For the last three years I have been wanting to try Stitch Fix. It seems like a great idea – stylists pick fashionable outfits for you, you get free shipping and returns, you can try on the clothes in the comfort of your own home, and choose what to keep and what to return. That sounded perfect for a busy mom like me! 

But I always had an excuse not to try Stitch Fix (And I now have logical reasons why all my excuses were just that – excuses – not reasons):

• “I’m still losing my baby weight, so if I get clothes in my current size they might not fit me in 6-12 months once I’ve lost the weight.”
  (This may or may not be true, but why shouldn’t I have looked great no matter my size?)
• “I’m pregnant again. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on maternity clothes I will only wear for 7-8 months max.”
  (Stitch Fix does have maternity clothes too. I still had to wear clothes while pregnant, so why shouldn’t they have been stylish?)
• “I’m nursing my baby, so my chest size is bigger than normal. I don’t want to buy clothes to fit this chest size when it won’t stay this size when I’m done nursing.”
  (I nursed both my kids for 14+ months, that is long enough to justify buying clothes in a size that fits while nursing)
• “The clothes are going to be more expensive than I’m willing to spend. I always buy my clothes on sale.”
  (I selected the price range I was willing to spend in my style profile, and there is a 25% discount for buying all 5 items)

Now I’m not pregnant or nursing and I’ve lost (most of) the extra weight I gained during my pregnancies (this only took me 18 months after my second child… 😉 ). None of my old excuses would fly, so I finally decided to treat myself to my first Stitch Fix box. 

It wasn’t an easy decision for me to finally try Stitch Fix. I am guilty of focusing most of my time and money on my kids (for better or worse), and I would happily buy my daughter a $50 outfit she’ll outgrow in 3 months, but not even consider buying myself a new shirt that cost $30. I know it sounds crazy even to me as I wrote that, but this is the logic I’ve used for the last 3+ years, much to my husband’s dismay. 

I finally convinced myself that getting a Stitch Fix box was a great way to celebrate and reward myself for my hard work having babies, feeding them, and caring for them daily. Let’s be honest – I wear workout clothes all day during the week… but I deserve some new fashionable, casual weekend wear and date night clothes, right?

Here’s my guide to using Stitch Fix based on my successful first experience and how you can make the most of your first experience if you’re interested in trying it too. 🙂

Start your Style Profile and be honest

I decided today was the day and created an account on the Stitch Fix website. I entered my personal details and filled out the style profile with as much honesty and detail as possible. The key is to be honest with yourself and your stylist on what you’re looking for.

I only wanted casual weekend and occasional date night clothes and made that clear (I checked “never” when asked how often I wanted to receive things like jackets, jeans, shoes, and jewelry because I wasn’t interested those things right now). I also was very honest with what I like and don’t like style-wise. I rated the example outfits they showed me with brutal honesty to help my stylist understand my style likes and dislikes better.

Link to your Pinterest style board

In the Stitch Fix Style Profile there is an option to link to your personal Pintrest style board. I have been saving my favorite outfits in my Pinterest “My style” board for years (and never doing anything with those pins), but it finally came in handy when I was able to attach it to my style profile on Stitch Fix. I think this helped my stylist get to know my personal style a little better than just through the questionnaire. 

Choose the price range

I have always been a bargain shopper. I like to feel like I’m getting a good deal and not overpaying for things. I prefer good quality clothing from stores like J. Crew, Banana Republic and the Gap, but I’m only willing to purchase from these stores when the items I want are on sale. 

With Stitch Fix I was concerned I wouldn’t get the quality I’m looking for at a price point I was comfortable with paying. When I was filling out the style profile I was happy to see that it asked me for a price range I wanted to spend on each item. The options were: The cheaper, the better, $50-$100, $100-$150, $150-$200, and $200+. 

I was uncertain what price range to choose because I didn’t want to spend too much, knowing they send 5 items. What if all 5 items were $100-$150 and I liked everything – that’s going to cost $500-$750 for 5 items, yikes! 

So I selected The cheaper, the better for everything. I figured I could use this first shipment to evaluate the price and quality in that category. Everything I received was priced in the $30-$40 range, and the total for all 5 items was around $150 + tax (you save 25% when you buy all 5 items they send). I was happy with this price and the quality of the items I received. 🙂 

Opening your first box is like Christmas morning as a kid!

I ordered on a Saturday, and my Stitch Fix box arrived on the following Monday (9 days later). I wasn’t in a rush, so I was satisfied with this time frame. It was even two days sooner than originally promised by Stitch Fix when I placed my order. 

I excitedly opened the box to see what my stylist sent. I got two shirts, two shorts and one dress. The items I received were prefect for what I requested: mom-appropriate casual weekend and date night clothes. I was surprised to find that I really liked everything. 

Along with my 5 pieces of clothing, in the package there were helpful cards showing me how to style each item, and a personal message from my stylist. I really enjoyed getting these styling tips (I need all the fashion advise I can get!).

Try everything on – keep what you like, return (or exchange) what you don’t 

I tried all of my new clothing items on immediately (hey, I was really excited – I haven’t got any new clothes for awhile!).

The gray shorts were a little big, so I decided to exchange them for a smaller size. I logged into my Stitch Fix account to pay for all 5 items since I liked everything, and request the shorts in a smaller size for the exchange. Since I purchased all 5 items that they sent I got 25% off the total.

Exchanges are easy!

Stitch Fix provided a free return prepaid USPS shipping bag in my original box, so I just placed the shorts in the bag (I did not have to include any paperwork since I filled out the exchange request online) and dropped it off at my local USPS office on Tuesday.

My exchanged shorts arrived on Friday. I was happy with the turn around time on receiving my exchange, and the smaller shorts fit perfectly. 🙂

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As you can tell from my review above I am very pleased with my Stitch Fix experience and plan to use them again. I wanted to spread the word here because I know most of you are busy working moms, and this is a great way find fashionable clothes in any price range. 

If you’re interested in trying Stitch Fix too, consider using my referral link to sign up.

By using my link, you’ll get the $20 styling fee waived, and I’ll get a credit too. When I first ordered from Stitch Fix I didn’t have a referral link from anyone, so I paid a $20 styling fee with my order. The styling fee was later applied to the clothing I decided to keep. 

However, if they got my style all wrong and I had wanted to return everything, I would have been out the $20 styling fee. So, with this link you can try Stitch Fix with no risk. If you love everything like I did, then great – you’ve bought some awesome new clothes! If you hate everything they send, no problem – send it all back and you won’t be charged anything! 

I didn’t buy new clothes besides the necessities for years and now I’m realizing how great it feels to have clothes that are flattering and fashionable. I should have been taking care of myself all along. 🙂 

If you decide to try Stitch Fix, let me know how it goes!