Stitch Fix Review: June 2016

I find myself deep in contemplative thought today... burdened with truth to share with you, though it may be hard to hear. Are you ready?

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.

Stitch Fix Review: May 2016

So, I may have been a little late to the Stitch Fix party, but dang is it fun. Today I'll be bringing you fix #3. Why didn't I bring you #1 & #2? Because #1 was an experiment. And #2 was a complete bust.

In case you haven't heard about it, Stitch Fix is a stylist service in which you fill out a profile, jot down some notes, and link your profile to your Pintrest board of fashion inspiration. From that, a stylist selects 5 items to send you based on your preferences and style. They sometimes give you exactly what you pinned, and sometimes give you something they think you might like based on what you pinned. Sometimes its something you wouldn't have ever tried on, but SURPRISE, you love it. Sometimes they send you something you'd have only tried on in the store as a joke. And you laugh at yourself in the mirror at home.

There's a $20 styling fee that applies towards any of the clothes that you keep. If you keep all 5 items, you get 25% off. If you want to try it out, consider using this link: stitchfix.com/referral/7254645

So now let's get to the fun. Pictures:

First up: Pixley Panorama Henley Blouse; $48. Verdict: KEEP

Very similar to an item I pinned, yet I still didn't think I'd like it all that much. It seemed a little country western to me. Until I put it on. Then I was like "Hmmm. Better than I'd thought." But there were other items in the box I was more excited about so I moved on. Then I took pictures of myself and looked back and that's when I fell in love with this shirt. I didn't expect to. As a matter of fact, I thought this baby was going back, but.. yeah. It's staying.

Style card suggested a long tan cardigan and distressed jeans. This is as close as I had. Granted, I won't wear boots all winger, but I couldn't help pairing it with my favorite brown boots. Super comfy and stylish. Yay!

My style card also recommended a black pencil skirt and grey blazer. Pencil skirts: I have a ton of. Grey blazer, not so much. But still. tucking it into the pencil skirt both felt and looked good. Not sure I'll be wearing my heels anytime soon, but at least they look good!

Next up: Level 99 Cindie Linin Printed Short; $78. Verdict: RETURN

I had told my stylist I was in a summery floral kind of mood, so she sent me these shorts. On the pro side of things, they were crazy soft. Seriously, this material was heaven. And the print wasn't crazy out there. I was tempted. But at $78, I wasn't willing to risk not wearing them. Plus, I had just bought a pair of striped shorts from White House Black Market, and the stripes were enough of an experiment for me this month.

Still, I tried them on with a navy tee shirt. Not terrible. (And can I say how proud I am to have my waistline back 8 months postpartum? This is what walking 8 mi/day during pregnancy and 4-6 after will do)

Also tried out with a basic white tee. Still ok, but I wasn't falling in love with them.

My stylist notes recommended trying it out with this Daniel Rainn top. So I tried. And laughed. Not a great look on me.

But since I had it on...
Daniel Rainn Angelika Crochet Detail Top; $64. Verdict: RETURN

...I tried it with something I would likely pair it with on my own: my Kut from the Kloth bermudas. I thought maybe the tighter shorts would work better with the fuller top.

Nope.

Maybe untucked with white capris? Nope. Figured out that the armholes were what was actually bugging me. Oh, and looking back at this picture made me start singing "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard" --- which is a hysterical youtube you should look up if you haven't seen it yet.

One last wardrobe pairing attempt: I added my trusty blue cardigan. I wear this bad boy too much. Love it. Sure enough, it (along with my Katie & Kelly blue pumps) fixed the outfit.

But I don't wear heels much as a stay at home mom with an infant. And keeping a shirt that I can only wear under something else didn't make the $64 price tag work for me.

Next up: Papermoon Pontiac Crossback Knit Top; $44. Verdict: KEEP

My style card recommended I wear this with a long grey draping cardigan and jeans or a grey jacket and white pants. I had some of those pieces, but not all, so I paired it with what I had: a White House Black Market blazer and white jeans. LOVE it.

Oh, and I even broke out my WHBM nude colored booties. With a nearly 5" heel, they don't make it out of the closet much anymore (I wore them a lot as the youngest and shortest manager in my office) but not much anymore. Looking back at these pictures, that might have to change. What do you think? Could I rock these while pushing a stroller for 4 miles? Think the neighbors might wonder about my sanity? Yeah, me too. But then again... aren't good shoes worth a little crazy?

Since my stylist also recommended this shirt to pair with the floral Level 99 shorts, but i'd already decided on sending those back, I tried out this shirt with my new WHBM striped shorts. Hmmmm. Not sure I love them together. What do you think?

Tried it on with bootcut jeans, Calvin Klein draped cardigan, and my favorite denim flats. Still looking pretty decent.

The reality though, is I am most likely to wear it solo. Without any cardigans. It is summer after all... And it has these great lacy sleeves and cross-back design. I'm seriously in love with this shirt. Oh and it's soft. SO. SOFT. It kinda feels like the best pajamas - that soft.

Last up: Gilli Sebastian Maxi Dress; $78. Verdict: RETURN

I had pinned this exact dress, so props to my stylist for paying close attention. She also took note of my need for breastfeeding friendly clothes. This dress fit that bill perfectly.

Unfortunately, I'm 5'3" (if I'm being generous), and you can see me holding the dress off the floor when wearing flats. Little hint here: with an infant and a high energy dog, you don't have a spare hand to hold your skirt up.

But for giggles, I tried it on with my WHBM 5" booties and Calvin Klein cardigan, and HEY! This is what normal height girls look like! Sadly though, I know I'd want to wear this dress all the time, which meant I'd have to wear heels all the time. And that ain't happening. Yes, I could have hemmed it, but hemming knits is no fun.

So there it is: stitch #3. What do you think of my choices? Anything you would have kept or sent back differently? 

But seriously, if you haven't, go search "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard" --- it'll get stuck in your head, but it's completely worth it. Assuming you have a bit of the dork blood that I have running through my veins.