I can remember the last time I went shopping. Like real, honest to goodness clothes shopping – for me. It was 2010 and I did the whole back-to-school clothes shopping bit with a friend of mine who was like the ultimate of bargain shoppers and I wanted to see what kind of crazy deals we could find.
By Christmas that year, I was pregnant with our first child. So with the exception of obviously needed maternity clothes and nursing tanks and few replacement pieces here and there, which are mostly attributed to my mom (thanks for making sure I’m clothed, mom), I haven’t really bought a lot of clothes in the last almost 6 years.
Which in some ways is awesome. I’m definitely getting my money’s worth out of that $1.47 cardigan I picked up in 2010.
I’m also wearing stuff out. I’m almost 6′ tall and maternity tops aren’t really long enough so I wear my regular shirts, which I have discovered last about 2 to 2.5 pregnancies. Nursing tanks were meant to last somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 to 2 years of nursing. And I’m hitting my limit on a lot of things.
When I first started staying home 4 years ago, I was so psyched at the idea of wearing yoga pants every day into forever. Only those yoga pants from 4 years ago are in baaaaad shape now and it’s not like my fave jeans are exactly fitting me the best right now.
I’ve totally gotten into a momiform rut of my scrungiest clothes day in and day out.
And can I tell you, I am a slow adapter. It’s taken me about 3 years to just really want to make a change in this area. Not because yoga pants are bad (I’m not getting rid of mine) but just because I’m remembering what I always thought to myself back in college.
In college, I always felt more awake, more involved when I got up and got dressed before heading to class. Instead of taking a final in my jam-jams. But that’s a story for another day…
But after 6 years, my wardrobe definitely needs some updates. (Wait, you mean my threadbare club volleyball sweatpants aren’t ok to wear in public?)
Fashion has changed. My style and what I’m wanting from my clothes has changed (hide soft middle, cover tooshie in leggings, be nursing friendly).
And honestly, the idea of combing racks and trying stuff on with three kiddos in tow sounds like maybe the last thing in the whole world I want to do. I don’t think there’s enough Chick Fil A and Chestnut Praline Lattes in all of Knoxville to make that happen.
Furthermore (did I just use the word ‘furthermore’ eesh), my idea on clothes has changed. I can remember going shopping in college and finding “such a good deal” on polo shirts that I bought 10! 10 polo shirts in 10 different colors. I didn’t particularly like how they fit, nor did I particularly like how I looked in them. But they were ON SALE. And I needed teaching shirts. So they won the day. My husband gave me soooooo much crap about those shirts for I don’t know, 2 or 3 years until I finally got rid of them all after not having worn them since my student teaching.
I used to want quantity. So I went as cheap as possible so I could have more choices, more colors, more options.
These days, I don’t need more options. I make too many decisions each day as it is. I want less. I want to know my jeans fit and look killer. I want to know that I can grab a tank out of my drawer, add a top and a blazer and I’m now #daydate ready without even having to try to think what matches, what goes. I want my clothes to fit well, be in one color family, and last.
I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not while I’m in a season babies if I should do more than just replace pieces as cheaply as possible. Between getting the frumps, my stuff straight up being worn out, and the idea of quality over quantity, I have decided it’s time to start building an awesome wardrobe.
I would love to say I’m going through and getting rid of everything I don’t LOVE. But I can’t do that either. Lord willing, I will get pregnant again and I need a pair of jeans that’s a little more accommodating to my slightly swollen belly but isn’t maternity pants. I need those shirts that are just the best for when I’m at the end of my pregnancy and nothing else fits.
But I am cleaning out stuff I know I don’t or won’t wear. Stuff that I haven’t worn since college and have moved now 5 or 6 times (bye bye weird tank top from France that was more quirky than wearable). Stuff that isn’t flattering to my mommy shape (bye bye strapless). Stuff that isn’t long enough and is never going to hit a growth spurt in my closet (bye bye button down shirts that are awesome in theory).
So I decided to go for it and try Stitch Fix. A personal styling service that will send 5 pieces of super cute clothes right to my door for me to try on without dragging kids through a store, offering free shipping here and back, comes in a fun box like a surprise, and even comes with a card to show me how to wear my new clothes? Uhm, yes please. Could you also send Chick Fil A and a Chestnut Praline Latte? That’d be great.
It’s not like I haven’t seen blog posts on Stitch Fix, but taking the plunge took some courage. So if you’re thinking of trying this service too, here’s 10 you need to know before you order your first Stitch Fix.
10 Things to Know Before You Order Your First Stitch Fix
- Go through your clothes and know what you need. If you want to replace or update the worst parts of your wardrobe you need to know what that is. I have a couple pairs of jeans that work and I need shirts. So I started there.
