Stitch Fix Update (featuring one of the most WTF garments I've seen in a while)

I wasn't really planning to write another Stitch Fix post, but then they sent me something that I had to take a photo of to show my sister, and I thought maybe other people would find it as perplexing/amusing as we did. So while I was at it, I took photos of the rest of the box too. (You can see my previous posts about Stitch Fix here, which include what I think the value of the service is and who it's best suited to.)

I kept thinking about the perfectly-fitting but defective jeans SF sent me last time. I'd emailed the company that makes them, and they said SF was the only retailer who sold them in tall sizes. I have such a hard time finding flattering, comfortable jeans that are the right length, so I finally caved and ordered another "fix". I added a note specifically requesting another pair of those jeans. Here's what I got this time.

What I kept:

The coveted jeans from Kensie, which fit just like the last pair, but without lopsided pockets. They are so comfortable that I sometimes forget to change into yoga pants for hours after I get home, which is saying a lot. I do not usually keep my outside clothes on at home. They are also thick and sturdy, so I don;t think they will wear out any time soon. (The whiskering is less conspicuous in person.)

These sage colored/grey-green pants from Level 99 don't look like much on the hanger, but they are shockingly flattering on me - perfect length, nicely cut, straight leg, medium rise. And so soft and comfortable. They are stretchy but they don't bag or get stretched out of shape. They are made out of an apparently magical fibre called tencel (or Lyocell), which I hadn't encountered before. I really thought carefully about whether or not I should keep these, because they cost $80, and they didn't seem like the most versatile thing in the world. I conferred with my sister, though, and she enabled me  - because how often do not-terrible pants come along? They've turned out to be wearable for more occasions than I originally thought, too. I even wore them on a flight. That's a true test of comfort.

What I sent back:

I'll just start with the pièce de résistance.

What even is this?? For some reason, I find this top hilarious. In case it isn't clear, it's like a sweater that I would have picked out at Sears when I was 13 with just the bottom part of a shirt attached to it. It's some kind of Frankenstein garment. I get the concept of those tops that look like sweaters with button up shirts under then, but there isn't an actual shirt, so that you can avoid lumpiness - that's not what this is. This just has the bottom of the shirt. The low v-neck with no collar makes it abundantly clear that there's simply some weird fabric hanging from the bottom. It's confusing and meaningless and ugly. I don't know why they sent me this, but it did provide some entertainment. I think I recoiled the second I pulled it out of the box.

This cardigan was okay, but I don't really do sequins. I feel like they would be especially annoying to have on your elbows if you wanted to lean on something (bad table manners).

This top seemed to be poorly made. You can see how it's hanging kind of wonky on the hanger - it was like that on me too. The buttons on the sleeves stuck out and it was overall lumpy and awkward. Not worth what they wanted for it.

As usual, Stitch Fix is a bit of a crapshoot. This is the first time I've ever liked two things in my box enough to actually buy them both, and they were both pants. That's some kind of miracle. But then everything else wasn't even close. At least I got some entertainment out of it.

Here's my referral link if you'd like to roll the dice.

Stitch Fix Again

No one wants to hear about how busy you are. Everyone is busy. I've been busy, so I'll leave it at that. The problem is that I also haven't been buying anything new to show you, and I haven't have time to take photos of crap I already have, so for the most part that leaves nothing but the occasional Instagram quickie. But I did take photos of the StitchFix box I got last month, so I figured I'd at least post those, in case anyone is interested. It's something! I had a different (better) experience than the first time I used the service, so it's worth an update. (But you can read more about the basics of the service at that link.)

The last time I used StitchFix, I had 3 main issues. The clothes they sent were: (1) too young, (2) too small, and (3) too expensive. This time around, they did much better in the first two categories. The stuff was still expensive, though, and I honestly probably would not have ordered anything if I hadn't had a credit (thanks to whoever clicked the link in my previous review!).

The only things I changed in my profile from last time (I think) was erring on the larger side where I am in between sizing, and saying that I mainly wanted work clothes, with some casual things as well.

Here's what I got:

Brixon Ivy Coco Swiss Dot Roll-Tab Blouse ($78): sheer, navy polyester blouse with flocked dots. It's not quite as vibrant as it appears here - just a dark navy blue. This fit well and is really cute.

Stitch Fix update (Or: That's Quite a Markup)

So I was in Nordstrom Rack today, and I came across one of the exact dresses I was sent by Stitch Fix. If you go to this link, it's the patterned hi-lo he dress in the bottom right of the first photo here. It was on sale there for $23 (not on clearance). The tag said that the regular/MSRP is $44.

I'm posting about this for two reasons: (1) in case you like that dress, and want to know where to get it really cheap, and (2) as an example of how high the markup on Stitch Fix items is. I know that they are charging extra for the service they provide, but it's not like $44 is the wholesale price. Brick and mortar stores provide customer service assistance and have other expenses too. And for me, the personal styling wasn't particularly accurate. $44 to $69 is a 59% markup in addition to the markup from whatever they actually paid for the dress wholesale. That seems excessive to me. They were asking $69 a month ago for a dress that is $23 at Nordstrom Rack right now.

I still think there is possibly some value in this service if you have a lot of disposable income and hate the ordeal of shopping for yourself. Otherwise, keep in mind that you can probably easily find clothing from the same brands, and the same styles and quality, elsewhere for much, much less.

Want someone to pick out your clothes for you? Stitch Fix personal styling service review (picture heavy post)

FYI: There is some discussion of clothing sizes in the following post.
I heard about Stitch Fix from a friend, who gave me her invite link. It is a service where you fill out a profile, pay $20, and they send you five "hand-picked" clothing/accessory items to try on based on what you said you like in your profile. There are no charges for shipping or returns (i.e. that is factored into the overall cost), and if you decide to keep anything, the $20 "styling fee" goes toward the cost of the item(s) you buy. If you return everything, you've paid that $20 for the experience. You have 3 business days to decide what to keep and what to return.

Okay, so it maybe doesn't fit neatly into the "cheap" category, but I also cater to the lazy and/or incompetent around here, and it does suit those of us who identify that way. Someone else shops for you and sends the shit to your house? That's lazy as fuck.

I read some reviews online before I signed up, and they were almost all positive. My review is more neutral. I had one negative experience and one positive experience with the two packages they sent me. Customer service was good, but my first box was . . . not.

The contents of my first Stitch Fix package.