I love fashion. Not high-end, runway fashion though I do think it’s interesting. I love everyday fashion. I love seeing what different people mix and match to get a unique, yet stylish look. I love when people mix high-end and low end pieces to give off a sophisticated, cool vibe that is attainable by many.
That being said, though I love fashion, I cannot put an outfit together to save my life. At all. It’s pretty bad. Somewhere in my 30’s I lost it. And honestly I’m not ever sure I had it. But I was good at copying. Still am. Thank goodness for Pinterest. My Christmas outfit was initially going to be a black plaid shirt.
But with what? Scarf, t-shirt, what color jeans, booties…yikes! I couldn’t fathom. A quick search on Pinterest and I found this, 
I know what you’re thinking. Where’s the other shirt? Still in the closet. Why, because Pinterest didn’t have a lot of suggestions on how to style it. I did however have all the pieces in this cute little outfit, including the boots and scarf. I had no idea how to put them together but that’s the beauty of Pinterest.
Fast forward to today’s post. Stitch Fix. If you don’t know, Stitch Fix is an online service where you can fill out a questionnaire, pay a $20 subscription fee and have a Stitch Fix stylist pick out five pieces of clothing (or jewelry) for you. If you keep anything your $20 gets credited to your purchase. I have been trolling Stitch Fix reviews for about a year. Some of the Stitch Fix clothes look great. Others are total misses.
I had spoken to a couple of girls over Christmas who tried it and thought, “what the heck.” I am really lacking in winter wear. I have many cardigans but they are becoming dated and very dowdy. Ditto with my boot cut cords. Time to reboot (literally- I have purchased or been gifted with many boots this fall/winter).
So I filled out the extensive Stitch Fix questionnaire, making sure to link to my fashion board on Pinterest. A few weeks later, voila, it showed up. I must say the box was much smaller than expected. And I waited a day to open it. Why? Because I really wanted to focus on what I was sent and with my husband and two kids circling, I couldn’t get into my fashion zone.
So the next day, in prepping for going to a baptism, I was looking through my closet when I realized what I really needed was a longer, lighter tunic that could be dressed up or down. Could possibly my Stitch Fix box contain such an item? Well you know what, it did! It was like the fashion angles swept down to hear my every word!
Upon opening the box I decided I would not look at the prices. While I am not a cheapskate, I will tell you I also like a bargain. But unfortunately my closet is becoming filled with bargain mistakes. So I opted to look at and try things on first before checking the price.
The first item was this lightweight, longer sweater. It was white with black stripes and little slits on the sides. I was apprehensive because I have a long torso and arms however the item fit perfectly. And it was something I had been looking for something like it for a while. The fabric is a tad lightweight so I can see that it will be good all season but the weave is a bit loose so I hope it holds up. (note: these items are right out of the box)
The second item was the aforementioned green tunic. I really was surprised. It too fit very well. Then I started thinking, “how can this Stitch Fix stylist who has never met me be finding me things that fit perfectly and are exactly what I’ve been searching for.” I tell you, it was weird but wonderful.
The third item was a dress. While I didn’t care for it, the dress was super-stretchy yet fitted and comfortable. If I traveled a lot for work this dress would have been great.
Stitch Fix also sent a pair of black skinny jeans. I knew they weren’t a keeper when I could barely get them over my calf. But I prevailed and got them up. They fit up top but I thought the zipper detail was too young for this 40-something-fashionista-wannabe. Plus if I kept them I’d be walking around town like Kramer in the skinny jeans episode of the Seinfeld. Not cute. Plus I have some $15 skinny jean/jeggings from Old Navy that work just fine (these were over $100).
The fifth item was a bit of a conundrum. It was a jean jacket. Now I’ve been looking for one for a while but was unsure on this one. It was just a tad, tad short on the arm. However it stretched like my yoga pants after a long winter’s day so that was great. I did look at the price. That didn’t help – it wasn’t cheap ($79). So I asked my fashionable sister-in-laws who said if I didn’t keep it, I needed to have one in my wardrobe regardless. At work I asked a few fashionable ladies. After consideration, and looking at the Stitch Fix look card they send you (it’s a card with pictures of the items they send you with a few suggestions on how to wear it – genius) I decided to keep it. The main reason, the stretch. I knew I’d never find another one that was so lightweight and stretchy without running crazy all over town. And here one was sent right to me.
So overall I think Stitch Fix nailed it. I did pay more than I think I typically would. But like I stated before, I have a bunch of not-so-great pieces. I’ve decided it’s probably better to pay a bit more to have a few things that work in my closet than a bunch of junk. Plus I’ve told myself I will not shop for clothes at Target, LOFT, etc. and I’m doing pretty well with that. Plus the styling card they sent me actually had a lot of pieces similar to what I own so I can make some additional outfits with items I already have.
I’m excited to see what Stitch Fix sends in February. Have you used Stitch Fix? What do you think? If you’ve been thinking about it and this unpaid, unsolicited review has sent you running to their website to try it out, feel free to refer me ;)! Those who refer people get a $25 credit. https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/5720713
Oh, and anyone have any styling tips for the black, plaid shirt? I still don’t know what to do with it.
Ramblings of a Forty-Something Fashionista Wannabe 