- There’s a $20 styling fee. Whether you keep any of your clothes or not, there is a $20 fee. If you keep the clothes this fee is applied to the cost of the clothes. If you keep nothing, you have to pay the fee.
- Take to Pinterest. I know, sometimes Pinterest parties and people’s fake houses, or gosh worse, their real houses, are just too much. But there are some great things about Pinterest too, like knowing what’s cute or “in” when I haven’t gone shopping in a while. Also Stitch Fix has their own style boards. *Bonus Tip* If you pin from those boards, of what they carry, they can send you stuff you love right off the bat!
- Really think through the questionnaire. When you sign up for a Stitch Fix account, you will get asked a lot of questions on size, preference, price and more. Really think about these answers and be as clear as you can in the character space allowed. For example, it will ask you what type of jewelry you prefer. I cannot wear anything but surgical steel in my ears and I don’t like necklaces when I’m nursing. So I just put no jewelry.
- Know your budget. I think Stitch Fix gets a bad rap because people automatically assume it’s so expensive. While it’s more than the $10 I paid for those polo shirts back in college, I got to set the budget of what I was willing to pay. And for me, I factored in some time, stress fatigue, and frustration that would go into me actually heading into a store.
- And that’s another thing: It’s ok to say and know what you really want. Like I said before, I knew I needed shirts. I did not mince words about what I was wanting. I wanted 5 shirts to be in my box. And there were.
- You don’t have to do it every month. You can sign up to get a box every month automatically. You can sign up to get a box as frequently as possible – about every 2-3 weeks. Or you can schedule each box individually as you want them.
- If you aren’t happy, they’re customer service is AMAZING. When I opened my box, I thought it was a home run! But I ended up only keeping one item (more on that below). I had an email in my inbox the next day offering me a new box, matching me with a different stylist, and going through my style profile with me again. It was awesome sauce.
- And if you are happy, you get a discount for buying all 5 pieces. No lie. If you keep the entire Fix, you get a discount. It can be like getting one of the items for free.
- You get mail! I mean, I guess this one was obvious. But when this box was delivered, I think my kids were as excited as I was to open the box and rip into the paper. They wrap it up in tissue paper so it’s a total surprise until you rip into it, which just adds to the fun.
And now, I bet you’re dying to know what was in my first Fix? I thought so.
Let me tell you that it came two days sooner than they said it would which just added to my IMMENSE excitement. I wanted to both savor each moment of unwrapping the package and destroy it and get to my clothes. I’m a fickle, fickle woman.
When I unwrapped the tissue paper, I thought to myself “Good thing there’s a discount if you buy the whole Fix, because this is a home run!” Every print, pattern, and style was very “me” and definitely what I was looking for in clothing.
Want to see? Come on, you know that’s why you’re really here.
This shirt is was on top of the box and is just so me I couldn’t believe it. I love the color, the print, and the shirt-cut bottom. It has a weird tie thing around the neck that could only be tied in a flopsy bow.
Final verdict: I sent it back. Even though I love the print and color, I wish it was longer and the bow was just not something I liked.
I seriously requested a t-shirt I could layer. This is shorter in the front, longer in the back, meeting the request for stuff that covers my tooshie. However it doesn’t cover my tooshie all the way, so I won’t probably wear it with just leggings. It’s also not t-shirt material and is more of a knit that sticks to velcro in the drier.
Final verdict: I kept it. I wish it was about an inch longer. But other than that it’s awesome.
See how great it is for layering? This was a scarf they included. It’s gorgeous. It’s plaid. It’s infinity. It also makes my hair staticky and fluff out weird.
Final verdict: I sent it back. For all of the awesome things about it, I knew I wouldn’t wear it because it just feels like wearing a huge turtleneck.
I felt like this shirt might have been too cool for me. I don’t know that I would have ever chosen herring bone print on my own. But black and white and this style of top is like my favorite so I was glad someone else picked this out. I wanted to love it, but it was too tight.
Final verdict: Since I had to peel it on and off, it was not nursing friendly or a keeper. I sent it back.
See, layers. They were good listeners. This black blazer has great lapels and sleeves that are long enough for my long arms. It’s great for layering and looks great with this shirt and the grey t-shirt. Also SBMOG said that this looks really professional but that my pink hair reminds him of my me-ness. Which is sweet.
Final verdict: I sent it back. I didn’t think I’d wear it enough for the price.
So, I kept one thing and sent four back. But I really don’t see that as all bad. I want to be intentional in my clothes replacement. I only kept stuff that I both love and know I’ll wear. I’m not letting something that costs a little more money just sit in my closet. I love the t-shirt I kept and have worn it a lot since it got here. It’s pretty much perfect for momiform and for looking nice and being out and about.
What about you? Have you tried Stitch Fix? Are you wanting to try it? What do you want to know before you order?
Cute! I like what you got, but I agree that it’s good to be super selective and only keep the cream!