If you go “bananas” over Rachel Zoe’s sartorial genius and have always wished for a stylist of your own (minus the crazy fee, obviously) Stitch Fix might be your new favorite website.
Basically, it’s an online styling service for women: you answer a bunch of questions about your personal style, receive a package of five hand-picked pieces, try them on, decide what you want to keep and then drop the clothes you don’t back in the mail!
Each box comes with a styling guide full of suggestions for each item, so you won’t have those WTF-do-I-wear-this-with moments, and returns are free, so you won’t be penalized for sending an item back.
Prices are a little on the higher end for the average collegiette’s budget—each piece is around $55. However, if you buy all five pieces from your box, you get a 25 percent discount.
The first thing I pulled out of my Stitch Fix package was the Iris Striped A-Line Skirt, $58, by 41Hawthorn. It hit a little above my knee, which made it perfect for work. (When I filled out my Style Profile, I requested office-appropriate clothes; love that Rachel—I mean, my stylist, listened!)
I wore this with my white Elizabeth & Clarke T-shirt (#obsessed) and gold Tory Burch flats. (Check out this Lucky Brand pair on sale for $38.99!)
I thought this skirt was super cute, however, it’s one of my life rules not to pay more than $35 for anything with an elastic waistband.
Next I tried on the beautiful Colibri Solid Tab Sleeve Blouse, $48, by Pomelo. Bonus: it was silky and came in signature Her Campus pink!
If I was wearing this out, I’d pair it with black skinny jeans, high heels, a killer clutch and my best smoky eye. Buuuuut, I was headed to the Her Campus offices—so a little more class was required.
I decided to wear it with my American Apparel high-waisted shorts, $58, (check out this $24 pair from Boohoo) and Jack Rogers (at $110, they’re not cheap, but they’ll last.)
This fun Brook Dot Print Tie-Waist Top, also by Pomelo, costs $54 and was perfect for the bright, sunny day I chose to wear it. I loved Stitch Fix’s ideas for what to pair it with: faded jeans and red flats for day, dark-wash skinnies and wedge heels for night. I decided to go with a black Brandy Melville maxi skirt ($26), a wide Calvin Klein belt (similar, $34.99) and my Jacks again.
Next was the Lexis Chevron Print Henley Tank by Papermoon, $48. I immediately wasn’t a big fan of the pattern; however, it fit well and was soft and comfy. Since it’s a pretty casual, I added a dose of dark denim (similar from American Eagle, $34.99) and Piperlime sandals ankle-strap sandals (similar from ASOS, $38.09).
Last up was the Adora Ankle Length Colored Skinny Jean, by Just Black! I loved Stitch Fix’s idea of wearing it with a structured black top, a metallic bag and strappy heels, so I imitated the look as closely as I could. Forever 21 has a cute peplum blouse for $14.80, and ASOS’s New Look Metal Bar Edge clutch, $24.74, is similar to my gold cross-body bag.
It was super impressive how well everything fit me; usually, sizing is one of the downfalls of ordering things online. In terms of how well these pieces matched my style, I'd say Stitch Fix did pretty well based on the information they had (not much). Obviously, the more you use the service the better your stylist becomes at predicting what you'll like. I also thought it was cool that they'd take a look at your Pinterest boards—what better way to see what outfits you're dying to recreate?!?
If you’re constantly rushing from class to caf to cool event and barely have time to check your LinkedIn notifications, let alone shop for, organize and style a great wardrobe—but still want to look stylish—we’d definitely recommend Stitch Fix. It’s like effortless fashion, and all you have to do is open your mailbox! While it’s a bit pricey, you can try before you buy. That’s what we call a win-win.