Author Topic: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?  (Read 5152 times)

englishteacheralex

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So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« on: December 14, 2016, 05:06:44 PM »
This company has been around for several years and I'm sure somebody's already started a thread about it, but it must have been before my time.

Confession: I want this. Want it so much. A delivery of neat, personally curated clothing items picked out for me based on my pinterest boards? Right to my door, like a freakin' birthday present every other month or whatever? Who wouldn't want this?

All the cool bloggers and all my cool friends have a subscription to it.

I haven't bought clothes for myself in about a year because of ultra-frugality and pregnancy making me unwilling to buy clothes that will only be worn temporarily (I got a lot of hand-me-down maternity clothes from friends). So I don't deserve a face-punch.

But...oh, it just looks so cool. Talk me out of thinking it's so cool?

RetiredAt63

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2016, 05:18:42 PM »
I hate clothes shopping because things that look good on the hanger so often look horrible on me.  But sometimes things that look pathetic on the hanger look not too bad on me.  So would I want someone else picking out my clothes?  NO.

You do you.  Not some company that only knows you through Pinterest.  There are lots of things/looks out there that we can like without wanting them as ours.


Did that help?

renata ricotta

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2016, 06:06:46 PM »
This company has been around for several years and I'm sure somebody's already started a thread about it, but it must have been before my time.

Confession: I want this. Want it so much. A delivery of neat, personally curated clothing items picked out for me based on my pinterest boards? Right to my door, like a freakin' birthday present every other month or whatever? Who wouldn't want this?

All the cool bloggers and all my cool friends have a subscription to it.

I haven't bought clothes for myself in about a year because of ultra-frugality and pregnancy making me unwilling to buy clothes that will only be worn temporarily (I got a lot of hand-me-down maternity clothes from friends). So I don't deserve a face-punch.

But...oh, it just looks so cool. Talk me out of thinking it's so cool?

Will it help to know that I didn't think it lived up to the hype?

I did one fix, and was pretty disappointed with it.  They went with a burnt-orange theme (I suppose because it was fall - although I live in sunny LA), which I look terrible in.  Would have thought they would have realized that when looking at my photo (I linked my social media sites). 

Another thing to note is that I'm pretty sure it's just a way to clear out excess inventory from last season.  When I got clothes from both Le Tote and stitch fix, I looked up the item online and sure enough, it was no-longer-available stuff from last year.  I think the services buy up excess inventory from retailers for cheap at the end of the season (probably in random colors and sizes), and then dole it out to people willing to not only pay retail for those items, but a little bit of a premium, for the convenience of not doing their own online shopping. 

I'm a red panda

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2016, 06:29:43 PM »
Even my spendy pants friends have been disappointed in stitch fix.  Their clothes are often not their style, and they are really expensive.


greengardens

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2016, 07:04:38 PM »
I did stitch fix for a year and for the most part really liked it. It took about 2 or 3 "fixes" for them to get my style and size correct. I found you had to give really specific feedback on the items you were returning. I primarily used it to professionalize my wardrobe after starting my first job after grad school. Each month before my fix was mailed I would let my stylist know what sort of pieces I was looking for or what type of events I had coming up. The more effort you take in communicating with the stylists the better the fixes. All in all I received 8 fixes and received some really great stuff. I ended it because I just didn't need the quantity of clothes anymore. However I can see myself reacivating it in the future. I will say I ended up purchasing items I didn't like just so I could get the discount for buying all 5 items; in those cases I usually sold the items to a local consignment store or thredUP.

MarciaB

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2016, 07:41:54 PM »
And I did it for a few fixes and ended up with a few pieces I really love. But the styling is really for women younger than I am (50s) so take that into account.

Really though, I do better in high-end consignment stores where I can try things on. Any rich neighborhoods around you?

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2016, 12:23:05 PM »
This company has been around for several years and I'm sure somebody's already started a thread about it, but it must have been before my time.

Confession: I want this. Want it so much. A delivery of neat, personally curated clothing items picked out for me based on my pinterest boards? Right to my door, like a freakin' birthday present every other month or whatever? Who wouldn't want this?

All the cool bloggers and all my cool friends have a subscription to it.

I haven't bought clothes for myself in about a year because of ultra-frugality and pregnancy making me unwilling to buy clothes that will only be worn temporarily (I got a lot of hand-me-down maternity clothes from friends). So I don't deserve a face-punch.

But...oh, it just looks so cool. Talk me out of thinking it's so cool?

Your wish is my command. I shall say mean things about rebranded retail refuse (RRR) to make you think it's less cool.

Every single item they send you is something that someone else didn't want. You're not getting new and fashionable items, you're getting leftovers that weren't even appealing on the 75%-off rack. Some of them may be factory seconds. Many of them will have been tried on and rejected by multiple people, because the stock Stitch Fix and other "unboxing" companies buy is RRR. You will probably be snuggling in the armpit and crotch sweat of several other people.

Be prepared to be outfitted in something "trendy". By this, I mean snot-green, baby-puke yellow, or butt-crack brown. One reason that some colors stay in fashion and others don't is because the colors that stay in fashion look good on the majority of people who try them on. So there's always going to be something black, blue, or navy on the rack but you won't always find radioactive orange or light zombie gray. Unless, of course, you're willing to pay for RRR. RRR has an infinite supply of colors that will remind you of bodily fluids and cleaning supplies. The texture of the clothing is also likely to be shiny, fluffy, or otherwise calculated to make you look about 30 pounds heavier than you are. Expect to find seams in odd places.

Price-wise you stand a far better chance at a thrift store. There you can get items about the same age that have been rejected by fewer people. There will be a far better selection and perhaps some more expensive and recognizable brands. You will also have access to a color selection that suits your appearance and personality.

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2016, 12:38:35 PM »
I tried it, and it was not worth the cost involved.  I got fixed up with some things I liked OK, but the prices didn't match the quality -- I would have done just as well or better at a thrift store.  Once I got over the (admittedly fun) gimmick of having my own 'personal stylist', it turned out that I am my own best personal stylist.

One valuable thing I did get out of it was the advice to set up my own style board on Pinterest.  I made one to show the 'personal stylist' the kind of stuff I like, and in doing so, I really saw my own style preferences in a top-down way that I had never experienced before.  That has given my clothing shopping a new overall direction, and really increased my ability to do it efficiently!  I buy a lot fewer clothing items now, and I'm bolder in some of my choices.  I really recommend it if you are tempted to subscribe to Stitch Fix or something similar because you want help getting your style defined.

MarciaB

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2016, 12:39:21 PM »
This company has been around for several years and I'm sure somebody's already started a thread about it, but it must have been before my time.

Confession: I want this. Want it so much. A delivery of neat, personally curated clothing items picked out for me based on my pinterest boards? Right to my door, like a freakin' birthday present every other month or whatever? Who wouldn't want this?

All the cool bloggers and all my cool friends have a subscription to it.

I haven't bought clothes for myself in about a year because of ultra-frugality and pregnancy making me unwilling to buy clothes that will only be worn temporarily (I got a lot of hand-me-down maternity clothes from friends). So I don't deserve a face-punch.

But...oh, it just looks so cool. Talk me out of thinking it's so cool?

Your wish is my command. I shall say mean things about rebranded retail refuse (RRR) to make you think it's less cool.

Every single item they send you is something that someone else didn't want. You're not getting new and fashionable items, you're getting leftovers that weren't even appealing on the 75%-off rack. Some of them may be factory seconds. Many of them will have been tried on and rejected by multiple people, because the stock Stitch Fix and other "unboxing" companies buy is RRR. You will probably be snuggling in the armpit and crotch sweat of several other people.

Be prepared to be outfitted in something "trendy". By this, I mean snot-green, baby-puke yellow, or butt-crack brown. One reason that some colors stay in fashion and others don't is because the colors that stay in fashion look good on the majority of people who try them on. So there's always going to be something black, blue, or navy on the rack but you won't always find radioactive orange or light zombie gray. Unless, of course, you're willing to pay for RRR. RRR has an infinite supply of colors that will remind you of bodily fluids and cleaning supplies. The texture of the clothing is also likely to be shiny, fluffy, or otherwise calculated to make you look about 30 pounds heavier than you are. Expect to find seams in odd places.

Price-wise you stand a far better chance at a thrift store. There you can get items about the same age that have been rejected by fewer people. There will be a far better selection and perhaps some more expensive and recognizable brands. You will also have access to a color selection that suits your appearance and personality.

