Stitch Fix Review #9: August 2016

Stitch Fix Collective Concepts Rilo Button-Up Blouse, Collective Concepts Ardenas Split Neck Blouse, Margaret M Christiana Printed Pencil Skirt, Kut From the Kloth Dayna Skinny Jean, Loveappella Malbec Elbow Patch Knit Top

I’m breaking up with Stitch Fix.

Yes, you read that right. Stitch Fix has been a lot of fun — the pinning, the review reading, the requests to my stylist, the anticipation — but I have to be honest and say that it also hasn’t been all that successful.

I’ve never bought more than two of the five pieces I’ve received in a Fix. While I’ve truly been okay with that for the sake of my budget, I never bought more than two because there were never more than two I wanted. And as you’ve seen in some of my reviews, even those months were more the exception than the rule.

After a couple (far) less-than-great Fixes in the early summer, I intentionally chose to wait until August to schedule another Fix, in the hopes that the transition-to-fall inventory might be more my style — and that it would fit me better. No such luck. Read on for details on my (likely-to-be) last Fix and my takeaways from the fun that Stitch Fix has brought to my life and the jumpstart it’s brought to my closet.

Collective Concepts Rilo Button-Up Blouse | XSP | $68

I didn’t have particularly high hopes for this top when I peeked at my Fix in the app. I figured it would be another in the line of sheer, oversized blouses I’d already been sent. It was sheer, but in a way that would have actually been okay with me, if the blouse hadn’t actually somehow ended up a little too short (huh?) and with a less-busy pattern.

Verdict: Returned.

Collective Concepts Ardenas Split Neck Blouse | XSP | $54

Shelby took great direction from my Pinterest board with this top, to the point that I thought I’d actually pinned this exact one until I took a closer look. I loved the colors and even the somewhat busy pattern and thought it could have transitioned from a fun late-summer pairing with my white jeans to a fall work outfit with a black skirt and cardigan. The length was okay, which begs the question: why are the armholes on all these Stitch Fix tops so enormous? The picture above really doesn’t show how big they were, but I remain perplexed. If this had been a top on sale at Loft for $29 I might have considered keeping it, but for $54, nope.

Verdict: Returned.

Margaret M Christina Printed Pencil Skirt | XSP | $78

I requested a pencil skirt, and I love the idea of a navy addition to my closet, but…they sent me a different pattern of a skirt that I returned last fall. I returned it mostly for fit and quality reasons — neither of which was any better with this one. Again, I might have made it work on a less expensive skirt, but for $78 I maintain that a skirt should be lined, and more than that, it should fit. Cute pattern but the rest was a no. (Add to my questions for Stitch Fix: do your computers not weed out pieces that clients have previously returned?)

Verdict: Returned.

Kut From the Kloth Dayna Skinny Jean | 0P | $88

Shelby checked off another of my requests — medium wash skinny ankle jeans under $100 — with these, but they were just a case of a pair that simply didn’t fit. I’m eschewing vanity and showing you this picture of the sausage legs that these jeans gave me for the sake of an honest review. But yeah, sausage legs. Back into the bag they went.

Verdict: Returned.

Loveappella Malbec Elbow Patch Knit Top | XS | $58

My first thought when I saw this top in my app: Ooooh, so cute for fall baseball season! And stripes! And elbow patches! I thought this would be a win all around, especially because I’ve loved how soft Loveappella tops have been. But then I got it in person, and it was another no. The heathered sleeves were too close to stonewashed for my taste, and the fabric was too scratchy. Womp, womp. Cue the tiny fashion violins.

Verdict: Returned.

Final tally: 0/5 this month, 10/45 overall. Ultimately, I’m leaving because even the petite inventory didn’t fit me well, but I’m walking away with 10 new pieces in my closet that I really love, including two great bags that I probably never would have bought for myself, and the best-fitting jeans I’ve ever had. I’ve also added some fun new pieces to my wardrobe through other stores, in part because I started paying better (or any!) attention to style trends and what I was lacking. And I really did love the Stitch Fix process, especially the anticipation of finding out what would be in that box. I do think that $20 is a reasonable styling fee, especially when it includes shipping and what I thought was highly personalized service once I found the right stylist. I may be back, someday, but for now, that $20 can add more enjoyment to my life in other ways, like covering an hour of babysitting, drinks with a friend, or a couple of e-books. Thanks for coming along with me on my wardrobe revitalization experiment!

Want to read more of the good, bad, and, yes, even some ugly? All my Stitch Fix reviews are here: