Category: Subscription Boxes

After last month’s bad box, I expected yet another new stylist.   I’ve lost count of how many I’ve been through, but apparently, unless you super-love a box and keep most of the items, they switch you to a new stylist.   It’s both good and bad – you don’t get stuck with a stylist who may not ‘get’ your style, but constantly flipping through stylists means a lack of consistency and boxes that are ALL over the map.   This is Fix #12, and here’s the note from my stylist.

Happy Fix Day, Melissa!   It’s a pleasure to welcome you back to what now makes Fix #12.   I’m am so sorry to see that you’ve been disappointed in your past few boxes.   It’s my mission to ensure that you LOVE this experience, so I am all ears!   I fully intend to wow you, so I went through prior feedback & your Pinterest board to get a great handle on what makes you tick.   I love your retro vibe, so I included this 41Hawthorn black & white knit dress.   The bold pop of green looks fabulous layered over top when you wear the Skies are Blue cardigan.   You can add a chunky belt to help create that hourglass silhouette.   For some patterns play, try the KFTK skinny jeans with the striped Colette knit top & then rock this funky Dear John bomber jacket over top.   Do these styles feel more like you?   Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!   xo-Jess

Well, it was closer to the right idea this time, but unfortunately most of the items had fit issues.   I keep saying it, and I know I’m a tough shape/size to fit, but they’ve gotten it right before, I’m not sure why/how this was all so off.   I’ll get into that in each item though.   The box basically made two complete stand-alone outfits, and I love it when the stylists do that so it takes a bit of the pairing guess-work out of the equation for me.

Item:  Colette Chaves Pop Color Cuff Knit Top
Cost:  $48
Paired With:  Jeans and jacket (this Fix), Shoes (mine)
First up is the striped top with green accents.   I actually got a very similar top a few fixes back (I didn’t post that Fix – I had given the husband the camera to help, but he ended up focusing on the background, so ZERO of the photos came out), but it had skinnier stripes and red accents on the cuffs and collar.   This top is much too long for my short torso, and you can see it’s nearing dress length, hitting at my fingertips – the waistband of the jeans is about where the cuffs are.   The fabric was nice, and if it had been 5 or 6 stripes shorter, I might have kept it, even though it would be a bit of a duplicate piece.

Item:  Kut from the Kloth Connie Frayed Hem Skinny Jean
Cost:  $88
Paired With:  Top & Jacket (this Fix), Shoes (mine)
The jeans were really comfortable, but again with the fit problems.   They were too long and bunched up around my ankles.   Also, I just don’t like the whole frayed hem trend.   I guess I prefer my clothes to be more classic silhouettes with trendy/fun prints instead of trendy cuts that won’t be wearable within a year.   I have jeans from almost 10 years ago, and while I probably could’ve hemmed the frayed end off to make the length right and put on a proper hem, that’s a lot of time that I just don’t have, and no doubt they’d have ended up sitting on the sewing machine for months.   Plus, if I’m already paying $88 for jeans, they should fit without having to spend extra time/money on alterations.

Item:  Dear John Casco Bomber Jacket
Cost:  $78
Paired With:  Top & Jeans (this Fix), Shoes (mine)
If Jess had scanned through my Pinterest Stitch Fix board, she’d have seen there was zero camouflage in there.   Solid olive, yes, but no camo.   I just don’t like camo print clothing.   The fabric of the jacket was nice, and it fit well (maybe a smidge too big), but I just can’t with the camo.   If it were a solid olive color, I’d probably have kept it.   It’s also a wee bit too cold to wear this in southeastern PA right now too – it’s about two months too early.

Item:  41 Hawthorn Bella Knit Dress
Cost:  $74
Paired With:  Green Cardigan (this Fix), belt (mine), shoes (mine), red cardigan (mine)
I wanted to show this dress two ways to show what a poor fit it was.   The bust had SO much extra fabric and was fit for someone with .. huge tracts of land.   I’m not that person.   I think nearly every dress I’ve gotten from Stitch Fix has had this same problem (I had that one winner in the beginning, but even that was a little loose up top).   It’s funny because every dress I get from Torrid, an actual plus size clothing company, their clothes fit like they were custom made for me, but Stitch Fix keeps trying to assume HUGE BOOBS, and I don’t understand who their fit model is because it’s really absurd.   Annyyywayy, on the right, that’s with my own cardigan and the top of my hand is where my waist actually is – you can see the waist of the dress is hanging 3 or 4 inches lower since my lack of *cough* material *cough* to fill in the bust means extra fabric that droops down.   On the left, I added a belt, but you can still see the fabric bunched up over the belt.   The dress fit well through the hips and all, but the bust was just massive.   Then the fabric was that awful cheap, bouncy polyester with no structure to it, and it just doesn’t lay nicely over plus sized gals – it clings to every last lump and bump and there’s nothing flattering about it.   My favorite dresses are nearly always 100% cotton or cotton blends, so this was just a huge miss all around.   It’s a shame, because the idea is right, but the execution between fit and fabric, was WAY off.

