Budgets. Suck.
There, I said it.
This fix, my stylist Sarah absolutely nailed it style wise. I wanted to keep everything. I mean, I seriously thought about telling Paul we needed to eat Ramon Noodles for a couple of weeks to support my fix. Gosh, it really is a bit of an addiction, isn't it?
In case you haven't heard about Stitch Fix, it's a styling service that sends you 5 clothing items for you to try on in the comfort of your own home. You keep what you want and send back what you don't in a postage paid envelop. The service costs you a $20 styling fee, which is applied towards anything you purchase. I love it because I'm reinventing my style now that I've left my corporate job behind and am embracing my life (and new post baby body) as a stay at home mom. Though, to be fair, my "corporate life" over the last few years was working from home in yoga pants and a messy bun --- further evidence that I needed style help.
If you want to try it out, please use my referral code!stitchfix.com/referral/7254645
Now for the fun stuff: the clothes! In the box comes a style card with suggestions of how to wear your new items. Some people don't care about these cards. I am NOT one of those people. I would never think to pair my new clothes with some of my other items. I admit it, my general dressing routine is 1) find shirt in laundry basket of clean clothes that I haven't put away yet, 2) dig in the same basket for jeans and 3) don't find jeans in the basket, so grab a pair out of the semi-dirty pile on top of the hamper in the closet.
I'm not proud, but that's the way things go around here. So, basically, left to my own devices, an outfit is shirt + jeans + maybe shoes. Done. See again why I need help?
The items come folded neatly in the box with just a hint of the colors and textures you have in store for you. I can't describe what fun it is to peek in the box and see this!
Item #1: Loveappella Beani Knit Top; $48. RETURNED
My stylist knows my favorite color is blue of any form, but I have a particular weakness for mint/aqua so she delivered this shirt. She paid attention to my style profile in which I said I walk 4-6 miles everyday with my dog and baby, so she included this knit shirt. It would wear well, was very comfortable, and would hold up to the long walks. But at the end of the day, it was just a plain t-shirt and I can't justify spending almost $50 on something that I could get on clearance at the outlets for $10. Had I kept the other items for the 25% off discount, this puppy would have been free and very welcome in my closet.
Item 2: Loveappella Gaura Back Detail Knit Top; $54. KEPT
I have a thing for stripes, but I don't own a lot of them. Navy blue and white? Absolutely love it. I'm not afraid to admit that I may have hugged this shirt a bit before I even tried it on. Then I saw the bow on the back and knew without a doubt that it was going to have a home in my closet.
Item 3: Emer Printed Straight Leg Pant; $98. KEPT
So you got a little peek at these pants above, because my stylist recommended I pair the Emer pants with the Loveappella. I kinda like them together, but then I looked at the style card which showed a jean jacket with the pants and TADA - it worked! Amazing what the third item does to complete the outfit. I had asked for Emer pants because I saw some on Pintrest and was loving the idea of zipper-less pants. I also love my Liverpool Mira Jeans from my first fix for the same reason. Now that I've lost a bit more of the baby weight, I will probably be asking for another Mira in my new size. (Yay!) But I digress...
These particular Emers are a bit of a stretch for me. They have the subtlest little pattern to them: just a little 1" geometric woven into them. Its very subdued and you have to be close to see it. I'm not generally a pattern on the bottom kind of person because I feel like it usually draws the eye down. When you are a 5'3" lady with a bit of a pear shape, you don't usually draw attention to your lower half, but I'm giving these pants a try. It's a $98 risk, and one I don't take lightly, but I think I can do this. Stitch Fix is all about branching out and pushing your comfort zone. So, here goes. I'll let you know how it goes.
Item 4: Marlow Jersey Shirt Dress, $118. RETURNED.
I really wanted to keep this dress. I mean, really REALLY wanted to keep it. I can't describe how soft the material was and how it felt on. Being a shirt dress, it was breastfeeding friendly, something I emphasized in my profile and Sarah keeps in mind when she sends me items. The length hit just the right place on my legs to lengthen them and somehow make them seem slimmer too. This dress was magical and I loved it.
But it was $118. Which would have meant it would have been the only item I could have kept this month. We had a lot of expenses crop up this last month: an almost $300 tow bill from a oopsie parking job plus needing to buy airfare for a wedding coming up in Sept. So yeah, I had to be super selective this month. Which I didn't like to do.
So, sadly, I gave this dress one last longing look and placed it in the return pile. Boo.
Item #5: 41Hawthorn Kasside Faux Wrap Dress; $68. RETURNED
Ok, first of all, I apologize for the really ridiculous pose. Yikes. But the little one started fussing and the dog kept trying to play and I gave up getting a decent shot. So, yeah. Welcome to the faux-bow tie pose. Ugh.
I really did like the way this dress felt on. I was comfortable, and I knew I'd wear it to church. It was again super breastfeeding friendly and the material was soft. But it had just a bit too much material in the wrap that made me look like I have more of a post-baby bulge than I actually do. And the color was more bold than I'm generally comfortable with. That being said, Paul really liked it and I liked it enough that had it not been a lean budget month, it would have found a place in my closet.
There ya have it: my June fix. I'm sad to say I changed my fix frequency to be quarterly instead of monthly, so we won't get another one until September. On the upside, that one will arrive just before that wedding that hit our budget this month. Soooo... between already paying off that trip now and not getting a fix for a few months, I should be able to have the budget to keep more items. I've already updated my style note to ask for good travel clothes: a casual dress for the outdoor wedding, a comfortable pair of travel pants and a versatile jacket for the trip and autumn in general. We'll see what Sarah sends me... Gosh, how am I going to wait that long?!?!
Trust me. Sign up for a fix. It's like Christmas. Whenever you want.
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