My favorite store, Dress Barn, shut down a year ago. Yes, I know they have a website but its not the same and the prices are higher. I'm sure Covid isn't helping, but I got a substantial Macy's gift card for Christmas and just wasn't impressed by what I saw there. Depending on my weight this month, I'm at the top of the standard sizes, or the bottom of the plus sizes. I'm not 16 and don't want to look like I am, but my budget is far closer to H&M than Saks.
I've been experimenting with style boxes. I reviewed Dia &Co a few years ago, twice. Every now and then someone will use my link and I'll get a free styling fee from them, and order another box. I haven't bought a lot from them as I found the clothes to be expensive and, after a few boxes, very similar to each other. If you want to try them, here is my link--use it and we each get a box sent to us with no styling fee. Click here.
Last summer I read that Amazon has a new service called Prime Wardrobe Personal Shopper. Basically, Amazon has a certain group of clothes, many of which are their own brands, which are tagged as Prime Wardrobe. If you are a Prime member, you can go on Amazon, pick up to eight such items and they will ship them to you without charging your card. Once you get them, you try them on, and then send the rest back via the enclosed pre-paid mailer. Unfortunately when it comes to fashion, Amazon's search engine is not the best and I get tired of looking at page upon page of stuff. That's where the "Personal Shopper" comes in. You tell the app what you like and don't like and then it (and to some extent--probably not much--a personal shopper) pick out 10-12 items for you. You look at them online and select up to eight. You can order in the selected color or change it (if other colors are available on Prime Wardrobe). I was pretty happy with what they sent in the first couple of boxes (read my review) but then it started to get repetitive. Amazon's styling fee is $4.99 and it is not applied to purchase.
On my mad tear through subscription box land this time I decided to try Amazon again, and to try Thred Up and Stitch Fix for the first time. So, what did I get?
Amazon sent me an oatmeal colored Cowl-neck sweater that I really considered buying.
I got some Lee black trousers which were fine, but nothing I really needed, and they were $45.00. A black long sleeved t-shirt was $45.00. A $44.90 red cardigan fit funny, and I already have a red cardigan. This sweater didn't do it for me either, especially at $49.90. At $34 this grey sweater didn't do much for me either.
I ended up buying black leggings for $24.99 and a burgundy sweater for $32.98.
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| Burgundy Sweater |
If the box had been free, say a gift, I would have kept the cowl neck sweather, the black pants and the black tee, and worn them, but I didn't like them enough to buy them.
I'd never tried Stich Fix, which kind of started the whole fashion box business so I gave them a shot.
Stitch Fix sent me five items. They have a $20 styling fee, which is applied to any purchase you make. The pack included a scalloped neck sweater in a shade of green that made my green eye "pop" so of course I bought it, even if the $58 price tag was kind of steep.
I also kept a long sleeved patterned blouse at $48 because I thought it looked good on me. I sent back a mustard color cardigan, a red patterned blouse and navy patterned dress. If this box had been a gift, I would never have worn them. If you want to try them, use my link, and we'll both get $25 credit.
Thred-Up is an online consignment shop for used clothing. They offer a "Goodie" box for a $10 fee that is applied to purchase. They send you 7-10 pieces, supposedly based at least somewhat on your style quiz, but the note that came with my box said something about it not being personal styling. I guess what it means is they do the best they can to send you stuff you'll like, but they can only send what they have. Surprisingly, if I had gotten the clothes in this box as gifts, I would have worn all of them.
I guess that if you send black, its hard to go wrong, because everything in the box was black or had a pattern including black. The price of most pieces was around $15 though one sweater was $38. I ended up keeping a pair of jeans, a black turtle neck, and a pair of black slacks. I think this is going to be my go-to "I don't know what I want, why don't you figure it out" box. If you use my code, you get $10.00 off your first purchase, and I get a $10 credit too. I don't know how representative the box they sent me was, but I found it contained several brands that I wouldn't buy new because of the cost.. Had I needed them, I would have paid Thred-up's price.
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