Item:  Skies are Blue Abela Cotton Blend Cardigan
Cost:  $48
Paired With:  Dress (this Fix), shoes (mine), belt (mine)
Well, this is the only piece I kept out of the whole fix.   I wear cardigans like this all the time and they’re easy to throw over a silly, nerdy t-shirt with jeans and look more put-together than yoga pants and a hoodie.   The fabric is nice (cotton blend FTW!), it fits well, hangs nice, and I love the bright green color.

So, overall, this was another miss, but as I mentioned in my notes on Stitch Fix, the idea was right, but the fit issues made me return more than I normally would have.   I said last month that if this box was a huge miss again, I’d be cancelling, but this had the right idea, so I’m going to do one more.   I also made myself another 3 years younger in my profile in hopes of getting more fun prints.   Polka dots and stripes are great, but there are so many missed opportunities for prints, and I feel like, again, it’s because of my age that I’m getting more sedate pieces.   For pete’s sake, I just bought a dress with an all-over book print, so I’m not afraid of bold prints!   Go wild!   Give me prints or give me death!   (Unless it’s camo or animal print, I mean, I have my limits).

Another month, another Stitch Fix!   Looking back, I’m now on my fourth stylist – the one from last month didn’t do this month’s box, so I got another new stylist.   This is Fix #11 for me, and I had a note from the stylist for this box, Laura.

Hello Melissa!   Happy 11th Fix day!   How were your holidays?!   After reviewing your profile, I selected a few items that’ll make getting dressed effortless as the days have become shorter and the to-do lists have gotten longer.   Reverse those winter blues with this mood-lifting flannel knit back top by Q&A.   It’ll look terrific with the jeans from your previous Fix.   Look forward to Valentine’s Day with this modern asymmetrical sweater by RD Style.   Pair it with jeans, leggings, or trousers.   Slip into these on-trend jogger pants by Rune for a rendezvous at the local farmer’s market and treat yourself to a fragrant artisanal bouquet!   Update your look with this with this chambray top by Skies Are Blend made of 100% comfortable cotton.   I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on everything.   Until next time, have fun and enjoy!   Warmest wishes, Laura.

I um.. Well, the week this arrived, it was about 15 degrees F, and there haven’t been artisanal bouquets at the farmers market since about September.   My farmers market is a real, honest to goodness FARMERS market, with real farmers, selling meat, vegetables, freshly baked bread, and we huddle together in the winter, cheering each other on for being badasses and braving the cold to support local, hardworking producers.   My farmers market is more (real) flannel, jeans, and work boots than joggers.   The husband is gone for Valentine’s Day, so there’s another miss (not that Laura would’ve known, but still, he’s gone for work so much that it’s better to err on the side that he’s not home).   I leaned pretty heavily on my Instagram friends to get opinions since I very nearly sent everything back on sight, I was that disappointed with what was sent.   Unfortunately (fortunately?) they agreed with me.   Well, before I go too far, let’s get into the items.

Item:  Q&A Romane Knit Back Top
Cost:  $54
Paired With:  Jeans (prior fix), boots (mine)
This was ENORMOUS on me.   You can see that my fingers just barely show out of the arms which were too long.   The bust was huge, the shoulder seams are off my shoulders, and I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of the knit back.   And again, I have to complain about plus size clothing and how I loathe the shapeless sack rut designers fall into.   Yes, I may want to minimize my belly, but it doesn’t mean I have to wear a tent like this!   The fabric is also pretty light and not at all suitable for our winters in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Item: RD Style Juily Asymmetric Hem Pullover
Cost:  $64
Paired With:  Jeans, boots, tank top (all mine)
I know I told Lana to please not send dolman sleeves since I find them unflattering and uncomfortable, but I guess since I’ve been through two more new stylists, that got lost in the notes.   This makes me look like a marshmallow in the middle since the dolman sleeves add so much bulk to the body of the sweater.   The fabric was a heavy knit, so the price was right for such nice fabric, but every time I moved, the sweater would ride up and I spent half the time prepping for this photo pulling the damn thing back into place.   It’s just completely impractical to wear – I’d be futzing with it all day long.

