StitchFix #2 Review - August 2014

Yay!! 

My StitchFix box came!

If you're thinking "Huh? What is StitchFix?" You can click on the link or you can look back at my StitchFix #1 Review post... but the long and short of it is that you go to StitchFix.com and answer some questions about your body type and size, and then you do a pretty extensive survey to determine your "Style Profile" - then you can schedule a fix (either just one by one whenever you are ready, or on a regular basis - I get mine once a month...) For a $20 styling fee, StitchFix gives you a personal stylist who picks out 5 items (tops, pants, skirts, dresses, jewelry, accessories...) that she thinks will look great on you and ships these 5 items to you (shipping is free both ways)... You try them on, decide what to keep, your $20 styling fee is applied as a credit to anything you keep, and if you keep all 5 items you get a whopping 25% off the whole kit & caboodle. (Hey 80s girls, remember Caboodles? I loved those for my lip glosses and junky jewelry :)) There is a pre-paid return envelope in the box for you to return the things you don't want to keep.  When you decide what to keep, you log in to stitchfix and check out.  The checkout process includes lots of space for feedback about each item, and automatically credits your styling fee and any referral fees to your balance!

If you have been following me, you know we have begun what in lovingly refer to as "The Great Purge" in my home over the last 4-5 months. It started with the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge which you can read about in all of the March posts on my blog, and some of the April ones (that first one linked above will take you to the first one, just keep reading...). And then I got a fancy new washer and dryer, and decided that our problem with laundry is that we have way too many clothes, when we basically wear the same 10 things over and over and over. (And my sweet but strange husband has a crazy obsession with socks.  He has more socks at any one moment than the other 3 of us have had cumulatively in our lifetime... But that is another post entirely.) I realized in getting rid of more than half my closet that the things I actually kept were high quality, well made (to withstand lots of wear and lots of washing), stylish but somewhat classic and not super trendy, and generally NOT things I bought for $9.99 at TJMaxx or Target. Plus, my body has changed greatly over the last 8-10 years between having children, gaining and losing, and becoming a runner, so I decided to find my style, to be stylish all the time, and to revamp my wardrobe and StitchFix is helping!

Now - onto the goods. Here is the nice note that my Stylist Amanda sent me:

She checked out my Pinterest August wishboard! She read my feedback about wanting a longer tunic top for my Rizzo pants from the last fix! She also listened to the fact that I work as an attorney and need things that are pulled together for both court and non-court days. Yay, thank you StitchFix for listening! (I also had requested colored skinny jeans and/or "perfect" jeans... But you can't have it all all the time ;)) Here is my review of each individual piece.  Please note that in the interest of full transparency I have included the prices of each item. Last month I had my budget set to the $50-100 option for each category (you can select your budget range for each type of item - tops, pants, dresses, accessories, etc.) - I reduced the budget for most of my items to "the cheaper the better" except for dresses, which I left at $50-100 (because a dress is really a whole outfit on its own and I wear a lot of dresses...so....)

#1 - ZAD Toren Layered Beaded Necklace - $38

It's yellow, y'all!!! I snuck a look at what I was being sent when I found out that my fix had shipped. When I googled this necklace I only found one photo (of another StitchFixer) and it was turquoise. It was so cute. (And this blogger is so cute! http://www.gingerguide.com/2014/04/stitch-fix-review-april-2014.html I hope she doesn't mind me linking her... But isn't she cute?)

I really loved this but then I was also a little torn because, see, I already have a multi strand turquoise beaded necklace from Premier... So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I opened the box to find out it is YELLOW! I love color.  And yes, yellow is my favorite color (as my 9 year old Carson Claire will tell you, Mommy likes it because it is surely the happiest of all the colors... My living room wallls are even painted yellow!) so... This is a keeper. I intend to wear it with my basic sleeveless shift LIttle Black Dress and with plain black or red or any solid or print or anything. I love it. 

Verdict: KEPT!!! Without a doubt. Spot on, Amanda. 

(Here is a no-makeup "I just had surgery" mirror photo of me with my new favorite necklace:

#2 - Mystree Alysia Multi Print Dress - $74

Style Card:

On the hanger:

There is nothing terribly wrong with this dress. I love the shape (fitted tank-sleeve scoop neck top, defined waist, a-line skirt), and the print is kinda fun and bold...like Amanda said - would look cute with cropped black blazer and heels, or sandals and denim jacket.... However, in real life? Notsomuch. It fits really well. BUT, it was booty short. I have pretty nice and shapely legs and I do wear above-the-knee dresses, skirts, and shorts (thank you, running), but my 37 year old self can't get away with THIS short. I loved last month's dress pick, but it just wouldn't zip all the way (though I bet it would fit now post-surgery and 10 pounds off...) and it was the same shape/cut but a little longer than this. See? (Sorry I look a little depressed in the second photo but it's because I was not sure when my 9 year old photog was snapping. (In other news, I bought these Bandolino nude peep toe heels at TJMaxx after I saw some nude heels in last month's styling suggestions and I have worn them many many times already! Love them.)

