This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to Stitch Fix and schedule a delivery using my referral link, I’ll receive a credit to my account. More importantly, your styling fee will be waived!
Do you know about Stitch Fix? I can’t remember how I came to know about this service, but I’m so glad I did. As a person who hates shopping but needs a professional wardrobe, I was intrigued by the idea of having clothes picked out for me and sent to my home, where I could try them on the privacy of my own bedroom. For the cost of a $20 styling fee, I decided to give it a shot.
If you Google “Stitch Fix reviews” (or search for Stitch Fix on Pinterest), you’ll find dozens of blog posts that illustrate the kinds of clothes you’ll find in a typical fix. You’ll also find lots of posts lamenting their cost. If you’re a hardcore bargain shopper, this is probably not a service that will appeal to you (even though you can set a budget for each item in your fix.) If, however, you’re a person who knows how to find a bargain at Kohl’s and Target, but who’d like some help finding better quality pieces–then it’s worth giving Stitch Fix a try.
Why do I love Stitch Fix?
It gives me a chance to define my style.
When I signed up for Stitch Fix, I completed a profile that included sample wardrobe photos to rate, based on how well they matched my taste. There was also an option to provide a link to a Pinterest board. That prompted me to start pinning pictures of clothes I like. I found this process really useful; it gave me a specific sense of the styles I gravitate toward and stay away from.
Thinking more specifically about clothes actually led me to spend less money on them, believe it or not. I had a better idea of what I wanted, so I was much less likely to buy something just because it was on sale.
It offers a stylist who gets me.
I was assigned Bianca as a stylist for my first fix, and it was very clear that she completely understood me. I loved all five things included in that first shipment. Now, every time I leave a note in advance of a new fix, I ask for her as my stylist.
I think of Bianca as the cool sister who gives me the fashion advice I want–not the advice she thinks I need.
The styling fee applies to purchases–plus, discounts!
The cost for each fix is $20–although, if you click through using my referral link, that styling fee will be waived on your first shipment! This fee covers your stylist’s time in reviewing your notes, checking your style preferences, and choosing five items. It also covers the cost of shipping a fix to your home, as well as the cost of shipping back any pieces you decide not to keep. However, this fee is applied to any purchase you decide to make. If you keep all five items in a fix, you get a 25% discount on the total.
I have yet to receive a fix that didn’t include at least one item I wanted to keep. Usually, the opposite is true–I want to keep more than I can afford.
It gives me a chance to try out new clothes in context.
I like the convenience of shopping online, but I don’t enjoy having to imagine whether clothes I like in photographs of someone else will look good on me. Because I don’t see what my Stitch Fix stylist is going to send before it arrives, I have no idea of how I’ll look in these clothes when I put them on. I only see them in the context of my actual body–and that’s the only way I can assess them. I try everything on, even if I think it’s something I won’t like. More than once, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Also, I can try out new pieces with things I already own. There’s nothing I hate more than trying something on at a store, thinking “This will look great with my denim jacket,” then getting home and discovering that those two pieces don’t work together at all. Stitch Fix lets me make purchase decisions based on whether or not a new piece will work with what I have in my closet. That’s a huge plus–and it helps me avoid buying clothes I’ll never actually wear.
They offer excellent customer service.
I’ve had very few issues with Stitch Fix, but the two times I’ve contacted them by email, I received a prompt and clear reply. (Once, because they couldn’t accommodate my request for a particular item in a different size, they waived the styling fee on my next fix.) The online checkout interface is easy to use. Returns are simple: you have five days to return items via a postage-paid envelope that’s included in your fix. Just drop it by the post office and you’re done.
Honestly, using Stitch Fix is way easier than shopping. Plus, their packaging is so cute that it’s like getting a present in the mail every time you receive a shipment. I typically schedule a fix every few months–about once a season–which keeps the cost reasonable, but gives me new options on a semi-regular basis.
For this woman who needs professional clothing and really doesn’t want to spend time shopping for them, Stitch Fix is the answer to a very specific prayer.
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