Item: Skies are Blue Talar Cotton Blend Chambray Top
Cost:  $54
Paired With:  Jeans (prior fix), boots (mine)
I really had no idea how to style this.   The card that shows styling tips showed it paired with white jeans (LOL I could never own white jeans since I’m kind of a disaster) and with regular jeans and a long cardigan.   I’m just not into chambray on denim since it just looks a little too Canadian Tuxedo to me.   It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the chambray had this washed out polka dot print on it that I really liked, just, not in chambray.   If it had been a navy color or red, and maybe a full button down?   It just did nothing for me, and again, it was a box with sleeves and no shaping through the middle at all.

Item: Rune Luciana Jogger Pant
Cost:  $68
Paired With: Sneakers,  Jordandené tee, cardigan (all mine)
Okay, so here’s the thing.. These were SUPER DUPER comfortable, but it’s $68 for a pair of polyester/spandex blend jogger pants.   Also, I end up spending a lot of time at home since, as a photographer, I tend to spend a lot of time on the computer doing editing.   If I’m leaving the house, even for grocery shopping, I feel like as a minimum effort I can throw on jeans.   I’m totally down with it if you feel like joggers are meant to be worn in public, but.. I’m not that person.   So   I can’t justify spending $68 on pants that would essentially be pajama and dog-walking pants.

Item: Absolutely Maxx Cutout Detail Pullover
Cost:  $44
Paired With: Jeans (prior fix), boots and tank (mine)
Well, this was the only piece that my Instagram commenters suggested I keep, if anything.   I don’t like the cutout detail at the shoulders and would be CONSTANTLY tugging at it to keep it from showing my bra or sliding down and they just felt awkward.   It was also MUCH too big in the bust, but it had a slight high-low hem and fell nicely over my hips.   The knit is an open knit, so I definitely need to wear something underneath, but it also means I can use this beyond winter as a cool-summer-evening sweater.   I did end up keeping this, but I have to sew the cutouts closed or I’ll go absolutely crazy.   I have to admit that the only reason I kept this is that I didn’t want to lose my $20 styling fee, and it only cost an additional $24 on top of the styling fee.   It still almost went back with everything because I was that upset about this Fix.

So, final thoughts.. I kept one piece begrudgingly because I didn’t want to lose my $20 styling fee (they taken the styling fee off your kept items purchase, but if you send everything back, you lose the $20).   I still have to modify the sweater to sew up those stupid cutouts and make it something I’ll actually wear, but I’m not incredibly thrilled with it, and absolutely nothing in this box jumped out at me.   I mean, I like to have fun with my wardrobe – I wear nerdy, funny t-shirts and jeans most days, and having pieces to wear that stand out (my cherry print swing dress!) are super fun.   These were all boring, shapeless sacks, and there was no structure, no fun, no life to any of them.   I see other plus size gals on Instagram getting fun prints and fun pieces, but they’re also younger than me, so, I adjusted my age down by three years.   It feels SO wrong to do that, lying about my age, but I feel like I’m getting boring pieces because of my age – that the computer algorithm is going, “OOOHH she’s past 35, muted colors and shapeless clothes for her!”   I know Stitch Fix has detailed how their algorithm works, but I feel like it’s failing me here, and that the failure isn’t necessarily the stylist, but that the stylist gets a garbage set of options to choose from for me.   I don’t know how else to fix this other than make myself look younger.   So, one more box .. if it’s another complete failure, I’m going to have to call it quits with Stitch Fix which is a shame since I did have a few boxes that I kept everything, and I have enjoyed trying some new things (skinny jeans!) and have gotten a bunch of great pieces I wear all the time.

Wow, so I kind of abandoned the blog for a few months. I feel like my life completely turned upside down since September, and I’m finally starting to set things right again. It’s mostly been good things, but it was a lot of things at once and keeping up to date on the blog just wasn’t happening.   There’ll be more on that later, since it’s some pretty big and exciting news.   I did post October and November’s fixes on Instagram, but figured I’d get back on track with December’s fix finally! This is fix #10 for me and I also got a new stylist this month, Christina.

Christina included a little note at the top of the Fix:

Hi Melissa, Welcome back for a brand new Fix!   I hope you are doing well this week.   Let’s start today with the Kut from the Kloth boyfriend jeans.   These are great to wear on laid back days with the adorable 41Hawthorn polka dot sweater and the Octavia scarf.   For a comfy look on weekends, try the jeans with the burgundy Laila Jayde top and a pair of sneakers.   I read that you were looking for a dress to pair with leggings so I sent the Lemon Tart dress.   It’s great with leggings and a pair of ankle booties.   Have fun trying on this Fix, Melissa!   If you have the chance, I’d love to learn more about you so I can tailor your Fixes to your lifestyle.   Use your profile notes to let me know about your daily routine or aspects of your wardrobe that are in need of a refresh.   Also, be sure to leave feedback on pieces when you check out.   xo Christina.

