Thursday, March 13, 2014

a little StitchFix review. (or, shopping, INTJ style.)

 

Nobody paid me to write this, though I feel on this blog, that should go without saying, yes? 

I honestly didn't want to be one of those bandwagon-bloggers, and I certainly wanted to avoid, at all costs, a blog post full of selfies (a nice life rule, if you think about it), but next thing you know, there's a StitchFix box on my front porch, and I'm trying on clothes that fit from the privacy of my own home, and now I want to join the masses and sing from the rooftops about how lovely StitchFix really is. So, yes, here's another review of the online service that brings clothes and outfits straight to your door. (I promise this won't become like, a thing.)

Like many of you, I've been reading about StitchFix for months thanks to Twitter and Instagram, and I was intrigued, but not convinced. I signed up and filled out an online profile months ago -- I do love a good online quiz -- but I never did take the plunge. Then February rolled around, and it finally seemed like as good a time as any. Birthday month, and all that.

Of course, my excitement was dampened when I realized I had given the service the incorrect address -- turns out I've been writing Florida on all my mail, whoops -- but customer service fixed my snafu, and my shipment came this week.

Before I dive into my thoughts, here's how the whole thing works.

StitchFix is basically an online shopping service that selects and styles outfits for you based on your personal tastes and preferences using an online questionnaire and a band on real-life stylists.

I live in town with no shopping mall, and I have long preferred online shopping anyway. You generally get better deals, and items are mailed straight to your door. What's not to love about that? StitchFix adds in the aspect of an affordable stylist who finds items you might not pick out for yourself, which seemed like a great idea.

StitchFix charges a $20 styling fee, but that fee ultimately goes toward any purchase you make from your scheduled order -- what the service calls a "fix." You can subscribe to StitchFix monthly, or schedule an order as needed. I think a monthly subscription would be really fun, but we're not in place where financially that makes sense. Our budget for clothing is pretty set, so for now, I'll schedule a shipment when I see a need, or when a shopping trip to town just doesn't fit into my calendar.

Each shipment comes with five items, and if you love and keep all five, you receive 25% off the entire box. Otherwise, pick which items you want, and ship the rest back in a prepaid mailing envelope. You can checkout online, letting your stylist know why you kept or didn't keep your items.

Jordan and I wind up talking a lot about personality types (we're Myers-Briggs obsessed over here), and I think part of my love and appreciation for StitchFix is the fact that I'm an INTJ. Shopping is not really my favorite thing to do, but when I do shop, I prefer to do so with specific things in mind. (I think it's why my friends like me to go shopping with them, but I often wind up not purchasing anything.) I love online shopping, though. I love mail and surprises and formulas and questionnaires, and that's basically what StitchFix is.

So, what did I get in my box? My stylist sent over one blouse, two sweaters, a pair of jeans, and a dress. I loved everything, and everything fit like a glove. I'm not an exceptionally difficult person to shop for, and my sizes are pretty spot on, but I still was shocked that everything fit so well. I loved the two blouses best (shown above), but for budgetary reasons, I eventually just chose the top right. Purchasing a sweater (not shown) in March seemed silly for a Southern girl, and the dress looked too much like some other items in my closet -- which really shows the stylist did a pretty great job figuring out what I like and don't. (It may have helped that I was super descriptive and linked to my Pinterest page.) I regret not getting the jeans, which were a boyfriend cut that actually fit really well, and that dotted blouse kept calling my name. But I had a budget I knew I had to stick to, and so I walked away with only one item.

That may be my lone complaint/concern about StitchFix: each of my items was probably more than I'd typically spend on one piece of clothing. But the convenience and the unique style of the items took off some of the edge, and I made a note on my online return form that I'd like a lower price point in the future. (All of the items in this fix were between $50 - $80.)

Here's the thing: if you're a work-from-home mom, this is a no brainer. We don't have kids yet, but I can't imagine shopping with little ones is the easiest thing on the planet. This is. I can't get over how convenient this was, and it was fun to boot.

I had a lot of hesitations (beware of the bandwagon, I thought!), but sometimes, things are successful for a reason. StitchFix is so easy and pain-free, plus you're getting a surprise in your mailbox while also tackling a chore. While I doubt I'll be scheduling monthly fixes, I will definitely be using this service again. And, if you're ever shopping for something specific, StitchFix will cater to those needs. So impressive.

Hesitate no more, friends. Go for it. I'll be back to regularly scheduled programming soon.

* Full disclosure: If you use my referral link, I'll earn $25 off my next scheduled fix. That's why you probably see so many posts about this service; people are earning their shopping money!

4 comments:

Brittany said...

I love this!!! And the shirt on the right is SO me! I'm going to look into this! Thanks for sharing, Annie!

Annie said...

I love the striped top you chose! And I love the punch of blue. That's definitely your style!

I love Stitchfix. I've only done it once myself for similar reasons - it doesn't fit well into my budget - but you're absolutely right, it's shopping INTJ style and it. is. marvelous.

Alyssa Bair said...

I'm glad this worked so well for you! I just got my first Fix and loved a pair of jeans they sent, but the rest of the pieces were misses. I also linked to a Pinterest board, but I have a feeling that the style of clothing I'm looking for just may not be something they have on hand. I'm going to give it at least one more shot after some adjustments I made to my profile, but I'm also trying out StylingOn to see if it's a better fit for me!
Thanks for the post - I know you hesitated, but I love reading these from people.
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Velva said...

I just got my second Stitch-Fix box. I have really been enjoying it. I am an ENTJ and I rarely have the energy to comb through racks of clothes in a brick n' mortar store.

Velva