Stitch Fix fashion show plus $0 fashion hack

Have you heard of Stitch Fix? Stitch Fix is an online clothing and accessories store designed to provide affordable, personal styling services for women. It was created for women who want to wear nicer clothes but who don’t want to spend hours combing through clothing stores to put together outfits.

I heard about Stitch Fix about a year or so ago from a fellow blogger. I didn’t sign up then because, honestly, I felt it seemed a bit indulgent. Fast forward to a month ago … I was desperately trying to find fresh, stylish outfits to wear to the Haven blogger conference when I realized my closet literally looked like a time capsule from 1997.

The time I’ve had to shop for clothes has been nearly non-existent for the better part of the last decade. On the rare occasion when I do visit the mall looking for clothes for myself, it’s usually with one or more kids in tow. That typically leads to an excruciating dressing room experience, and I often still don’t find anything I like.

I’m also not one to spend a lot of time reading fashion magazines or perusing Pinterest for fashion trends, which means I’m not exactly on the up and up when it comes to current fashion.

In addition to solving my no-time-to-shop and fashion-rut problems, I finally took the plunge and signed up for Stitch Fix last month because it’s inspiring me to eat well, work out and look my best. Plus it also fits my current budget and money goals.

Now you’re probably thinking, “Really? I thought you were all about saving as much money as possible.”

I chose the cheapest option in the Stitch Fix profile, which brings the price points of most pieces in line with stores like Gap, Express or Banana Republic.

I know if I go to the mall to shop for clothes, I’ve got about a $20 gas bill. Of course, I have to get a soft pretzel and strawberry lemonade at Auntie Anne’s. After that, we’ve got a few impulse buys thrown in and probably a lunch or dinner bill. And I may or may not actually find any clothing I like! So, for me, Stitch Fix is actually a cheaper solution overall.

Also, I’ve chosen to use my business account to pay for Stitch Fix items. I’ll showcase the pieces here on the blog and wear them to professional events, which helps make them tax deductible. And, most importantly, because the money is coming out of my own business stash, it inspires and encourages me to help grow my business even more, which I consider a winning combo. 🙂

So let’s take a look at my first Stitch Fix, shall we? I totally did not anticipate how excited I would get about this little box coming in the mail. I am officially hooked on Stitch Fix! I changed the frequency of fixes to come every month now, instead of every other month.

The first piece I tried on was the Nic Striped Dress. I love the material, the fit, the length and the pattern. I felt like this dress was made for me. It was a keeper! I also love how Stitch Fix provides a style card with suggestions for what to wear with each piece. I used their recommendations and paired the dress with a denim jacket and ankle boots from my closet.

Here’s a look at the dress without the jacket:

The material is super soft and feels high-end. This is literally my new favorite piece of clothing. I wore it to church last Sunday confidently!

The second piece I tried on was the Turk Bow Back Top.

I loved the fabric, color, polka dot pattern and cute bow in the back.

However, I ultimately returned this piece because I felt the fit was a little too flowy for my taste and the length stopped at the widest spot on my hips.

The third piece I tried on was the Corinna Striped Dolman Top.

Love everything about this one. Keeper! The length, the color, the pattern, the color … perfection! I paired it with some Levi skinny jeans and $10 ballet flats from Walmart I had in my closet.

The fourth piece I tried on was the Yuli Lace Cap Sleeve Blouse.

I loved the lace detail of this top and the fabric felt heavy and luxurious. However, I’m not a fan of capped sleeves (upper arm flab) and, again, the length stopped at the widest spot on my hips. Returned this one.

This top did inspire me to create a pair of shorts to go with it, though. I simply took an old pair of white jeans (probably from 1997), cut them to the knee, and added a seamed cuff using iron-on hemming tape.

The final piece in my Stitch Fix box was the Patrick Cropped Chino Pant.

I didn’t pose for a picture in these pants because, frankly, they looked absolutely disastrous on me. You know that moment in the dressing room when you see how bad something looks on you and you race to get it off before the mirror reflection is burned into your memory? Yea, that was these pants. They fit my body, but they definitely did not flatter it. Returned. 

So ultimately I kept two out of the five pieces in my first Stitch Fix. I’m excited about what will be in next month’s box!

Finally, I have to share with you the photographer who took the pictures for this month’s Stitch Fix “fashion shoot.” My normal photographer (the hubs) was out of town last week, so I enlisted the help of a backup – my 8-year-old!

Did she do an amazing job, or what? 😉

How Stitch Fix works:

1. Sign up for a Stitch Fix account.
2. Fill out your style profile. You’ll give very specific details on your budget preference (I chose “the cheaper, the better”), sizes you wear, styles you like, colors you like, types of clothes you like, and what clothing pieces you need/want. It’s encouraged to be very detailed in your descriptions and share a Pinterest board to give the Stitch Fix stylists a good feel for your tastes in clothing. (I did this and it helped them tremendously. They nailed my style!)
3. Choose when and how often you’d like to receive a Stitch Fix. Then go to checkout and pay a $20 styling fee (this is then applied as a credit toward anything you choose to keep from what they send).
4. One of the Stitch Fix stylists will look in-depth at your style profile, sizes and preferences and put together a box of five items based upon what they think you’ll like and what they think will work for you.
5. You’ll receive your Stitch Fix in the mail. You have three business days to go through everything and choose what to keep and what to ship back in the postage-paid shipping bag they include in the box. Stitch Fix does not require a membership fee or a monthly subscription and you can cancel or change how often your fix ships at any time.

If you decide to try Stitch Fix, I hope you’ll use one of the referral links to Stitch Fix that I’ve provided in this post. It will give me a small discount on my next fix. And if you refer your friends, be sure to give them your referral link, so you can get a discount, too. 🙂