Stitch Fix #4: I Learned I Can't Shop For Myself Anymore (Although I really need to)
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This post is only for me to express my opinion and share my experience.
However, if you are interested in trying Stitch Fix yourself, I do
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which will give me a 25% referral discount on future orders. Stitch Fix did not provide
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customers receive a referral link when signing on and if you decide to
use the service, they will provide you with one as well.
Previous Stitch Fix review can be found here, here, and here.
I hadn't meant to do a Stitch Fix box this spring. I had been considering doing one this summer to help them outfit my cruise vacation in July, but I thought I had the essentials of my spring wardrobe covered.
At first I planned to rely on Rebecca at Keaton Row. She did such a great job last fall. I knew she'd pick some winners for me.
Unfortunately, Keaton Row has undergone some changes in the past few months. Its main retail partner used to be Nordstrom. I love Nordstrom. Even though it's a high-end department store, they have a wide variety of price points. None of its stuff is cheap, but a decent amount of it is affordable. Nordstrom also has the best and biggest petite department of any major department store. This year Keaton Row ended their partnership with Nordstrom and they now partner with Bloomingdales. Bloomingdales does not have such a wide variety of price points and their petite selection is much smaller. The petite selection also seems to be made up of clothing from higher price points.
I would say Rebecca really tried to send me a lookbook that was in my budget. The spring lookbook was not nearly as large as the fall one and she highlighted just a few key pieces she knew I would love. I did love them. Rebecca really gets me. If she had unlimited access to any store in the world, I am sure she would always dress me perfectly. Unfortunately, nothing she recommended was petite sized. I guess she had to venture outside the petite department to stay in my budget. I ordered almost everything she recommended only to find that very little of it fit correctly and some of it had already gone out of stock.
I ended up with nothing but a blazer, a pair of pants, and a spiffy new bag.
I decided that maybe I should go back to shopping for myself. I needed a spring coat. The trench coat Rebecca recommended for me was ill-fitting, but I discovered Lands End has a similar one in a petite size. I needed some other basics, so I bought a ridiculous amount of stuff from Lands End. Then I went to my other favorite clothing site, Mod Cloth and ordered a new dress, a blazer, two blouses, and three pairs of shoes from them.
I ended up sending a lot of stuff back. Nothing looked good on me. I kept the Lands End coat and some tanks and t-shirts and the Mod Cloth blazer and shoes. Everything else went back.
Shopping is so frustrating. At this point, I knew I really didn't need much else, but I still had some gaps in my wardrobe. I wanted a new summer dress and some blouses. Was that too much to ask?
It was at that point when I decided to order a new Stitch Fix box. Maybe I'm always better off just having other people pick out my clothes these days. Stitch Fix recently added a petite line, which means I will have a better chance of stuff fitting better. Have a mentioned before that many of the Stitch Fix brands are also sold at Nordstrom?
They are really streamlining the styling and shipping process. I had to wait less than a month for my shipment. I was able to schedule a fix for the beginning of May - just when I feel confident that I can put away winter clothes for good and wear spring and summer stuff in full force.
I always spend those weeks of waiting reading scores of Stitch Fix review blogs. I have learned not to use them as a point of expectation though. I can look through those blogs and see almost nothing I like, and often see the same pieces over and over. I worry that I'll hate my box. I have been lucky with Stitch Fix that my boxes seem a bit unique and really suited to my style. At least that had been my experience so far. (So much for all of those disgruntled bloggers who say Stitch Fix sends the same clothes to everyone.)
I asked that my box include some of the following items: Light summer jacket or cardigan, blouses (solid and printed), a work-appropriate summer dress, white jeans. Normally I don't like plaid, but I am drawn to the ginghams they are showing this summer, so I wouldn't mind a gingham piece.
Did I peek at the online invoice when my box was shipped? I admit I did. Did I Google the names of some of the items to see what they were? Well, I admit I did that for the dresses.
So (obligatory cliched shot of the box), the box arrived 3 days ahead of schedule.
