my third, and final, stitch fix

Yesterday I got my third Stitch Fix box. I was again hopeful that it would include items that were better-fitting and more to my liking, though my hopes had decreased a bit and I wasn't overly optimistic.

I mentioned last time that I planned to ask for them to send me Misses XL for the tops rather than Women's 1X, as I've found the 1X to be a little big. I also asked that I get a necklace or bracelet, no earrings, and pants rather than jeans. They came through on all three requests, but with mixed results.

Here's what I got this time around:  three tops, one pair of pants, and a necklace. All three tops are a Misses XXL (their sizes run a little smaller).

This top is extremely sheer and there's absolutely no way I'd be able to wear it without a tank top or something similar underneath. Even then, the tank top would be completely visible. Probably fine for going out, but not for work, which, given the fabric and pattern, seems to be meant for work. The fit was fine other than the armholes being a little light. It's going back, though, simply because of the sheerness. The price is $44.00, which I think is a little high considering it can't realistically be worn on its own.

This top I like, and I may keep it. I'm not sure, though, because  but it fits rather large and makes me look much bigger than I am. Also, I feel like I can get similar for much less money and won't make me look three sizes bigger. It's disappointing, because it matches perfectly with the tan cardigan I bought from the first box I got.  The price is $54.00.

I was really skeptical when I pulled this one out of the box. It has a zipper on each shoulder, and the fabric crisscrosses in front. I tried it on and was actually pleasantly surprised...until I turned to the side. It makes me look huge, as though I'm 343 pounds again. I considered it for a moment when I put a cardigan over it, but it still makes me look big. Nope, going back. The price is $58.00. 

I was also skeptical about these pants, but only because they say "straight leg" on the tag. I generally don't like that style; I'm a skinny jeans/pants girl all the way and I'm SO HAPPY that skinny is back in style now that I can actually fit into them! I really love the material of these pants, which is heavy and very soft, Perfect for fall and winter. They are very comfortable and seem to fit well in most areas; however, because they're a Women's 16, the hips are slightly loose, which make the thighs a little loose, too. Therefore, they look like a poor fit.  I was going to keep these, but I'm sending them back. At $88.00, I should LOVE them, but I don't. I want to get out of the mindset that I should settle for things I "mostly like" and not make the effort to find things I love.

And the necklace. I didn't like it at first; however, when I put it on with the white/orange blouse above, it looked nice. But it's $34.00. As I've said in my previous two posts, I just can't justify spending that much on costume jewelry. I'm just not comfortable enough yet with the whole "statement jewelry" thing where I'm willing to spend that much, especially when it's not something I can wear with everything.

So, I've decided I'm going to cancel Stitch Fix. The main reason is the fit. The tops are either too big in the body, too small in the sleeves, or just not my thing. The pants/jeans seem to be great in terms of length, but one pair I could barely get past my thighs and the other (above) was a little loose, which made them look like a poor fit. The things is, all the pants are the same size!  Also, I've noticed that a piece of clothing isn't available in both Misses and Women's, so if a top is too big in a 1X, I can't size down to an XL or vice versa.

I just don't think that mail order is my thing anymore. Since I'm sometimes a Misses XL and other times a Women's 1X, and pants can vary a lot in length and fit, I think I need to stick to the store so I can try things on. I guess it's a nice problem to have after many years of being on the high end of Women's sizes, but it's definitely frustrating nonetheless. Actually, I think it's a little harder to shop now than it was before.

I think Stitch Fix would be great for someone who is a solid, consistent Misses or Women's size, and is looking to try new fashions. It's just not for me. 

my second stitch fix

I posted a few weeks back about my first Stitch Fix box. It was kind of a mixed bag for me, but I ended up keeping two items.

I scheduled my next fix to come this week, since I was excited and didn't want to wait another week. It arrived yesterday. Early verdict (before trying anything on):  promising, and better than the first one.

Here's what I got. (Note: The colors are better and brighter in real life. I took these with my cell phone in a room that is kind of dark.)

I really like this sleeveless shirt. It's very soft, it's the right length, I LOVE the color and it matched the tan cardigan they sent me last month. It's a little too big, though. I was going to keep it, but then realized I would be settling. I've settled for clothing all my life and I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not buying it unless it fits right, looks good, and I like it. The price on this is $38.00, which is pretty reasonable. Size is Women's 1X.

I like this flannel shirt on the hanger and I love the colors.  You probably can't tell from the picture, but the back buttons up and has a slit that goes up to the waist. I was hopeful yet skeptical, because I just don't look good in collared shirts. I was right. It looks awful on me. Plus it seems to not really hang the right way and is a little big. Sleeves are slightly tight at the top. The price on this is $58.00.  I think it's a bit much for this shirt. Size is Misses XXL.

I'm iffy about this blouse. It's better than the one they sent last month, but it's still a bit "old" and not really my style anymore. It's a blouse that I would've settled for before I lost weight. I like the colors, but it was way too big.  The price on this is $48.00, which is about what I would expect to pay at some place like Dress Barn or another store that sells business casual clothing. Size is Women's 1X.

These jeans! (Well, jeggings. They're not the typical button-and-zip jeans.) I love the color and the fit, as well as the double seam on the side. HOWEVER...I thought I was going to need to Crisco my legs to get these on. It was a struggle to get these up my legs and over my hips. It actually hurt, too, because I just got the "dog ears" fixed on my tummy tuck scar and the stitches came out yesterday. They looked great once I was able to hike them up, but it was a lot of work.  Then it was time to take them off.  I practically had to peel them off my legs. These felt slightly too short to me. The price is $78.00, which I feel is kind of high. I've never been one to spend a lot on jeans, though, so that might be reasonable to a lot of women.  But if I'm going to actually spend that much, they better be long enough (I'm 5'11"), fit well in the waist, and look awesome on me. Something weird I noticed on the tag:  it says to not sit on light colored upholstery or come in contact with light clothing.  So, yeah, another requirement if I'm spending $78.00 is that the color needs to, you know, stay on the jeans. The size is Women's 1X.  Not sure how, as they felt about two sizes too small.