Sounds good!   Everything included is very seasonal for late fall and winter, and I adore that she picked up on my love of polka dots (I mayyy have a problem, but it’s fine!).   On to the pieces…

Item:  41 Hawthorn Gilda Polka Dot Pullover
Cost:  $68
Paired With:  Jeans (prior fix), boots (mine, my favorite boots)
I wasn’t sure about pairing this with the scarf (below) as suggested since it felt too clashy with patterns.   I absolutely LOVE the polka dots, but I think this might be a little big/long.   It fell pretty much at the widest part of my hips since I have a SUPER short torso.   Pretty much everything that isn’t cropped or empire waist is way too long or big on me.   I’m really torn on this one – it’s a heavy double knit sweater, but I think it’s just too long both in the body and in the sleeves.   Going down a size would probably make it too tight around the middle, so I think I’m going to have to send this one back.

Item:  Kut From The Kloth Kate Boyfriend Jean
Cost:  $88
Item:  Laila Jayde Cindy Slub Knit Raglan Top
Cost:  $64
Item:  Octavia Russo Plaid Reversible Infinity Scarf
Cost:  $34
Paired With:  Boots (mine)
Okay, let’s start with the jeans.   They’re Kut From The Kloth brand, so they’re super soft and comfortable, but I think they may be a size too big.   I know I’ve shrank a little over the past two months, so I may even be between sizes which makes these just a hair too large – I can take them off without unbuttoning/unzipping them.   Also, uncuffed, they’re about 2 inches too long, so I have to cuff them so I don’t walk on them though it appears from the style card that they’re supposed to be worn cuffed.   I’m kind of torn on these too – I may have a go at exchanging them for a size down since I think they’ll be cute for Spring/Fall with sandals as well as boots and sneakers.
The top is probably my favorite piece out of this fix!   I love the burgundy color, and the sleeves even have a cute little patch detail on the elbows (just an extra reinforced section in the same color fabric).   The cut is just right – nips in a bit at the waist, and flares out for the hips without being too clingy.   I know this will go perfectly with the olive cargo skinny jeans I got a few fixes ago too.
The scarf!   I did want something like this for fall and winter to layer over other pieces, and the colors are so great, not to mention that it’s double-sided with two different prints.   Really a nice scarf too.   This is a keeper.

Item:  Lemon Tart Lindsay Dress
Cost:  $78
Paired With:  Boots (mine), leggings (mine)
I included two photos to show that no matter what I did, this dress just didn’t fit.   It’s the right idea – the print is great and it has POCKETS (!!!!) – however the cut/fit is WAY off for me.   Again going back to me having a short torso, any dress with a waist has to be an empire waist or it ends up hitting at the top of my hips.   You can see in the first photo, with the dress left to fall where I think it should, it’s scraping the top of my hips, about 4 inches below my waist.   In the second photo, I pulled it up a little (still below my waist) and let it blouse over which looks even worse with all the extra fabric hanging there, making me look larger.   Nothing I did could make this dress look good on me.   It also kind of falls into that unfortunate trap that a lot of plus size clothing falls into – a shapeless sack with a drawstring.   When plus size clothing is structured and fit well, it’s really flattering, but shapeless sacks just makes plus size gals look like shapeless blobs.   I get the urge designers have to make clothes that ‘hide’ everything, but sometimes it goes too far.

Anyway, I’m definitely keeping the burgundy top and the scarf, and I think I’ll try to exchange the jeans for a smaller size.   I know I emailed Stitch Fix before about exchanges, and if for any reason the smaller jeans don’t work, I can return them for a full refund, no problem, which is pretty generous.   The dress and polka dot sweater are definitely going back due to the fit issues.   I know it’s a little bit tricky for me to find clothes that fit well since I’m both plus size but also teetering on the border of petite and regular misses (petite jeans are too short, misses are too long, but misses “short” length tend to be fine – same with tops).   I mean, it’s part of the reason why I’m doing Stitch Fix, so that I’m exposed to new brands that may fit better (Torrid tends to be my go-to since their fit model is basically my body double, but I’d love to have other options), and so that someone else who isn’t me may be able to say, “Hey, I saw this thing that I want you to try, no commitment, but at least give it a go.”   I can get a little stylistically stuck in a rut sometimes!   Looking forward to what Christina picks for me next month!   In case you’re thinking about trying Stitch Fix and want to give me a little love, here’s my  referral link!

EDIT 7 Dec 2017:
I did get the exchange on the jeans and the size down fits PERFECTLY.   I mean, no gap in the back, falls just right across my hips, nice amount of stretch but not too tight.   It’s like they were made for me.   So glad I gave the exchange a go because they really are spectacular jeans.