Stitch Fix | Spring 2021

The first—and only—time I’ve gotten a Stitch Fix box was in 2013. At the time, I was a few months into the job I’m still at (!) and looking for nice, business-profesh clothes. Unfortunately, I also didn’t have the kind of disposable income that you need to afford Stitch Fix. (I’ll be the first to say that it isn’t really affordable in any sense of the word.) But times are a’changing as my salary has greatly increased over the last 7 years to the point that paying $58 for a shirt doesn’t feel so ridiculous or out of my budget. (That’s a really good feeling, I must admit.)

Like most of us, the pandemic has shifted my style dramatically. I mostly wear yoga pants and comfy tees all day long, and every now and then, I’ll pull out jeans and a nice top. Also like most of us, I’ve gained a bit of weight over the past year and what used to fit me and feel good no longer does. I need a wardrobe refresh, is what I’m saying. After enjoying Kim’s Stitch Fix blog posts and being intrigued by the pieces in her box, I decided to give it a go this month! I was expecting to receive stuff I didn’t love or didn’t fit me (because I’m a pessimist, okay?!) but I was wonderfully surprised! Let’s dive into what I got. (Fair warning: I am not a fashion blogger nor do I aspire to be. So please don’t judge my photos, haha.)

Item #1: Skinny Jeans ($88)

I loved these jeans! They fit perfectly and have a stretch to them, so they’re super comfortable, too. I love the length (they are technically ankle-length, but with my height, they fit like normal long jeans, haha) and how they don’t ride down when I’m bending over. Plus, they really emphasize my chicken legs. (My legs are weirdly skinny compared to the rest of my body.) These were an easy keep. 

Item #2: Kimono ($34)

 

I remember a friend raving about the versatility of kimonos a few years ago, but I never thought they’d work for me until I got this one in my Stitch Fix box. I love this piece! It makes me feel flirty and fun and confident. It will be an easy piece to wear—just slip it over a black tank and I’m good to go. Plus, it’s lightweight so I’ll even be able to wear it throughout the summer! This was a keep, of course.

Item #3: Purple Knit Tee ($28)

I had high hopes for this top, but the length was all wrong for my short frame. It fit me well everywhere else—shoulders, chest, stomach, etc—but I like my tops to hit around my hips and this one fell a few inches below that. The good news is, since I was over at my mom’s house at the time I tried on my clothes (I needed her full-length mirror as I still have yet to replace the one I broke during my move), she tried it on and loved it! So she got a new shirt out of the deal. This was a keep—to give to my mom. Hehe.

Item #4: Brushed Knit Top ($38)

I had a feeling I was going to love this shirt, and I did! I love shirts with 3/4-length sleeves and anything with stripes gets a gold star from me. Plus, the material is so soft and cozy. This shirt fit me perfectly and I just feel really good when I wear it, too, which is the most important thing. (It was slightly longer than I like, but hopefully will shrink a bit in the wash.) This was a keep, of course!

Item #5: Split-Neck Knit Top ($54)

I had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be a love. There were just a lot of things going wrong with this shirt for me: (1) an empire waistline, which always serves to make me look pregnant and worry I’m going to be asked the dreaded, “So when are you due?” question; (2) the cap sleeves, which I don’t think show off my arms in an appealing way; (3) the pattern, which I just didn’t really care for. It was also slightly too big. Anyway, this was an immediate discard, but my mom tried it on and loved it on her, so I let her keep it for herself! (Mom really lucked out with my Stitch Fix box, haha.)

Thoughts on My First Stitch Fix Box

I was really pleased with everything I got! If you keep everything in your Stitch Fix box, they give you a 25% discount, so even though I kept two shirts that didn’t totally work for me, it was actually cheaper for me to keep everything than to send back the shirts. (Plus, my mom paid me for the shirts she kept so I made out like gangbusters, haha.) I gave feedback on the selections to my stylist, specifically mentioning what I didn’t love about the two pieces that didn’t work well for me. I also realized I could probably go down a size in shirts (I asked for 1X plus-size shirts, but I’m probably more of an XXL in “regular” sizes) because all of the shirts I got were just a little too big (even the brushed knit top is a little roomier than I like). So hopefully in my next box, the shirts will fit me better!

I’m definitely planning on continuing with Stitch Fix, probably getting a box once a quarter. It’s pricey, so it’s not something I can do on a monthly basis (this box cost me $181), but I want to make room in my budget to allow myself to update my wardrobe with a few new pieces every once in a while. Plus, it’s just fun to get a box with clothes that an actual stylist picked out for me! I don’t particularly love shopping for clothes and can fall into a rut of just choosing stuff that deemphasizes parts of me I don’t like, so it was good to recognize that I can find clothes that make me feel good and confident.