And then there's the earrings. Yuck is all I can say. This is something I would never, ever wear. I didn't even try them on. I love the color, but the style is not for me. I held them up to my ears and they didn't look right at all. The price is $38.00, which is a lot for costume jewelry.

Final verdict on this fix:  not keeping it. I'm sending everything back. The shirts were too big and made me look bigger than I am, the jeans are too small and a little short, and I don't like the earrings at all.

As far as sticking with Stitch Fix, I'm going to give it one more shot. It's not that I don't like what they send me--I do for the most part.  Sure, a few things aren't to my taste, but I like most of the items. Also, they seem to listen when I say, "Send me something to match the tan cardigan I bought last month." They did--the purple sleeveless shirt. I asked for lighter colored jeans, and they sent them. The issue is sizing. After losing the weight and having the tummy tuck, it seems I'm kind of in between sizes:  I'm not consistently a Women's 1X or 16, and I'm not consistently a Misses XL or 16. I've asked that they send me Misses sizes next time to see if that helps. If not, then I plan to cancel.

my first Stitch Fix

So, I signed up for Stitch Fix at the suggestion of several people. It's a clothing styling service. You fill out your style profile online, pick how often you want to receive a "fix" (box of five items) and you pay $20 for each fix you receive. You can have a fix shipped to you every two to three weeks, every month, every other month, or every three months. You can even opt to schedule them manually, which is to say whenever you want one.  You get three days to decide if you want to keep anything. If so, you just go online and checkout. If not, you send them back in the postage paid envelope.  If you buy one or more of the items, that $20 goes towards your purchase. If you buy all five items, you get 25% off the total purchase.

I got my first box this weekend.  It was pretty surprising to see all the items fit in this one little box. The clothing was wrapped in paper and the box included an outfit suggestion card, along with the pricing and a Welcome note.

Here's the invoice. As you can see, the $20 "Styling Fee" is deducted from whatever you decide to keep. Shown is the total price if I keep everything. A few of the items are definitely a bit more than I'm used to spending, but others were about on par.

This is the outfit suggestion guide. As you can see, each outfit suggestion contains one of the five items.

Here's everything that was in the box, including the postage-paid return envelope.

OK, so here's what I got in my first Fix.

I got a pair of earrings ($44). They’re really not me, as they’re kind of big, but they actually look pretty good on me. That said, I’ll be sending them back, because I don’t have anything to go with them and $44 is a lot for costume jewelry (IMO). I may have kept them if I felt they were a good match for another outfit.

I got two blouses. This one is kind of a light grey with a lighter grey and yellow pattern ($54). It has a neck tie and fluttery sleeves. I didn’t like it when I pulled it out of the box, and it looks awful on me. It’s going back. Bob said it looks "old."

The other one is sleeveless, navy blue with a golden yellow pattern, and also has a neck tie ($44), though it's not as obnoxious as the one above. I think it would look better on me if it was a Misses XL rather than a Women’s 1X. It’s slightly big around the middle, but not swimmingly so. I may exchange it. If they don’t have XL then I'll have to decide if I'm keeping it or not. I was pleasantly surprised by this one, as I kind of cringed when I pulled it out of the box.

I received a pair of jean leggings that on the checkout page they call “skinny jeans” and they’re $78. The fit and length is perfect. Given that I’m 5’11”, that’s impressive! The color is too dark, though (I lightened the picture a bit so you can at least see them). I have a lot of cats I don’t want something that has to constantly be lint-rolled. I won’t be keeping them, both because of the price and the color. Sorry, but I’m not willing to spend $78 on jeans at the moment. If I had no jeans or was struggling to find ones that fit and look good, then I might do it. But that's not the case right now.

I got a long duster-length cardigan in light tan, though the color looks a little off here due to the lighting in the room. I was surprised at getting a XXL, but when I put it on I realized that it’s close-fitting. It’s lightweight and has a hood. I really like it and plan to keep it. It’s $58, but since I paid $20 for the box already, it will just be an additional $38.

To wrap up, I ended up keeping the blue blouse and the cardigan.  They didn't have a Misses size for the blouse; however, I decided that it's not so big that it looks terrible or doesn't fit well in other areas.

Here's what I liked:

• It gave me inspiration and ideas when going to the store this weekend. I tried on a few sleeveless blouses that are a departure from what I would normally give a second look at. 
• It's shipped to me for free. Also, return shipping is free.
• I can edit my profile any time I want so items are customized better for me. I also like that I can share my Pinterest board so the stylist can see they kinds of things I like. I created a category just for this and then shared the URL on my Stitch Fix profile.

What I didn’t like:

• Although they provided a card with outfit suggestions and the items *seem* to all go together (I think–I suck at matching colors and such), it showed only one piece along with a bunch of different items I don’t have to make an outfit. I would have preferred a card showing at least two of the items together so I know that, yes, these things do all match and look good together. It’s probably not an issue for a lot of women and is maybe nit picky, but I struggle and always have to check with my sister or a friend as to whether colors match or pieces look good together. 
• The time frame to make a decision is a bit short--only three days. 
• Once you go through checkout, it doesn't seem as though you can review your past orders; however, this was my first time and I didn't devote much time to poking around the website like I normally would.

I will definitely try it a few more times, though. I’ll make sure to give really detailed feedback so the choices get better. From what I understand in talking to others who use this service, detailed, specific, brutally honest feedback is crucial to getting what you like and will wear.