My 100% Honest Stitch Fix Review

I have been well aware of Stitch Fix for a lot of years, but I have never tried it. In fact, I may be the last blogger out there to give it a shot. I am not one to hop on the "everyone is doing it" bandwagon, so while I knew about Stitch Fix, and was intrigued by the idea of it, I just hadn't tried it yet. There are a few reasons for that. The biggest one is that I am a budget shopper. I get more joy out of finding a great deal on the sale rack or at a thrift store than I do buying something for full price.  It's a weird goal of mine to pull together an outfit for less money than a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Surprisingly, I succeed in that quite often and most people wouldn't know that the majority of my clothes are used. Keep that little bit of information in mind while reading this review. If you have no idea what a Stitch Fix is, let me fill you in. 

What is Stitch Fix?

Stitch Fix is an online clothing and accessory company that uses your style profile to create the perfect 5 piece Fix for you. You pay a $20 styling fee, and the stylist helps to pull items he or she thinks you would like and would fit you best based on the style profile that you have created.  The $20 styling fee can be used as a credit towards anything you keep in your shipment. Keep all five items in your Fix and you get a 25% discount on your whole Fix. You have three days to decide what you like, and what you don't like simply gets returned in the prepaid postage bag.  I really didn't think I had a lot to lose other than my $20 styling fee so I gave it a shot. This is not a sponsored post. I got nothing for free, I just know there are a few of my readers who know about Stitch Fix and are sitting on the fence trying to decide if it's right for you. So here you go, my 100% honest Stitch Fix review, with the help of a Stitch Fix fanatic who gave me her 5 tried and true tips on getting the perfect Stitch Fix from your stylist every time.

5 Tips to Ensure You get the Perfect Fix from Stitch Fix

I have a sorority sister who loves her Stitch Fix. Honestly, seeing her post about her Fixes made me want to give them a shot. Back in June, Laurie posted some of her tried and true tips to getting the perfect Fix time and time again.  After she posted those tips, some of our other mutual friends said that her tips helped them get the perfect Fix after several strike outs in the past.  I thought, what do I have to lose? With her 5 tips and my $20, I can give this whole Stitch Fix thing a try. So let's see what kind of magic is in those tips shall we?

Laurie's 5 Tips to Getting the Perfect Stitch Fix

1. Most important in my opinion… Change your age in your profile to whatever age you want to dress like! I think my age in my profile is 31.

2. Provide a ton of feedback on each and every piece that they send to you. Whether you absolutely love it or absolutely hate it, tell your stylist why in great detail!
If you're still not getting the stuff that you want, ask to switch stylists, and if you love one particular box, request to keep that stylist!

3. Create a Pinterest board full of style ideas that you love and have your stylist follow you!

4. Make sure to take perfect measurements, and if your size changes, change your preferences in your account settings. I honestly have never had an easier time finding perfect fitting jeans. My measurements are exact in my profile and my jeans they send me fit me perfectly!!

5. If you need specific items in your wardrobe, ask for them specifically. I am always asking her for bright summer flowy tops, and colorful skinny jeans… And she always delivers!!

I actually would have a hard time thinking that anything Laurie put on wouldn't look good on her. And honestly, that's a complaint about Stitch Fix that I have heard from women who generally have a hard time getting any clothes off the rack to fit them well. I usually find clothes to fit me pretty easily, but I did make sure I paid careful attention to the sizes and measurements I used on my style profile.  

I had another friend tell me she had a few Fixes that just missed the mark. She said what finally worked for her was to literally write a novel about her daily life. She explained how she liked to dress and that her day consisted of teaching group fitness classes followed by volunteering in one of her three kids classrooms. She was very specific in her requests, even telling them not to send jewelry since she would prefer to find her accessories at the discount store in the mall.

So I set to work filling out my style profile. It took me about a half an hour because I wanted to make sure I had every measurement correct, every Pinterest pin I liked on my style board front and center and that I provided very specific information in my profile anytime there was a comment box.

Laurie's number 1 tip was to adjust your age to the age you want to dress like. I actually changed my age in my profile so that I was 8 years younger than I actually am.  Later on, in the special notes section, I actually wrote about an upcoming trip to Texas to visit my son in college. My guess is, that tidbit of information threw her off and she was on to me! Either I had a kid when I was 13 or I was lying about my age. I think that comment alone had my stylist sending me, shall we say, a more mature style right off the bat. I probably should have said that I was off to some hip concert in Austin and maybe I would have scored something a little different.

