Stitch Fix #2

I updated my post about my first attempt at Stitch Fix so you can see the picture of what they sent me.  I wasn't excited to try them again, but Jenni sounded like she understood me, and she said nice things about my Pinterest board, so I gave them another shot. 

My second box from them was definitely better than the first, but I didn't like anything enough to add any of the pieces to my closet.  Here's what I got.

A black maxi skirt (which is one of the things T+P sent me too!)

A green cardi.  Cute sweater.  I almost kept this, but it was a bit boring and didn't add anything to my existing wardrobe.

A pink(ish) fake leather jacket.  This was kind of awesome, I have to admit.  If I lived a different kind of lifestyle or had a different kind of budget, I would have totally rocked it.  But, I couldn't justify its addition into my life.

A red patterned fake wrap dress.  Again, this was a good try.  But, the slit up the front was so high, I think people could see parts of me which are not work appropriate to show. 

A tribal looking dress.  Cute shape, but I didn't like the tribal pattern.

So, overall, box #2 was way better than box #1, but it still seemed like a waste of time for all of us.  I'm not sure I'll try again. 



 

Tog and Porter #1

At the same time I was trying Stitch Fix and Gwynnie Bee, I also signed up with Tog and Porter (T&P).  T&P is similar to Stitch Fix with 2 main differences: (1) you don't have to pay them any money unless you keep something they send you, and (2) in addition to filling out an online style profile, you also have a skype conversation with your personal style fairy.

I found the skype convo to be quite awkward.  My stylist looked all cute and professional sitting at her desk where I looked shlumpy and exhausted on my bed.  It didn't feel like I was chatting with a long lost friend.  It felt like I was wasting time.  I'm not sure I told her anything by skype that I couldn't have said by email or in some other online way.

Anyway, I again described my style as Boho.  She asked if that was a style that I wanted to keep.  When I said yes, she sounded somewhat disappointed.  I then told her that I love all colors - orange, pink, greens...  She squealed with excitement and said, "oh, this is going to be fun!" 

While my T&P style fairy was picking clothes for me, Stitch Fix box #1 came and was horrible, so I wrote an email to my T&P style fairy with comments about the pieces I got in the hopes that my comments would help her put together a better box.  She said that my comments were super helpful and she expressed excitement that she was going to be the one to turn this around for me!

I felt hopeful.

My T&P box came and it was horrible.  I was supposed to get 5 or more items, and I only got 4.  Strike #1.  I got:

• Khaki pants.  Boring color.  Not boho.  
• A grey t-shirt dress.  Boring.  Not work appropriate.  Not playground appropriate.  I don't have any other occasions.
• A black maxi skirt.  Boring.  And, I really don't need another black skirt in my closet.
• A blue sweater which looked like a bathrobe on me and which shed sneeze producing angora.  

I sent an email to my T&P style fairy which felt like a break up letter.  After a few days of not hearing from her, I followed up with another email because I didn't want to keep these clothes too long or I would be charged for them!  She said that we should have another skype convo where I could try on all the items in front of her and we could discuss each of them.  I told her that I wasn't interested in that.  She wanted to stay true to the integrity of the process and have a skype convo.  I again said no.

In the end, we didn't have a skype convo, I sent everything back, and I told her that I may try T&P again down the road.

Meanwhile, back in my closet, I really need some new clothes!  I resorted to my tried and true consignment stores around the bay area. 

Stitch Fix #1

Stitch Fix is a different kind of service than Gwynnie Bee.  You fill out a style profile where you tell them your height, weight, sizes; you see pictures of clothes and you tell them if you like them or not; you can link to your social networks; and you can write up a brief narrative.

I basically told them that I love the boho style and colors (not tan, black...)

Then you schedule a "fix" (which costs $20) and some style fairy goes out into the world and collects things for you.

My first fix from them totally sucked.  I hated every piece. I didn't take pictures of me in the pieces because it really wasn't worth it.  I got:

• A preppy swingy skirt in navy polka dots.  I love polka dots, but it was a preppy nautical style which isn't my thing.  And, the huge skirt was not at all flattering.  Note to self: get straight or slight a-line skirts. 
• A dress which buttoned all the way down.  I specifically told them that things that button all the way down are not flattering on me, and unfortunately, this dress proved me right.
• 3 tops all in boring neutrals.  2 with super wide dolman sleeves which made me feel like flapping my wings.

Horrible horrible horrible.  I sent everything back with detailed comments about why each piece didn't work for me.

I didn't hear anything back.

So, I followed up with an email, and then I received a nice response from Jenni (one of the style fairies) who offered to credit my $20 towards my next fix and she would be my next stylist.  I took her up on her offer. 

Stay tuned for Stitch Fix #2...

Gwynnie Bee

As soon as I heard about personal shopping/subscription box services a few months ago, I was instantly all in.  I generally hate shopping and if someone can do it well for me, I'll totally pay them!

So far, I've tried 3 of these kinds of services.  I'm joining the chorus of bloggy reviews of subscription boxes.  Here are my thoughts about Gwynnie Bee (GB).

GB targets size 10 and up.  The bad news is that because of my weight loss, I'm almost too small for their service.  Hooray for weight loss, but boo because I might be losing GB.

Overall, I love GB.  They operate like the classic Netflix model.  You choose a plan (1 garment at a time, 2 garments at a time...); you select specific garments that you want sent to you, and then you start getting garments (but not necessarily in the order that they appear in your list.)  When you send a garment back to GB after wearing it many times or no times, another garment gets sent to you. 

Before they send your next garment to you, you get an email letting you know what is on its way.  This eliminates any element of surprise which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective.

One thing to note is that GB seems to frequently take garments out of circulation.  So, suddenly some items may disappear from your list.  I think it's good that GB gets rid of stuff that has been worn too much or has had complaints about it, but it's somewhat frustrating if I was excited about getting an item and then it completely disappears from my list.

Another negative for me is that they are really targeting the plus size market.  They have some items in size 10, but nothing smaller than 10, and some of their garments start at size 0x or larger.  I should be thankful that this is my problem, right?

One thing I love about GB is that there is an active group of GB subscribers who write honest reviews about the garments they've received.  This makes is much easier to get a full perspective of the garment and its true size/color/fit instead of just relying on how the pretty model looks in it. 

If you have a GB item at home, you can choose to buy it.  One of the GB items I have right now is a black sweater/jacket thing which I've worn once; I'll wait a few weeks before wearing it again and then send it back.  This sweater/jacket retails for $238; the one I have at home has been worn a bunch and they'll sell it to me for $120.92.  I'll pass on buying it, but it's nice to wear a few times!

So far, I've received 7 GB items.  Three I returned right away without wearing them.  One of those was a short sleeved spring time dress which I received in the middle of winter.  It was my fault because I should have put it on my "on hold" list which is good for seasonal items you want to receive in a different season.  One was a shimmery t-shirt which would have been appropriate for New Year's, but I received after New Year's.  And, one of them the cut made me look like I was wearing a huge tent.  The others, I've worn a few times before sending back.

I love GB.  It's a great service to make my closet seem deeper than it is without investing too much money.