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A breakdown of online styling options:Gwinnie BeeAverage price: Three options ranging from $49-$95Recommended if: You are looking for items in sizes 10-32 to borrow and return (or decide to pay to keep for less than retail value).Le ToteAverage price: >$59Recommended if: You want monthly clothing and accessories to borrow and return. Average price: $50Recommended if: You want weekly clothing/style options or are a male looking for a clothing service.Stitch FixAverage price: $55 per item, minus the $20 styling feeRecommended if: You want a variety of items/styles/pieces you can specify. (Men’s line coming this fall.)Trunk ClubAverage price: $200 per itemRecommended if: You want direct contact with a specific stylist, have a large budget to work with or are a male interested in a subscription service.WantableAverage price: $40-$50 per boxRecommended if: You’re looking for accessories, makeup or intimates.
In January, a box changed my life. The nondescript package the U.S. Postal Service dropped off at my door seemed normal enough, but its contents altered the way I will shop forever.
Inside were five items: a shirt, two dresses, a sweater and a necklace. But these weren’t just any items, these were chosen by a personal stylist, and I didn’t have to pay for any of them unless I decided to keep them. Even better? The box comes with a bag with pre-paid postage for you to return the items you don’t want via a simple walk to the mailbox.
The box was my first “Stitch Fix,” appropriately named, since I’ve become addicted to the service. Stitch Fix started several years ago to offer women a simple, cost-conscious way to update their styles and break out of their own boxes – and will expand to offer the same to men starting this fall.
The premise is simple: For a $20 “styling fee” the company sends you five items – selected based on a detailed bio of your proportions, budget, style preferences and even links to Pinterest boards for your stylist to view – and a return bag. As long as at least one of the five items is kept, the $20 is deducted from the total cost of what you decide to buy, and you have several days to decide what, if anything, goes in your closet or back in the bag.
I will admit, the bio felt more involved than an online dating profile, but the results speak for themselves. I’d never tried on a pair of pants I didn’t have to have tailored until my March box came. That was the game-changer for me.
Considering I’m barely 5 feet tall (on my tip-toes), petite-sized items selected especially for me for free and with an easy return process has done incredible things for my wardrobe and laid-back (perhaps verging on lazy), neutral-toned style.
I have received a few disappointing items that I would never wear, either due to my size, skin tone or style. But the company, and others like it, has an algorithm that uses your review of each item and each box to further drill down your personal preferences, improving the next box through its suggestions on which items your stylist might send.
So whether you decide to try Stitch Fix or one of the other similar online services, be ready for it to become your biggest guilty pleasure.