I also took into consideration Laurie's tip #5 and specifically asked for skinny jeans that had some spandex in them. OK, maybe THIS is what made the stylist know I wasn't as young and hip and I said I was in my age profile. Whatever.  

You do have the option to select "the cheaper the better" in the price range you like to pay for specific items. While this is totally true, I think that it didn't seem to matter in the stylist selection for me since my Stitch Fix included items that were in the average price range for a Fix that they had quoted on their FAQ page. Their cheap is not the same as my cheap. I passed up a shirt on clearance today at Target because at $13 it was still too expensive.  I kind of wonder what a Fix looks like when the "I typically spend $200+ on a top" item is selected. I'm guessing that person isn't buying the majority of her clothes at the Goodwill Outlet like I do.

I finally, set my Stitch Fix to arrive at the next available date and waited patiently for it to arrive. Excited to see what my stylist would select for me.

I received 5 pieces that included a pair of olive pants, a pair of spandex skinny jeans, one cowl neck sweater, a blouse, and a cardigan.  I loved that I received a style guide that showed me how to style the items that were sent to me. I actually looked at the guide and realized that I had a lot of the items they had suggested in my wardrobe already. I was able to pull together a lot of the looks they had styled for me. You know how you can walk into a closet full of clothes and think I have nothing to wear? Well, when you see it like this, it certainly helps you come up with some new ideas for outfits you wouldn't have thought to put together.

When I look at the style guide I was sent, I could see myself wearing 4, maybe 5 of the 10 outfits that are shown.

I had heard that when you get your box, your initial thought may be that you don't like the item. Try it on, it may surprise you. This was so true! I saw this navy blouse and really didn't like it folded up in the package. I looked at the way they styled it and really, it didn't seem like something I would wear, but I tried it on like they suggested and I actually really liked it.

The opposite was true for this sweater. I really liked it when I opened up the package, but once I put it on it was just meh.  

I've heard it said a thousand times by people who use Stitch Fix, they can try on 600 pairs of jeans at the store and not find a single pair they like, but a stylist with Stitch Fix can send them one pair and they fit like a dream.  This was so true! This pair fit perfectly but for $88 I really thought I could grab a pair for a fraction of the price that I liked just as much. The length was perfect though and there was just enough spandex to keep them comfortable but not enough for them to look like pajama jeans.

Speaking of pants, I also received this pair of straight leg olive pants. They were super comfortable, like I had my pajamas on.  I tried them on with items in my closet that looked similar to the styled profile images the stylist sent, but they really didn't seem like the most flattering pair of pants for me. They were a bit baggier than I like to wear and I didn't really like the items in my closet I had to wear with them. I'm not about to keep a pair of pants when I have nothing to wear with them.

I mentioned in my note that I am always cold. I like to wear layers year round and this was the solution. This is the one item that I feel was the most mature in the box. I really think it would be a great piece for a woman a few decades older than me, but it just isn't the style I was going for.

So what items did I keep in my Stitch Fix?

None of them. I really thought with my 5 tried and true tips from my Stitch Fix obsessed friend, I would score on at least a few items. And to be fair, I really was debating on two of the items. I would have kept the spandex jeans if they weren't so expensive. In fact, I sort of regret not keeping them now, but I have another pair that's similar in my closet and I paid $1 for them so I couldn't justify keeping them unless perhaps the ones in the Fix were a different color.  
I tried to keep the navy blouse and fully intended on using my styling fee credit to make it a more affordable $28, but after I took it off, I found this huge hole in the back of it. The hole was right where the sleeve seam meets the back and I know from sewing my own clothes, that that type of material runs easily on those edges that meet, so it didn't surprise me. I tried to request an exchange of the item but the shirt was no longer available, so I sent all 5 pieces back to Stitch Fix.