Here's my other thing about this dress, other than the Kelly Kapowski shortness... It's super thin. Like thinner than my thinnest light summer cotton tees. And it's not lined, obviously. While I kinda like the idea of this dress, it's a standing up only dress AND it did not feel very quality... Especially for $74. But I wouldn't call it a fail. I didn't hate it. I just didn't love it enough to keep it. plus, even the hubs who loves   my legs thought it was too short.

Verdict: RETURNED

#3 - Renee C Huebert Space Dye Open Cardigan - $58

Style Card:

on the hanger:

On me:

(See, yellow - happiest of all the colors - from idk when but I have had it a while and it's a happy shirt. Also note skinny black Rizzo pants from last month's Fix! Also, my hair is big. I have a lot of it. One thing about neck surgery is it's hard to wash hair in the shower to get all the soap out (though I manage) but it is also super difficult to blow dry long hair or straighten. So meet my lioness look...I am a Leo after all.)

Ok - about the cardigan - it's super soft and cuddly. It feels lovely on. It has those kinds of sleeves that are probably 2 inches too long, but I love a little bit of an extra long sleeves in cases like this. Will loved this (he is partial to the skinny pants, too) - and I liked it.

BUT - I have one almost exactly like this. It's not quite as buttery soft and flowy, not quite as long, and it's a darker grey, but very very very similar. Plus, it feels a little frumpy. I know it's not and seeing the photo assures me it does not look frumpy, but it feels a little frumpalicious. So, for $58, I could not justify keeping something so similar to another thing I have. But, if my stylist is basically picking things that I already have in my closet that's pretty spot on, too! Good pick, Amanda - just can't keep it!

Verdict: RETURNED

#4 - Fun2Fun Sonoma Stiped Sleeveless Top - $38

Style Card:

On the hanger:

On me:

When I pulled this out of the box, I was thrilled. Not only did I generally like the style. But it is Auburn Tiger colors!!! Can I get a "War Eagle!" Down here, it's still 80-90 degrees for the first 2-3 months of football season and THIS could be my new Saturday Down South shirt, y'all. And then I tried it on. It was not what I expected. It has that hi-lo cut where the back is longer than the front. I am between a medium and a large in tops (decidedly large on bottom)... And right at the hips, this was narrower than I expected it to be. I almost cried and pitched a little hissy. I wanted this to be perfect. Well, the next day (the day these photos were taken) I slipped it on again and, well, somehow it *was* perfect. I think I just expected it to be looser and longer since it is a large... But styled like this, with my denim and sandals, it looks pretty cute, eh? It's my new Saturday game day shirt!!! War eagle, y'all!

Verdict: KEPT

#5 - Market & Spruce Trina Crochet Detail Tab-Sleeve Shirt - $54

style Card:

on the hanger:

On me:

Um, yeah. This is adorable. We were walking out the door and this is what I was actually wearing and we forgot to take a photo in the session with the other stuff (because I was actually already wearing this...) I have it in with some turned up dark wash jeans, gold jewelry, a brown camisole tank underneath (it is sheer, and the Henley-style peeks open at my bra area but it looks cute with the tank under and I don't have to worry about exposure.) This shirt is also a wee bit more narrow than one would expect a size large "breezy tunic" style top to be. However, it's not tight...and I love the navy and the versatility and the crochet detail and I can totally see this with leggings and tall brown boots in the fall/winter. Love. Love love love. 

Verdict: KEPT

So: Because 3 of you friend signed up last month by using my referral link and had a stitch fix sent, I had $75 of credit - from which StitchFix deducted the $20 styling fee credit when it shipped, but I get that re-credited when I purchase anything from the box - (you can get free StitchFix credit, too - go schedule your first fix now and get your own referral link... $25 per person who signs up!)

I kept:

Yellow necklace - $38

Striped top - $38

Navy tunic - $54

Total: $130

Credit: - $75

Total paid for two awesome tops and a killer fab necklace:

$55

Pretty cool, eh? What do you think? Did I keep the right things? 

What are you waiting for - go sign up for your first Fix!