A Busy Mom’s Simple Fashion Fix with Stitch Fix

How many of you like fashion or looking nice? I know I do. I like feeling like I’m walking out of the house put together and looking nice. It is fun to me. You know what is not fun? Shopping with my kids. How many of you have been there? I’ve found a fantastic solution that is working well for me and I wanted to share it with you today, maybe it can help you out as well. 🙂

So as many of you know, my husband travels A LOT for work. Between homeschooling and working, there isn’t much time left over for things like shopping and shopping by myself…well forget about it! I even was so desperate for bras a couple of months ago that I went bra shopping with my 2 girls! Yep… pretty desperate and stupid. I thought since they were 12 and 8 it would be fine. Ummm…let me clear this up, in case you don’t already know it, it doesn’t work! Now it was a million times better than if I had tried it when they were 6 and 2, but still…It doesn’t work! I may have found a solution for the bras, but I haven’t tried it yet, so that will be another post for another day.

Today, I wanted to talk about fashion. Let me let you in on a little secret, I don’t like shopping. There I said it. I don’t like shopping. It just isn’t fun to me. Which would be why Amazon Prime (affiliate link) and I are besties! Yet, I still like fashion and looking nice (I even wrote a post or two about it back in the day when I first started this blog).

About 5 years ago I lost 40 pounds. We didn’t have much money at the time because my husband had been laid off and then got a new job with a massive pay cut. At that time, I bought what I could to at least leave the house with clothes on. Times have changed for us, but my wardrobe really had not. I was milking the same 3 pairs of pants and 10 tops for all they were worth. In part because I knew it would cost money (and I’m cheap and there is always a long line of things to spend on ahead of my clothes) and in part because I dread the concept of going shopping. I also know that finding time to go without my kids rarely happens. I’m sure you totally get what I mean and have been there.

So before I tell you about my solution, let me just touch on the being cheap and the long line of things to spend on ahead of myself…. how many of us are like that? It is a good thing that we prioritize our family and our kids first, but sometime we have to take care of ourselves and do things that are nice for ourselves and make us happy. Clothes that look good and fit nice are one of those things for me. I love putting together a cute outfit and feeling like I have on an outfit that would be worthy of Polyvore (but of course not at those prices!). It feels good to me and is fun. Yet, I wasn’t taking the time to make it happen for me.

Then I kept reading about Stitch Fix (affiliate links throughout this post) on other bloggers blogs. It took me a little while to actually sign up because I thought it would be too expensive. Now I know that expense is a relative thing to each of us, so what works for me may be different for you, but Stitch Fix will usually be able to work with you and your budget.

Since I signed up, I’ve totally become  a Stitch Fix addict. When I send in what didn’t work from my current fix, it gives me the date of my next fix. I only need to see that date once and it is brandished in my brain and I can’t wait until that date and my next fix. Yep…addicted.

Have you heard of Stitch Fix? If you haven’t let me give you a little idea of what it is.

You sign up to receive a fix. They are available every 2-3 weeks, once a month, or every other month. You will fill out your style profile and you can give them a link to a Pinterest board if you have one that would give them inspiration. Part of that style profile includes a portion to give what price range you want your fixes to be in as well as how adventurous you want to be with your fixes. Then the hard part…you have to wait for your fix.

Your credit card will be charge a $20 styling fee when your fix is shipped.

On the date of the fix (but usually a couple of days before for me), your fix will arrive with 5 items in the box. Your stylist (which can and does change from month to month) will have cards with pictures of the items in the box and suggested outfits. If you are familiar with Polyvore, it is like your own personal Polyvore style cards. ♥

You get to try on your 5 items in the privacy of your own home at whatever time of day or night works for you. Kids are optional in this scenario…but you will probably at least be able to lock yourself in the bathroom for 1 minute to try on a shirt before someone needs something. lol!

You will decided which of your fix items you want to keep and which you want to send back. You know that $20 styling fee you paid? It will be applied toward any items you purchase. So, unless you send everything back, you have nothing to lose in trying it out.

After trying everything on, you go to the Stitch Fix site and let them know what you are keeping and what you are sending back. Give as much feedback on both the keep and return items so they can learn your style and your fixes will get better over time.

I thought I would show you what came in my fix this month.

I got this cute Market & Spruce Memphis Lace Overlay Shirt. I liked it and my girls told me I must keep it. It is a comfortable shirt that feels like I’m wearing a t-shirt, but looks nicer and more stylish.

The Gentle Fawn Londyn Drape Blazer came in this month’s fix and wasn’t a hit with me. I just felt like it wasn’t very flattering and kind of just hung there on me.

Next up was the 41Hawthorn Trinidad Chevron Print Henley Blouse. I so wanted to like this one. I felt like it didn’t hit me at a good length. It was  a great shirt, but I didn’t just love it on me.

Though seeing this picture made me second guess my choice. Funny that I like it better when I can’t see my face. Maybe it just isn’t the best color or collar type for me.

They also sent me this cute Bay to Baubles Ashlyn Hammered Bar Drop Necklace. Pretty!

The 5th item in my box was a pair of black jeans that were the wrong size and trust me, you would not have wanted to see a picture of that! 😉

Here is what I did with this fix (which was my 12th fix):

• Bay to Baubles Ashlyn Hammered Bar Drop Necklace – $28 – Sent Back
• Mavi Freida Regular Length Skinny Jean – $98 – Sent Back
• Market & Spruce Memphis Lace Overlay Knit Shirt – $58 – Kept
• 41Hawthorn Trinidad Chevron Print Henley Blouse – $48 – Sent Back
• Gentle Fawn Londyn Drape Blazer – $108 – Sent Back

Now, you may have noticed that I sent almost everything back and yet I’m telling you how much I love Stitch Fix. I have yet to have a fix that I’ve kept all 5 things…and I want one because they give you a 25% discount if your purchase all 5 items! I still love Stitch Fix. I may only keep one or two items from each box, but it is helping me enjoy my clothes better every day. It is building my wardrobe so that I actually have clothes and have variety. I love going into my closet and figuring out what I’m going to wear for the day. Like I showed on Instagram just a couple of days ago when I got out of the house for the first time in almost a week due to sickness and snow.

To me, this wonderful Stitch Fix box may not contain everything that is perfect for me or everything I love, but it is still a fantastic solution for me getting new clothing, accessories, outerwear and purses that I love. The great thing is, that whatever I don’t love goes back in a prepaid envelope that is ready to go. Could they have made that any easier? I doubt it.

I can easily say that the items I have purchased from Stitch Fix would have taken me days to find on my own and are my favorite items I have owned in a really long time. Little by little I’m getting to the point of having an actual wardrobe instead of the 3 pants and 10 shirts. I’m also  not repeating the shopping with my kids, which makes me a touch more sane and saves me a few gray hairs (at least this year). It truly has been a fantastic solution for this busy woman! I’m sure it will be for you as well.