The clothes from my first Stitch Fix. I also got a purse, but I forgot to pull it out for this, then I was too lazy to reshoot.

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I’ve never had much fashion sense. I’ve always valued comfort over cuteness, and for most of my life you were more likely to find me in jeans (or sweatpants!) and a t-shirt than anything else. But then I started teaching, and I realized I would have to look at least somewhat different than my students. Over the past few years I’ve slowly been upgrading my wardrobe, but I’ve pretty much stayed within my comfort zone. It’s gotten a bit stale, to say the least. It was time to try something new.

I’d been hearing about Stitch Fix for a few months (though apparently I was still way behind the rest of the Internet), and after seeing some friends have positive experiences, I thought I’d give it a try. I figured I didn’t have much to lose.

For those who, like me a few months ago, might be unfamiliar, the basic premise is this: you sign up for Stitch Fix, fill out an extensive style profile, set a date for your box to come, and you wait. While you’re waiting, a stylist goes through your profile (and your Pinterest style board, if you have one) and chooses five articles of clothing and accessories for you, puts together a handy style cheat sheet, and ships it to you. Then you try on the clothes in your own home, pairing them with your own wardrobe to see how they work, and you send back (free of charge) anything you don’t want. They charge you $20 for the box, but if you choose to keep anything, that money goes toward your order. You also give them feedback on what you liked and didn’t, and why you did and did not like those things, and they use that to improve your next fix, if you choose to get one.

My first box came today. I was pretty excited for it, and also a bit nervous, but it turns out I had nothing to be nervous about. My stylist somehow understood the hodgepodge of information I’d given her and knew just what to send me. Some things I loved, some I didn’t. Some thing I would have picked out for myself, and others I would have passed over so far (and, perhaps not-so-strangely, the things I didn’t like were not the things I would have passed over). In the end, though, I can understand why she picked out each piece she did. I’ve never though of myself as having a style, but apparently I do, and she nailed it.

So without further ado, here’s what my stylist sent me, and what I thought of each piece. Continue reading “my first Stitch Fix box” »