My honest thoughts about Stitch Fix

So here's what I think after I tried out Stitch Fix for the first time. 
If you are a budget shopper, you will have a hard time justifying the price of the items in your Fix. Don't bother trying it unless you want to splurge on a few new items for a special event or a new season. Expect to pay around $50 per item on average. 
I have a Pinterest board labeled My Style, I included the link and added a few more fall items to my board before I submitted my style profile, but I can't help but think that my stylist didn't even look at that board for any ideas. And if she did, she only skimmed it. I just feel like she missed the mark with the style shown on my Pinterest board and the style that was sent to me. So if you think not having a Pinterest board is holding you back from placing an order, it's probably not super important and not worth your time to create one. 
Being specific seemed to help. I asked for spandex jeans, I got spandex jeans. However, I probably should have said I wanted a lighter wash spandex jean so that I didn't get the same dark color I already had in my closet.  I wish that the comments section was larger for your first Stitch Fix so that you can make sure you and your stylist are on the same page.  I ran out of characters explaining my style. So maybe be super specific not just a little specific, but then what's the point? You could just go out to the mall and spend the morning finding something you know you want on your own. I think part of the fun is getting items from a stylist that you probably wouldn't pick out on your own.
It would be nice to have a section that told your stylist trendy items you already have in your wardrobe so that they can style around that. For instance, I already have three pairs of olive colored pants that are really trendy this fall. It would have been nice to mark that so that she could have sent me shirts or sweaters to go with that instead of sending me another pair of olive pants.
I can't help but think that if you keep getting a Fix every month, after a while, your stylist will know what's in your closet and your Fixes will keep getting better. You kept those pink skinny jeans last month? Well, this white blouse will look nice with it this month.  It's like deciding to go to the chiropractor. Once you start, you can't stop! But it seems like your Fix could get better and better with time.
I didn't love that several of the items were labeled "Stitch Fix exclusive". I know why they do it. They don't want me finding an item their stylist picked out for me and sending it back because I know I will just watch for it to go on sale at Nordstrom Rack in the next few weeks. They want me to feel the exclusivity and know that I can't get that item anywhere else.
I was really disappointed that the one item I was planning on keeping was damaged and couldn't be replaced. I tried to exchange the item but the item was no longer available. I have asked my Fix friends and they say damaged items happen, but it's really quite rare. I did contact Stitch Fix a few days after I sent my Fix back and their customer service was great. They refunded my styling fee since I intended to keep an item, but wasn't able to because of damage.
I received my Fix on a Friday and only had 3 days to decide what items I wanted to keep. Those 3 days didn't seem like nearly enough time! Again, I think if I had another day to think about it, I might have decided to keep the jeans I ended up sending back. I'm not much of an impulse buyer if the price is higher than I normally pay.
Speaking of which, I was curious, what would happen if you sent something back that you regretted later? Not much. You can specifically request the item be sent again in your next Fix but it will end up being one of your coveted 5 items. It doesn't seem like you can send them an e-mail to have them send you back the item you wanted if you have buyers remorse.

Would I recommend Stitch Fix?

Stitch Fix is popular for a reason. There are lots of happy customers who enjoy the unique Stitch Fix experience. I know a few friends that hate shopping, and the way Stitch Fix works once you have it set up, it makes finding clothes nearly effortless. I also have friends that love shopping and by getting their Stitch Fix sent to them it curbs their shopaholic tendencies and probably saves them money since they get the clothes they want without picking up impulse purchases they won't ever wear.  If you don't have a problem paying around $50 for a clothing item, then I say give it a try. That is my referral link, again, another reason people enjoy the program is that they get a $25 credit when their friends try Stitch Fix. You could end up with a few hundred dollars worth of free clothes if you tell a few friends {the max you can get from your referral credit is $500 per calendar year}.
Personally, the older I get, the more I like taking the easy route when I can. Stitch Fix was easy. It's not cheaper, but I did receive a few items I liked so I'm going to give it another try. I actually have another Fix scheduled for December. I lost my $20 styling fee with my last Fix since I didn't buy anything {update: I did get the styling fee refunded after explaining about the damaged item in my fix about a week later}, but I'm thinking that with my feedback after the last Fix, my stylist will be sending me a few items I will be happy to treat myself too and will have me looking great right around the holidays.  I plan on being super specific in my next Fix. I may even request just tops and sweaters since I have plenty of pants I love in my wardrobe already.  I will keep you posted.
Want to give it a try and see for yourself? Feel free to use my referral code. 
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