I received my stylist note and found I had a different stylist this time. I had Kat for my first stylist and Megan for my second. If you like a certain stylist, you can request that person. I don't know why I don't do that since I liked the boxes Kat and Megan sent. This time they gave me Carol.
Let me state for the record that this was the WORST Stitch Fix I have received so far. Die-hard fans will tell you that the fixes get better as you order more because the stylists get to know you from your feedback. I can say that the first box I ever received was my favorite in terms of style (although nothing fit) and this box was a clear case of it all going downhill. Carol does not get me. Not only did she not get me from reading my Pin board, but she clearly didn't look at my profile.
Let's see what was in this Box of Disappointment. This box wasn't even worth my trying to fix my hair and dress these items up.
Item #1: Papermoon Neptune Racerback Blouse
Price: $38
The top wasn't bad. The color was nice. The pattern wasn't too busy. The problem was the cut. My profile clearly states my bra size is a 36D. I point out in my profile notes that my tops need to cover a bra. So why did my stylist send a RACERBACK top? Hi bra straps! Nice to see you peeking out over my shoulders on a racerback top - not!
(I am so terribly embarrassed about the arm pudge and fatback in this photo. I really need my elbow to heal soon so I can get back into shape!)
Status: Returned
Item #2: Collective Concepts Tori Scoop Neck Blouse
Price $54
I think the stylist saw my Pin board and thought, "She likes pink. This blouse has a lot of pink in it." It's too bad she didn't note my Pin board shows I like patterns in florals and soft abstracts without too many colors in them. Also, Carol never read the bit in my profile where I said I don't like horizontal stripes. Okay, technically these were not stripes, but it was still a horizontal pattern. Also, it was just kind of fugly. Well, it fit nicely. The fabric was really flimsy though - not great quality.
Status: Returned
Item #3: Collective Concepts Lisette Dot Print Blouse
Price: $64
I liked this blouse. It was cute and practical. It was also huge. It made my torso look oddly rectangular.
Status: Returned
Item #4: Andrew Marc Brodee Dress
Price: $128
I liked this dress. Unfortunately it was about 2 sizes too small. It would have fit my pre-surgery, post Lean Eating body, but it doesn't fit my post-surgery, post-golfer's elbow, flabby overweight body.
Also, they sent me a cobalt blouse in my last box. I just bought cobalt pants as shown above. Yes, bright blue is a signature color for me, but this is overkill.
Status: Returned
Item #5: Donna Morgan Gilly Twist Front Dress
Price $118
This is the one item I considered keeping. I wasn't sure if the pattern was really me. I'm not into geometric patterns, but the colors weren't too loud and Stitch Fix always talks about getting out of your comfort zone. It fit pretty well too, although the neckline was a tad low.
My husband liked it too. It had real possibilities. Then I turned around and my husband noted how much the fabric gapped and sagged in the back. Bagginess in the back is a common problem when a short woman wears a normal-length dress. Where are these petite clothes Stitch Fix now carries?
Status: Returned
So my first and fourth SF boxes were busts. At least in every box I have received there were always items I loved. A couple of the boxes had some duds, but I have often been delighted with some of the clothes in my boxes and wear them regularly. This is the first time I received a box where almost nothing appealed to me. Stitch Fix, I hope you do better in the future!
Previous Stitch Fix review can be found here, here, and here.
I hadn't meant to do a Stitch Fix box this spring. I had been considering doing one this summer to help them outfit my cruise vacation in July, but I thought I had the essentials of my spring wardrobe covered.
At first I planned to rely on Rebecca at Keaton Row. She did such a great job last fall. I knew she'd pick some winners for me.
Unfortunately, Keaton Row has undergone some changes in the past few months. Its main retail partner used to be Nordstrom. I love Nordstrom. Even though it's a high-end department store, they have a wide variety of price points. None of its stuff is cheap, but a decent amount of it is affordable. Nordstrom also has the best and biggest petite department of any major department store. This year Keaton Row ended their partnership with Nordstrom and they now partner with Bloomingdales. Bloomingdales does not have such a wide variety of price points and their petite selection is much smaller. The petite selection also seems to be made up of clothing from higher price points.