Grim! You totally crack me up. And you are right about some of the stuff they send out. In defense of the one piece I loved and kept, it was a deep blue and all the workmanship was good.

I stand by my recommendation of consignment stores, for the same reasons you mentioned regarding thrift stores.

If the OP really really wants to do this, can't she sign up and accept a couple of shipments and then return them on their dime? Essentially getting the experience of the thing without any of the costs?

renata ricotta

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2016, 12:47:42 PM »
Quote
If the OP really really wants to do this, can't she sign up and accept a couple of shipments and then return them on their dime? Essentially getting the experience of the thing without any of the costs?

With stitch fix at least, they charge a $20 "styling fee" that goes toward the clothing purchases.  So if you don't buy anything at all, you pay $20 just for the experience.  Maybe worth it to get it out of the OP's system, but it's not free.

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2016, 03:22:24 PM »
I tried it. I quit after one box.

They seemed to have paid 0 attention to anything I put in my profile or on my pinterest board. I spent probably 2 hours Pinning stuff and filling that profile out.

I was not thrilled with my box. Most of it seemed low quality and not at all my style. Worse - the sizing was way weird. I got a dress that fit perfectly, but a pair of pants that was about three sizes too small. How is that possible? I tried following up to figure out what went wrong with the sizing, but it was a bit like banging my head against the wall.

I kept the dress - one that I never in a million years would have chosen for myself, but looks pretty sweet on me. I get a lot of compliments about it when I wear it. I mostly only kept it because of the $20 styling fee (yep, they do that for a reason), but the dress really was a winner. It's funny, because I hate the color combination and pattern every time I look at it, but then I love it once it's on.

Here's what I got:
dress - good quality, very nice dress
pants - good quality, if I could have obtained the correct size, I might have kept them, even though they are more expensive than I normally buy
three cheap shirts - and I mean appeared to be poor quality - and not my style - and they were $50 each. A t-shirt better rock my world if I'm paying $50 for it. Also, why did I have two t-shirts and one "club" shirt when I wanted specifically business attire for an accountant. No where in my profile did I say I was the drunk CPA who gets clients at the local dance club.

englishteacheralex

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #11 on: December 15, 2016, 07:22:13 PM »
I had a nice TJ Maxx run today at which I bought nothing (so very pregnant) but still had a good time. Sour grapes about Stitch Fix are much appreciated. It works so well for my friends but when I hear the prices I just can't stomach it. And I can't imagine spending the $20 styling fee on the off chance I might like something; the psychological pressure to keep something just because of the sunk cost would drive me crazy.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2016, 08:01:32 AM »
I had a nice TJ Maxx run today at which I bought nothing (so very pregnant) but still had a good time. Sour grapes about Stitch Fix are much appreciated. It works so well for my friends but when I hear the prices I just can't stomach it. And I can't imagine spending the $20 styling fee on the off chance I might like something; the psychological pressure to keep something just because of the sunk cost would drive me crazy.

Instead of spending $20 for a stylist, why not just find a friend with radically different tastes and go clothes shopping together? It could be as simple and inexpensive as a trip to the thrift store.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2016, 08:08:25 AM »
Also, why did I have two t-shirts and one "club" shirt when I wanted specifically business attire for an accountant. No where in my profile did I say I was the drunk CPA who gets clients at the local dance club.

Did you link to your Facebook page with all those pictures of you drinking with clients at a dance club? Cos that could have been it.

Jakejake

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Re: So...Stitch Fix? Kinda lame, huh?
« Reply #14 on: December 17, 2016, 07:45:08 AM »
"Our average price point is $55 per item,"

WHAT?!!! No. That's insane. WTF kind of birthday present shows up at my door every other month with a bunch of shit I didn't pick out that might not even fit me, and wants me to pay $55 for it?

Have a nice pretend birthday outing a few times a year to thrift shops or consignment shops, and get a few pieces that you really like and look good on you for ten dollars, and invest the rest. And remind your self that every piece you don't buy from this stitchfix will fund a credit hour of tuition at community college for your little one. Odd are, your cool blogger friends are living beyond their means and will not be able to pay off their own/their kids' education costs. YOU are the cool one.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!