Stitch Fix Flop

I had read about Stitch Fix in a Time magazine article. I did have some hesitation after looking over the web site, but decided to try it just for the experience.

The 5 items your stylist picks for you come in this box. I had answered the questions on the profile and spent quite a bit of time setting up a wardrobe board on Pinterest with clothes I liked. Most of my examples I pinned were from blogs of mature women (over 50) with conservative classic clothes, mostly casual, not professional business.

You can leave comments for the stylist such as whether you are seeking clothes for a specific event. I said I was especially looking for a pair of white pants to wear to the formal dining room on my Caribbean cruise next winter. I specifically said these needed to be something other than denim. (That is one of the takeaways of looking at their site: they like to use denim pants as foundations of the wardrobe.)

Before I show you the items I received, I will say that when I checked out (returning all of the items) I had to state the main reason from a list of reasons why I was returning the clothes. I chose that the stylist did not listen to me. See if you agree. 

Inside the box was this wrapped group. 

In the middle of the stack, what do you see? Orange! In my profile I said no orange. I hate orange. The white pants were indeed denim after saying no denim. Already two out of the five would be going back. 

Tunic of  hot pink and orange with the orange cord at the neck definitely making the orange stand out. The style and fit were OK. I had pinned quite a few tunics on my Pinterest board. 

Skirt fit well, the swing style was acceptable, the length good. But what colors do you see? Blue (my favorite) and medallions of yellow and orange! The price a bit higher than I usually pay, but then I expected things to be marked up so they make a profit. Since I don't have any tops with yellow or orange in my wardrobe, what would I wear it with except white? You'll see the suggested tops on the style card later.

I liked the magenta color of this top. It fit pretty well and the neckline wasn't revealing as I had asked on my profile. But it is sleeveless, a style I don't wear because in order to fit my ample bust I wear a good-sized top. Manufacturers seem to think women with larger busts must have large arms as well. That means a huge arm hole exposing one's bra. No thanks. This was not the stylist's fault. I hadn't mentioned anything about the problem with sleeveless and short cap sleeves. Nonetheless, it was going back. 

The colors in this photo did not come out realistic at all. This was a navy top which fit well except again big gaping arm holes exposing my brassier. Returned it.

Along with the clothes comes a note from your stylist. I'll give her credit that at least she read my instructions about the white pants. She said: "You were on the hunt for a pair of white pants to wear on the cruise to the Caribbean, but unfortunately I wasn't able to identify the perfect pair for you that weren't jeans." So don't send white denim which were already going to be a strikeout for me.

She suggested that the jeans could be "dressy" by wearing the navy top she sent and a pair of heels. Of course, in the profile where I had to identify the acceptable kinds of shoes, I had said I never wear heels anymore. 

You receive a style card of suggestions along with the clothes. Notice on the upper left, the suggested tops for the skirt include a gold one. I had marked gold as a color I didn't like. The white blouse with blue trim and the denim jacket were good suggestions.
I don't own a denim jacket though.

In the middle we have the pink/orange tunic with short shorts. Right, as though a 68-year-old woman is going to wear short shorts. They do have your age in the profile. The suggestions with the other items weren't bad except they had heels or in a few cases shoes that looked similar to the ones in my style "test" that I marked as "don't like at all". 

I had originally planned to wait until autumn and ask for skirts. I really do need a pair of white pants though so thought I better ask in the right season. 

I put all 5 items into the prepaid envelope and already returned it to the post office this afternoon. (I received the box in the mail today.)
I critiqued the individual items in the checkout process. One of the questions (yes/no) was whether I will schedule another fix. Despite saying no, the next screen came up wanting me to choose a date or allow them to put me on a regular shipment schedule. (I had said originally that I would receive shipments "on demand", that is when I chose to order.)

I feel that 3 of the items were not going to be acceptable because they ignored the profile (no orange) or the instructions to the stylist (no white denim). I will lose my $20 stylist fee that would have been applied to the cost of any item I purchased. The last message that Stitch Fix sent before I logged off was that I would be assigned a different stylist. I also said no sleeveless tops in the critique. So perhaps things would be better on a second "fix", but right now I am not inclined to get another one. Many people say it takes them 4-6 fixes to get a box of things they love. Some also mentioned that they bought an item that they thought was just OK in order not to lose the styling fee. 

I may try Trunk Call for Women which is similar and run by Nordstoms. That involves a more lengthy email or phone conversation rather than an online profile by itself. I don't feel up to that right now.