As you are no doubt aware, we’ve spent quite a bit of time reviewing the various subscription box services out there. The thing is that those are all various accessories or lifestyle products, not clothing itself. StitchFix, though, actually sends full outfits and clothing. You can get everything from tees to blazer or shoes. It’s really a whole package, but it’s also a whole different type of box than the others we have reviewed, and thus suits a different sort of buyer and need. That being said, it’s super popular and so we thought we should review it.
To start, you tell them various information about your body, style preferences, and so on. This gives them a good idea of the sorts of clothing to send you, as well as sizing. You are then matched with an individual stylist who puts together a box of clothing for you based on your inputs. The great thing is that StitchFix is able to use all their aggregate data from all their clothes, and subscribers, to be able to measure the various items they carry, and figure out what the best fit will be for you and your body type. Together with your requests for the style of the clothing, it should result in a good box of items you will like and actually wear.
To be honest though, you have to treat it a little bit like MTM, in a way. The first box won’t be spot on. They need to then learn based on your feedback if things should be a bit bigger or smaller, and in what areas, and so on. Additionally they will hone in on your exact preferred style. This was indeed our experience. The first box was way off. Everything was much too big and the style wasn’t great. We gave them that feedback though, along with areas for where to improve, and the next box — all shown here — was a whole lot better. We do like how exact you can be with your feedback, as StitchFix lets you comment on each item individually and let them know what you both do and do not like about the items, as well as why.
When it comes to styling, they did a decent job. I can’t say that I love any of the pieces, but an OCBD in a nice purple is certainly something I like and would wear (and something I even used to own and wore to death). The short sleeved shirt is decent, though perhaps a bit less sleek than I would like. The jeans were nice, but I wish they were darker. The shoes are just not my speed, and I see a lot of Penguin sent through StitchFix. A bit clunky, and not great quality. Finally, the blazer. Looked and felt alright, and I appreciate the butterfly lining, too. For the price, pretty impressive.
As far as fit goes, the shirts were both a bit small overall, with the blazer being much too small. The jeans were decent, and I almost kept them, but for the price, were just not worth it. The shoes were fine, but didn’t like them for reasons stated above. Quality of all items was… decent? Nothing was amazing. The blazer, for instance, was all synthetic, and both felt and looked like it up close. Jeans were decent and had some stretch, and the shoes were, well… they were Penguin shoes.
I think, in all, our conclusion would have to be something long the lines of the following: StitchFix is not for everybody. If you, like me, are picky about your clothing and its fit, you are unlikely to be happy with StitchFix. When compared to MTM, or your favorite brand, they just won’t quite nail it as well. And how could they? On the other hand, if you just want a way to dress better, this is a fantastic resource. Presumably, though, one day you would “graduate” to buying for yourself. StitchFix does a good job, no question. They were able to find and send size Small in Tall to me, which got them pretty close to my preferred fit. But given that StitchFix is not cheap, I would prefer to stick with my MTM, no questions asked.
Oh, and a word about pricing. StitchFix is no great deal at all. They charge a $20 styling fee for each box, and are not at all clear in their marketing or website that this does not get refunded to you if you don’t keep the box. Items within the box are usually overpriced, and only if you keep all items do you get a nice discount to make them a bit more palatable.
Again, in the end, that doesn’t change our recommendation on StitchFix. If you want a great way to start building a better wardrobe and start dressing better, this is a fantastic, fantastic resource to do just that. If you’re a bit further along in your dressing career, though, you’ll likely do better, be happier, and save some money on your own.