick internet search for that, you will no doubt find some imagery and you’ll get an idea of what’s coming to you.

As with my last review, I feel a little bit silly writing about this sort of thing. But, I will tell you why I am bothering. In searching around I see the rest of the ladies who use Stitch Fix are – for the most part – either mommy bloggers, fitness bloggers, or wifey bloggers… I don’t know what to call that last category.  They have blogs about being engaged or being married and making sandwiches for their “hubby” and that sort of thing.  I am not a mommy or a wifey or a runner/zumba instructor/mountain climber.  I’m a single, childness lady with a terribly dark sense of humor, 3 shelves full of ghost stories and a head filled with 38 years worth of weirdness. And the only time you will see me running is  ….HAHAHA you will never see me running.

My point is, when I went looking for reviews, there was no one at all like me talking about this and sharing their experiences.  Or, if there was, they weren’t coming up in the first 10 pages of a Google search.  So this is written for my fellow weirdies who hate shopping but like nice clothing every once in a while. So there!

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I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of these monthly subscription boxes that seem to becoming more and more popular. For a time I was even receiving one; flicker box, which is basically a monthly box of candles, but after a year I was horrified to see that I paid $350 for an insane number of candles which I more or less gave away (they were mostly too sweet or fruity and I don’t want a home space that smells like a candy factory or a punch bowl or a produce stand).  It was a nice thought, because sure, I like candles, but I really like the ones that smell more like incense and with that being the case I mostly just burn incense and light unscented candles. So I canceled that subscription.  You can bet I always had a hostess gift or a surprise birthday present that year though.

There’s Birchbox and others like it, which I believe are focused on beauty products, but I’ve pretty much embraced my inner hag and don’t need too much of that sort of thing.  There’s also one for perfume, Olfactif, and you are probably wondering why I have not signed up for that one yet and the answer to that is because I don’t want to die homeless and penniless which is exactly what will happen if I’m offered perfume selections like clockwork every month.

I recently came across Stitchfix while doing a search for a service that provides monthly clothes subscription boxes, which – I know, it sounds like a gamble, doesn’t it?  Personal style is really tough to pin down, especially through a medium like the internet, when you don’t even know the person for whom you are choosing the apparel.  And why would I even need something like that?  I work from home, I prefer to entertain at home or…someone else’s home, but basically I am a homebody.  I don’t go out to see and be seen.  I’d prefer to be invisible and ignored for the most part. And despite all my waxing poetic about runway couture and all the time I spend over on polyvore curating delightful ensembles, it might surprise you to learn that I actually sort of dress like a hobo in real life. And in looking down at my pizza stained yoga pants and oversized band tee shirts with holes around the shoulder seams where I’ve stretched out the neck to accommodate my enormous head, I realize that is an insult to the actual hobos.

I am, however, expected to show up in video conferences, or attend out of state functions for work every once in a while, and I do get invited to the occasional party or dinner date – and in surveying my wardrobe it is plain to see that it does need a bit of an update regarding such outings.  90% of what I wear is some variation of the disgusting combination described above and the other 10% are peculiar vintage items that appealed to me for some reason or another at the time of purchase and 0% of that is appropriate to wear in front of coworkers or friends who want to be seen with me in public.

In reading the following, I will admit, I was awfully intrigued.  Fill out a profile?  I love filling out profiles!  That’s part of the reason I was always so tempted to join online dating sites – just so I can fill out a profile and tick off boxes about my personality and interests, etc.  Is that odd? I can’t be the only one.  I’m not doing that now, of course – that is, filling out online dating profiles. Not recently.

“Stitch Fix is the first fashion retailer to blend expert styling, proprietary technology and unique product to deliver a shopping experience that is truly personalized for you. Simply fill out the Stitch Fix Style Profile and our personal stylists will handpick a selection of five clothing items and accessories unique to your taste, budget and lifestyle. You can buy what you like and return the rest!”

And you know, much like filling out profiles for online dating sites, there’s always that thrilling thought that maybe! finally! someone will finally “get” you. I always used to put the weirdest things about me in those things (my title on AOL Personals a million years ago was “Wark! Wark!), just to see what sort of people would respond.  You don’t always get a winner, of course, but I thought it was fun to try.

So, I went through Stitchfix‘s questionnaire and gave them my sizes and the colors I preferred and selected a few outfits that I liked the looks of {“preppy“, “romantic“, “casual“, “edgy“, “bohemian“, “glamorous” and…one that looked really colorful but I don’t know what you would call it} I think I am a combination of casual with a soupçon of edgy, for what it’s worth.   In the “notes to the stylist” section I offered the following:

“I wear a lot of black and a lot of jeans& tee shirts (I work from home). I’d like to slowly start incorporating more (darker, muted, earthy) colors into my wardrobe and graduate beyond band tee shirts.  Nothing cutesy or twee. Think reformed goth for someone who never actually was a goth.  Someone who enjoys horror movies and ghost stories and Dead Can Dance and still has a tiny crush on Glen Danzig.” 

Ha!  Try to figure that out, stylists!

So how it works is once a month, or however frequently you prefer, your Stylist at Stitchfix puts together a box of five items according to the sorts of things you indicate on your profile and then they send it out to you! You pay a $20 Stylist fee per box, which is deducted from the cost of whatever you end up keeping.  Whatever doesn’t work for you, you just send it back in the postage paid envelope that they provide for you.  I think I am describing this all accurately, but there’s tons of blogs out there where ladies are reviewing their boxes and talking about how it all works.

Speaking of all these other women who use Stitchfix, I will honestly admit that in doing some research and poking around I grew a little concerned when I saw that most of them are Mommy Bloggers. Which hey, there’s room in this world for every interest out there and that’s great, but 100% across the board, Mommy Blogger style is without a doubt, absolutely, not my style.

I’m fairly certain it was only two weeks ago that I started looking into this and yet my first box arrived today.  Inside was the inventory list with prices on each item (you can choose your budget – the most expensive thing in my box was $88), a card for each item with some styling options, the return envelope, and a personalized note from my stylist, “Emily”.

And here are the pieces…

Even though I liked the look of this, with the gold embroidery against the black crepe, the fit  was off.  I could barely get it over my head and though the width was okay, it was a little short. Also, I am not overly fond of sleeveless clothing. Still, I thought it was a nice pick for me.

Another sleeveless number.  But…I loved the print and the the aquamarine against the navy is so pretty and the fit was perfect.  I don’t have anything like this, and I can always wear a little cardigan over it.  A keeper!

Though I actually love the colors (such as they are) and the print reminds me of creepy late night teevee static, it just hung like a potato sack on me and wasn’t exactly flattering.  I also don’t like the arms, something about the cut of the top half reminds me of a baseball jersey.

This cardigan was so soft and cozy, and had the long, drapey shape that I like, but wearing it I felt like the Muppet version of Dolly Parton.  Wearing a Fraggle sweater.  Nope.
The leggings were really cool looking, and I loved the ribbing at the knee, but again, there was a weird fit issue. And leggings should be comfortable if not anything else, so these were also put on the return list.

SO! Despite the fact I am returning four out of five items, I am actually fairly happy with the pieces my stylist chose for me.  There was not a single thing in there that I pulled out of the box and thought “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” and the one thing I loved and decided to keep was probably the one I never would have chosen for myself.  Which is one of the reasons why people have stylists, right?  I think this was an interesting experiment and I am pleased enough with the results that I am going to keep my subscription for a few more months to see what they come up with for me.

A few tips:

1.Stitchfix is not really plus sized gal friendly.  I am between 12-14; all of the pieces sent to me were marked “large” and mostly fit quite comfortably, except for a few weird issues.  For the time being though, anyone larger than a 14 is out of luck.

2. They encourage you to keep and update a pinterest board which you can link to in your Stitchfix profile (here’s mine, please note I put my banana suit on one leg at a time, just like everyone else), and it looks like they even pay attention to the stuff you collect there.My stylist mentioned in my note that she included that dress because my pinterest board is liberally peppered with those types of dresses. Just goes to show you that I have no idea what looks good on me.

3. Checking out is super easy.  Log in, go to the check out page, select the item you want to keep, and that’s pretty much it since they already have your card on file.  The other thing about the checking out process is that they encourage feedback on the things that didn’t work, so they can do better next time.  I informed them of all the same observations I recorded here, so now they have it on record that my flabby upper arms prefer sleeves and I don’t like floppy, froofy fringe because it makes me feel like a fraggle. Also, you can include notes as to the type of thing you might like to see next time!  I had no advice in this regard, I really want to make them work at it. Heh.

Of course I managed to choose the most expensive item in the box, but with my $20 credit, it came to $68, which I guess isn’t too bad?  I don’t know.  It’s cute.  We’ll see if I get any compliments on it. Also, speaking of money, they have some sort of referral program, where you get $25 credit for each friend who signs up and orders.  Now, I am not telling you what to do or anything – because I am certainly not the boss of you – but if you are someone who has to have their clothes picked out for them, or if you are too busy to shop for yourself, or, if like me, you have an imp of the perverse sitting on your shoulder constantly encouraging you to fill out online profiles and make people work at figuring out who you truly are, then use this link to sign up.

I’d like to think that this is not typically the thing I talk about over here, but I did want to share my experiences with other ladies who are looking into this sort of subscription box.  It’s one thing to read customer testimonials, and it’s another to read un-boxing and haul posts from mommy bloggers, but it’s something else entirely and infinitely more valuable to read about it from the perspective of your yoga pants wearing, meat-lovers pizza-munching, Glen Danzig-crushing trusted friend, right?  I hope that’s how you’ll think of this.  Just some advice from one gross, barely clothed friend to another.

Do you have any experience with subscription boxes?  Are there any I should check out?  Let me know!

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