Hi, friends! Last week, my quarterly Stich Fix box arrived and I was so pleased with it! I’ll cut to the chase now: I kept everything I received. No surprises here! It was a really good box, filled with lots of clothes I’ll be wearing throughout the summer (and fall… and winter… sigh).
However, even though this Stitch Fix was so successful (and most of my SF boxes have been very successful), I am going to take a break from SF for a while. I’ve never been someone who needed an overflowing wardrobe; I like having a pared-down closet so it’s easy to select what I want to wear. And since I work from home, having a robust wardrobe is much less needed. I’ve had fun doing Stitch Fix and getting some new items for my closet, especially clothes that fit me well and make me feel good. That was the main reason I started doing Stitch Fix. I wasn’t feeling good in what I was wearing. I’ve gained significant weight during this pandemic and it was time to start dressing for the body I have now (and may continue to have well into the future). I deserve to feel good in my clothes, even if I am plus-size, even if I have a fat body. And Stitch Fix (and doing these posts where I show my whooooole body) has really helped me figure out my style, love my body as it is now, and feel good in my clothes. My wardrobe is in a good place now, and I want to take a break from my quarterly fixes to reassess my closet and only buy things when there’s a need.
Well, that was a tangent, wasn’t it? Ha! Let’s get into what I received in this Fix:
Market & Spruce Mid-Rise Shorts
I liked these shorts, but they felt a bit tight and a little on the shorty-short side. They fit me well in the waist, but just seemed to be a little tight in the thigh area. I like my shorts to feel a little looser than these do. And I’m going to be a little honest and vulnerable here, and recognize that this may be a bit fatphobic, but I feel like you can really just see all of my stomach fat in these shorts. They don’t make me feel good, is what I’m saying, and I found myself thinking mean things about myself as I took the pictures of me in these shorts. I’m saying all of this just as a reminder that being fat positive can be very, very hard some days. On other days, like the day I’m writing this post and editing the photos, I think, “You look good in those shorts, Steph!” So what if you can see my stomach fat? You can always see my stomach fat because I have it and that’s okay! While I don’t know how often I’ll end up wearing these shorts, I am glad I kept them. (It was cheaper to keep them than return them, considering I liked everything else in my box.)
Market & Spruce Pocket Short-Sleeve Tee
I was iffy on whether or not I wanted to keep this shirt. It was a little longer than I like and just seems to hang down a few inches past my hips. But it felt great on me. It was so comfortable and I love the way it fit in my shoulders and chest. I guess I could try the tucked-in look that everyone is doing these days? (I have not mastered the tucked-in look at all.) Anyway, I decided to keep it and I’m crossing my fingers it will shrink a bit in the wash.
Market & Spruce Henly Sleeveless Top
This is one of the shirts I picked in my preview and I’m so happy I loved it when I put it on. It’s nice and light, perfect for the summertime. I love a sleeveless top that doesn’t cut off my arms in a weird way and this one is exactly my style. I can tell it has a tendency to easily get wrinkled and it’s a little see-through, but otherwise, I love this shirt and it was an easy one to keep.
Market & Spruce Henly Top
This was another shirt that was in my preview that I just had to get. Isn’t the pattern so fun and summery? I love shirts in this style and I don’t have enough of them. I just feel like they really flatter my body and they are lightweight so they’re perfect for those humid Florida summers. This one will be in popular rotation in my wardrobe, I’m sure of it!
Kaileigh Knit Dress
You guysssss. I love this dress so, so much. I have no idea how often I’ll wear it. I’d probably wear it more often if I worked in an office, but I just couldn’t return this dress. It fits me perfectly. It’s such a bright color in a fun pattern. It makes me FEEL good. And the sleeves give me heart-eyes. I had to keep this dress, and I know I’m going to be happy I did.
Tell me about your wardrobe: do you love having lots of options or do you prefer the minimalist style?
What great additions to your wardrobe. I like that M&S Henly top a lot!
My wardrobe is pretty limited and I hold on to items for a long, long time. I’m not really a minimalist, but I don’t have closets and closets full of clothes, either. I’m also a ruthless declutterer and will go through clothes with gusto to donate to Goodwill.
I love a good closet clean-out, too! I’ve been trying to be better about following the “one in, one out” rule and donating one item of clothing for every item I bring in. And if I find myself passing over a specific piece of clothing again and again, it’s a good sign that I just need to donate it.
What a fun batch of clothing! That Henly top is my favorite – the pattern is fun and that color looks good one you. I have not done stitch fix in ages. I did not have the best experience – they did not understand how to select clothes for Minnesota! I would consider trying it again, though, as it seems like it has changed a lot!
I have gone through 4 years of body changes with pregnancy, pumping, breast feeding, etc. It feels good to have all those changes behind me and to know that I will never go through those changes again. So now I am trying to figure out how I want to dress/how many options I need. I have so many clothes of varying sizes so I am working on figuring out what still fits, what I feel drawn to wearing, etc. At most I will be in the office 3 days/week but I am hoping to shift that down to 2, so I need less dressy/work clothes than I used to and the work wardrobe has really changed post-pandemic and is more casual. Eventually I will work with a wardrobe consultant but I need to get a better idea of what I need before I make that kind of investment!
I can’t wait to read about your experience with a wardrobe consultant! That will be such a neat experience, but yes, quite the investment so you want to make sure you get the most out of it!
First of all, I just adore you, and you are beautiful and everything you said about working to love our bodies as they are was so relatable and resonant. Secondly, these clothes are fabulous! All super cute, but I especially love the striped T (and I LOVE it with the shorts!) and the dress. OMG that dress!!!!!
Suzanne, this comment! It brought me so much joy. Thank you for all of your kind words. Getting to this place has been such a long process, but it feels so good to be here and to love my body the way it is NOW.
Oooh, fun! I’m so boring when it comes to clothes (well, when it comes to a lot of things I guess.). I haven’t bought anything new in a while, so it’s fun for me to live vicariously with your Stitch Fix posts. Having said that, I can see why you’re taking a break- once you have a bunch of clothes you love, there’s no need to get more and more.
I love all these on you! The sleeveless shirts are super flattering (and I do love the pattern on the blue one!) And those shorts look good on you- I’m glad you kept them.
I can understand being boring when it comes to clothes. That’s another reason why I started doing Stitch Fix – I wanted to revamp my wardrobe a bit and wanted someone to pick out clothes that would be different than what I would normally select. It’s a good option for that!
I have lately just haaaated everything I try on, & I was really bummed that my last Fix was full of things I absolutely loathed, stye-wise. I missed the window to preview my items (I didn’t see the email or something), so the whole box was a surprise — & a bad one. After that, I decided to skip indefinitely, & I’ve kept bumping back my next box. I’m thinking about trying another service, maybe one designed for plus-sized clothing, because I always kind of feel like StitchFix only has so many options for fat women & they just keep foisting them upon me, even though none of them are my style.
THAT SAID, these all look really cute on you. You look great in bright, summery colors & patterns!
I’ve done something like 8-10 Fixes at this point and I’ve only gotten a preview email twice! It’s always a big surprise when I get it, haha.
Thankfully, my stylist has been really great at selecting pieces for me and I find that their plus-size clothing is really comfortable and flattering on my body. But I know that isn’t the case for everyone! I’m sorry it’s been such a disappointment for you. Hopefully there is a plus-size option that will work better!
That dress is so, so cute.
And AMEN – we all deserve to dress ourselves in clothes that make us feel confident. No waiting for a certain size and weight, we can do it NOW. Such an important message, but sadly so hard for most of us to embrace in real life. You look lovely and confident <3
I am definitely a minimalist. I like having a small selection of clothes and about 95% of them come from second-hand sources. I have a few pops of colour and pattern, but tend to be conservative with dark colours (which suit me best and are the easiest to keep clean).
I’m always so impressed at the pieces you find at secondhand stores! I’m never very successful, probably because it’s a bit harder to find plus-size options at those stores.
I think you look absolutely fabulous in all of those outfits! I especially love that dress. What a perfect cut and colour for you.
I 100% agree that you should love your clothes and wear clothes that make you feel good! I love that you are doing that. I have a pretty big wardrobe, and by big, I mean it’s kind of overflowing and I am planning a cull in the next couple of weeks. I like to have lots of options and in a cold climate, I also like to have lots of layers. But…do I need 30 black sweaters? I mean, that’s what we are dealing with here. This is not an exaggeration. But yet I love them all. I love clothes and fashion. I feel like if I were in a warmer climate I might not have so many clothes but I live here, so I like options.
I totally understand wanting to have lots of options, especially since you see so many different seasons/weather in a typical year. For us, it’s just hot, mild, and cold, lol. I would like to have more options for cold weather, but it always feels so silly to have lots of cold-weather clothes when it only dips below 50 degrees a few days out of the year!
That dress is gorgeous. Yellow just makes me so happy anyways.
& I am totally needing to look for that pocket tee – I never can find a longer tee. They always just hit me below the waist – raise my hands & its a free peep show. Not really, but its still skin exposed & I’m like NOOOOO
Stitch Fix has lots of longer tees, so you’d have a lot of luck in that department! And you can buy right from their website without committing to a SF subscription!
I joined Stitch Fix a couple seasons ago. I had a couple so-so fixes but the one I got last week really hit it out of the park. I kept every item in it, including two pairs of shorts. This is a big deal for me because up until last year I had not worn shorts in public since I was about 12. (Why did I wait until I had turned 40 and had two babies and varicose veins? What, exactly, did I think was wrong with my perfectly fine legs at 16? I mean, I know what I thought was wrong with them, but it is so sad and laughable now.) Anyway, the whole no-shorts policy was starting to seem self-hating and immature, but I hated all the cheap shorts I got from Old Navy; they were somehow too tight and too loose at the same time. But the two pairs Stitch Fix sent me were amazing! I’ve already worn them both into the actual world and it’s not even that hot where I am. I feel liberated from my shortsphobia, and in general so grateful to Stitch Fix for providing judgement-free style even to those of us who aren’t sample sizes.
This comment makes me so happy! I am so glad that you were able to find some great shorts from Stitch Fix. I really do think the stylist do a great job of finding clothes that are so flattering on different bodies. And I hear you on not wearing shorts for such a long time; it’s a sad reality for so many women, but so liberating when we can find shorts that make us feel good and wear them out in public! I’m so proud of you!
THAT DRESSSSS! It’s gorgeous on you. I love the shirts you picked too in the preview. I did my first Stitch Fix a few weeks ago, and it was so fun. Made me try things I never would have tried on my own but ended up loving.
I’m glad you had a positive experience with your first Stitch Fix! It’s really fun, especially when the stylist picks out flattering clothes that you love!
Everything looks so great! I especially love the blue top and yellow dress too!
Thanks for being vulnerable with us <3 I hope you can wear the shorts and feel good, but like you said, the whole reason you did this was to get clothes that made you feel good! So in that vein, I also understand keeping them because it was cheaper 😉
I like having lots of options but not TOO many. I think I would honestly prefer all my options to be my SF stuff and get rid of the rest (the stuff that does not fit or I do not like). I donated a bunch of too small clothes this weekend! There is no point in holding on!!!!
Holding on to too-small clothes is such a pattern for me, too! And it’s so silly because if I do end up losing the weight I need to fit into those clothes again, I’m probably going to want something new and fun. And it just doesn’t feel good to have those clothes there, taunting me. Good job at getting rid of your clothes!
Oh, the Henley Top and the dress are such great choices for you (the other items, too!). I’d really like to try Stitch Fix sometime… when I shop, I tend to reach for the basics (basic colors, basic shirts, etc.) and it would be so fun to spruce up my wardrobe a bit with some professional help.
I’m the same way when I shop, so it was really fun to let a stylist take over and make me try things I wouldn’t normally reach for!
I could not love this post more. I actually like the shorts on you! The length is good, they clearly fit, etc. 🙂 And the rest of this Fix is just as good! I love how you embrace color and pattern. You and Kim. I’m in Elisabeth’s camp of less color. I did find some additional colors in my summer stuff, though winter is nearly exclusively navy, gray, black, and brown. LOL
My wardrobe is usually not super colorful, which is why I love Stitch Fix so much. It forces you to embrace color in your wardrobe! 🙂