Stitch Fix is an online clothing shop designed to provide personal styling services for women at an affordable cost. It was specifically created for women who need to wear nicer clothes for events/work but who don't want to spend hours and hours combing through clothing stores to put together outfits.
At the end of September, I did an in-depth review of Stitch Fix. It was a very honest review sharing why the service hadn’t worked well for me and why I’d sent all of the clothes back.
I had told you that I was going to try the service again because I had a little bit of referral credit to use and because multiple people had told me that the stylists got better at choosing clothing for you if you gave really honest feedback.
So I wanted to tell you about my recent box of clothes from Stitch Fix and why I may have changed my mind about Stitch Fix. But first, if you’re new here, here’s a refresher on how Stitch Fix works.
How Stitch Fix Works
1. Sign up for a Stitch Fix account.
2. Fill out your style profile. You'll give very specific details on sizes you wear, styles you like, colors you like, types of clothes you like, and what types of clothing you are specifically looking for (more casual, all business, a mix of both, etc.) You can be very detailed in your descriptions and even share a Pinterest board with them to give Stitch Fix some ideas of your tastes in clothing.
3. Go to checkout and pay a $20 styling fee (this is reimbursed if you choose to keep any of the clothes).
4. One of the Stitch Fix stylists will take your style profile, sizes, and preferences and put together a box of clothing based upon what they think you'll like and what they think will work well for you.
5. They'll send you this box in the mail. You'll have a few days to go through the box, try on the clothes, and then choose to keep any that you liked and ship back any that didn't work (they provide a postage-paid envelope for you to use).
And here’s what was in my recent box from Stitch Fix:
Izzie Striped Fit & Flare Dress ($64) — I instantly adored this dress when I saw it, but the waistline was too high on me and I thought the dress itself hit me at a bad spot. All in all, it wasn’t figure flattering on me at all. Verdict: Sent back.
Benson 3/4 Ruched Sleeve Blazer ($78) –I thought the material this blazer was made out of was perfect for traveling (it was more of a knit material than a typical stiff blazer material) and wanted to love it so much, but it was too long for my short frame and therefore the last 1-2 inches of it looked weird/too long on me. Verdict: Sent back.
Moni Abstract Chevron Stud Detail Blouse ($58) — I loved everything about this blouse, except the price was a little too high for me and I didn’t like the color at all. If it were teal, I would have kept it because of how well it fit me. Verdict: Sent back.
Jaclynn 3/4 Sleeve Button-Up Cardigan ($38) — I really liked this cardigan, but it had a snag in it when I pulled it out of the box and I thought the price was too high for a very simple cardigan. Verdict: Sent back.
At this point, you might be wondering why I said I may have changed my mind about Stitch Fix. Well, it all changed when I pulled out these Jimmy Ankle Length Skinny Jean ($88).
I LOVED these jeans!!! It’s so hard to fit jeans that fit my short frame well. These were PERFECT and I’m so excited that they fit me so well!
Honestly, I wanted to buy multiple pairs of these exact same jeans because they were exactly everything I want in a pair of jeans. I needed to buy one more pair of jeans for this Fall/Winter and I found that when I went shopping, I was comparing every pair of jeans I tried on to these. They have now become my new standard in jeans. 
$88 is a LOT to pay for a pair of jeans. In fact, it’s quite a bit more than I’ve ever paid for jeans. However, I realized that I will probably wear these jeans hundreds of times over the next few years. In that case (and because I only have a few pairs of jeans), I decided it was worth it for me — especially to get a style and fit I love.
Here are my overall thoughts on this recent Stitch Fix experience:
- I had a lot of fun filling out my style profile. It really helped me to think through what I love and what I don't love. Since I'm not a fashionista, this isn't something I've spent much time considering. So I thought that was a very valuable exercise.
- I also loved the anticipation of getting a box in the mail that you didn't know what would be in it. It's fairly rare that I get to open and go through a mystery box, so looking forward to the box made the experience more fun!
- Since I don't enjoy shopping, it was really fun to get a box of clothes in the mail — SO much easier than going shopping! Plus, I loved being able to try them on my own bathroom and try them on with items already in my closet to help me decide whether I should keep or send each item back.
- I love the styling cards they gave you with each of the items to give you ideas of how to accessories a piece/what to wear it with. These are great especially for someone like me who has no idea how to put outfits together.
- I loved that this box had a few items I never would have pulled off a rack myself. And it inspired me to look for similar items — such as the knit blazer — when I’m clothing shopping next time.