I would say Rebecca really tried to send me a lookbook that was in my budget. The spring lookbook was not nearly as large as the fall one and she highlighted just a few key pieces she knew I would love. I did love them. Rebecca really gets me. If she had unlimited access to any store in the world, I am sure she would always dress me perfectly. Unfortunately, nothing she recommended was petite sized. I guess she had to venture outside the petite department to stay in my budget. I ordered almost everything she recommended only to find that very little of it fit correctly and some of it had already gone out of stock.
I ended up with nothing but a blazer, a pair of pants, and a spiffy new bag.
I ended up sending a lot of stuff back. Nothing looked good on me. I kept the Lands End coat and some tanks and t-shirts and the Mod Cloth blazer and shoes. Everything else went back.
Shopping is so frustrating. At this point, I knew I really didn't need much else, but I still had some gaps in my wardrobe. I wanted a new summer dress and some blouses. Was that too much to ask?
It was at that point when I decided to order a new Stitch Fix box. Maybe I'm always better off just having other people pick out my clothes these days. Stitch Fix recently added a petite line, which means I will have a better chance of stuff fitting better. Have a mentioned before that many of the Stitch Fix brands are also sold at Nordstrom?
They are really streamlining the styling and shipping process. I had to wait less than a month for my shipment. I was able to schedule a fix for the beginning of May - just when I feel confident that I can put away winter clothes for good and wear spring and summer stuff in full force.
I always spend those weeks of waiting reading scores of Stitch Fix review blogs. I have learned not to use them as a point of expectation though. I can look through those blogs and see almost nothing I like, and often see the same pieces over and over. I worry that I'll hate my box. I have been lucky with Stitch Fix that my boxes seem a bit unique and really suited to my style. At least that had been my experience so far. (So much for all of those disgruntled bloggers who say Stitch Fix sends the same clothes to everyone.)
I asked that my box include some of the following items: Light summer jacket or cardigan, blouses (solid and printed), a work-appropriate summer dress, white jeans. Normally I don't like plaid, but I am drawn to the ginghams they are showing this summer, so I wouldn't mind a gingham piece.
Did I peek at the online invoice when my box was shipped? I admit I did. Did I Google the names of some of the items to see what they were? Well, I admit I did that for the dresses.
So (obligatory cliched shot of the box), the box arrived 3 days ahead of schedule.
Let me state for the record that this was the WORST Stitch Fix I have received so far. Die-hard fans will tell you that the fixes get better as you order more because the stylists get to know you from your feedback. I can say that the first box I ever received was my favorite in terms of style (although nothing fit) and this box was a clear case of it all going downhill. Carol does not get me. Not only did she not get me from reading my Pin board, but she clearly didn't look at my profile.
Let's see what was in this Box of Disappointment. This box wasn't even worth my trying to fix my hair and dress these items up.
Item #1: Papermoon Neptune Racerback Blouse
Price: $38
Status: Returned
Item #2: Collective Concepts Tori Scoop Neck Blouse
Price $54
Item #3: Collective Concepts Lisette Dot Print Blouse
Price: $64
Item #4: Andrew Marc Brodee Dress
Price: $128
Also, they sent me a cobalt blouse in my last box. I just bought cobalt pants as shown above. Yes, bright blue is a signature color for me, but this is overkill.
Item #5: Donna Morgan Gilly Twist Front Dress
Price $118
This is the one item I considered keeping. I wasn't sure if the pattern was really me. I'm not into geometric patterns, but the colors weren't too loud and Stitch Fix always talks about getting out of your comfort zone. It fit pretty well too, although the neckline was a tad low.
My husband liked it too. It had real possibilities. Then I turned around and my husband noted how much the fabric gapped and sagged in the back. Bagginess in the back is a common problem when a short woman wears a normal-length dress. Where are these petite clothes Stitch Fix now carries?
Status: Returned
So my first and fourth SF boxes were busts. At least in every box I have received there were always items I loved. A couple of the boxes had some duds, but I have often been delighted with some of the clothes in my boxes and wear them regularly. This is the first time I received a box where almost nothing appealed to me. Stitch Fix, I hope you do better in the future!
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