- I was so happy that the stylist seemed to take my honest feedback from my last fix to heart and do a MUCH better job of picking out items that were things I’d love this time.
- The prices at Stitch Fix are going to be much more than you're going to find at the thrift store or on the sales rack. This service is designed specifically for women aren't on a extremely tight budget who want to dress fashionably without spending a lot of time shopping. For busy working women, it could be a lifesaver. However, I think you need to be somewhat adventurous for it to work well for you.
Overall, I was so much happier with this fix and so thankful that I tried again — especially because I would have missed out on a fantastic pair of jeans, otherwise. I still have a little more credit left and I earned a little bit more after my last post (I guess a few of you are so adventurous that you decided to try it out — despite my very negative review!), so I’m going to try another fix. I’m hopeful that maybe it will be even better than this last one. We’ll see.
Have you tried Stitch Fix before? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.
I've been so excited about this giveaway. We ran a giveaway for the Divide-It cash envelope system wallet a few months ago and it was one of our most popular giveaways ever. So I’m thrilled to be doing another giveaway with A Time for Everything — a blog and handmade business run by a husband and wife who are passionate about people living on a budget and becoming and remaining debt-free.
Dave & Melissa Kaiserman started A Time for Everything as a way to have a little extra income for Christmas, vacations, and savings, but grew to become their full-time family business. Melissa does the designing, fabric cutting, and actual sewing, and Dave takes care of the multiple intermediary tasks… and all of the laundry!
Each item they create is Melissa’s original design and the result of both using her own products and gleaning feedback from others who use them. She has seen firsthand that having a pretty wallet to organize cash categories helps keep joy in the discipline of budgeting, so she offers several different styles from very basic to full-feature so that just about anyone can find something that suits her taste, needs, and budget.
In the shop you’ll also find coordinating accessories and products for kids. All products are made from designer laminated cotton which is lightweight yet very durable, CPSIA compliant, and free of BPA, PVC, and phthalates. Plus each item is wipeable on the outside, so sticky little hands won’t do any harm!
Melissa sent me one of these Divide-It Cash Envelope Systems and I have truly loved using it. Not only is it so cute and fun to use, but it's also very durable. It makes using cash simple and easy! No more messing with ripped or falling apart envelopes!
GET FREE SHIPPING — Through October 30 Only!
Through October 30, 2014, MoneySavingMom.com readers can receive free shipping from A Time for Everything! Click "Apply shop coupon code" at checkout and enter MSMOCT14. (Free shipping applies to domestic orders only, but international customers may leave a note at checkout requesting a refund equal to the shipping amount a U.S. customer would save on that order.)
In addition, anyone who subscribes to AT4E's newsletter will receive a free download of colorful Christmas spending logs after clicking the confirmation email.
I would also highly recommend checking out the Give, Save, and Spend Wallets for Kids. My kids love these! See more pictures of them here.
Want to know more about A Time for Everything? Check out their website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.
Six readers will each receive the following package of products from A Time for Everything:
To enter to win, just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. This giveaway ends Thursday, October 30, at 11:59 pm, CST. Six winners will be chosen and posted next week.
Life has been a little full the past five days — attending the Allume conference (see some of the beauties I got to hang out with above? That was after 1 a.m. and we were still going strong!), spending a lot of quality time with my kiddos and husband on either end of the conference since I always miss them so much when I’m gone, and working with my team mapping out some big projects for 2015.
At any rate, I didn’t get a chance to get a How I Saved post up for a few days and this one isn’t from today, but I am still going to count it.
{I brought home some Scripture tattoos for him from the Allume conference and he wanted to put all of them on so he could be, as he said, “Covered in Scriptures!”}
This is such a simple way to save, but it’s amazing how much it saved. Last week, Silas needed his hair cut. So Jesse got at the little trimmer and buzzed it. It only took him a short while and saved us at least $10-$12! Score!
Last post’s winner of the $25 iTunes gift card was Melinda who said she saved by:
Since I knew I was going to be spending all afternoon at the dentist office with the kids, I went ahead and made chicken and dumplings in the crock pot for dinner in the morning. Planning ahead ensured that we didn't order take out and spend $60 on dinner. -Melinda
Share How You Saved Today & You Could Win a $100 Target Gift Card
Leave a comment telling us how you saved today. I’ll choose one winner later this week who will win a $100 Target gift card. I can’t wait to hear all the ways you are saving!
