We have all been there.... you want to shop, but you are bored with what you see in the stores. Maybe you feel like you are in a funk with fashion or you just don't want to leave your house. I love to shop online. I can look at clothes for hours. What I really love is an online shopping challenge. If you tell me a specific item or look that you are looking for online I will search to the ends of the internet to find it. Although I love to shop online and put together outfits, sometimes I get in a style rut. I have used these subscription boxes to help get me out of a few style ruts and push me to try new things that I may not necessarily pick out for myself.
Initially I tried Stitch Fix and LeTote a few years back when they first came out on the market. I was also the first of any of my friends to try the Rachel Zoe Box of Style. Most recently, I have tried Nordstrom Trunk Club and Prime Wardrobe. All these subscription boxes have become so popular I thought I would do a review for anyone out there wondering if they should try them or which ones to try. Most work the same where you pay a fee that can be one time or monthly. Then you answer questions about your style and a stylist picks out pieces based on your answers. You try on the clothes and send back what you do not like. You are not charged up-front. Some do not charge a "styling fee" if you purchase any of the items. Others charge a styling fee of $20-$25.00.
I recently heard that Stitch Fix has gotten much better. When I tried it a few years back I felt like it was a bit too dull for me. I like bright colors and funky unique clothing. Stitch Fix makes you answer a questionnaire and one of the questions includes your occupation. While I am an attorney, I put that I was a hair stylist because I thought I might get edgier clothing picks. That did not even seem to help, which surprised me. On a positive note, Stitch Fix assigns each customer a stylist and you can invite the stylist to look at your Pinterest board for outfit inspiration. You an also pick your price points. I might be open to giving Stitch Fix another try, but I am still skeptical. However, if you have more of a basic style, this subscription would probably suit your needs.
This subscription works a little differently. LeTote is similar to Rent the Runway, but all the clothes are not high end designer brands. The concept is unique. The pieces are actually used clothing. The clothes that are sent to you can be worn and returned each month then they will be shipped onto the next person. If you really like one of the pieces you have the opportunity to purchase it for a discounted price. If not, just wear and return! The concept is a great idea. LeTote claims that they launder the clothes and have them dry cleaned. In my opinion some of the clothes seemed to show a little wear in the color richness/fabric and I noticed some of the items even smelled like smoke! You can always send items back and ask for a replacement. If you hate doing laundry, don't have a large closet to store clothes and love to wear different things, this box is the one I would pick. They also have a questionnaire and I felt like they came the closest to matching my style and price point for casual and date night clothing.
This subscription box is one of the more expensive boxes. If you are a person who needs lots of suits and business attire, it is a great service. The clothing is in a more expensive price point range. It works like Stitch Fix. Everything is new and you decide to send back or keep the clothing and only pay for what you send back. The fabric is high quality. Most of the pieces are more fitted and solid colors. If you value quality over quantity and prefer to wear solid colors, check out MM. Lafleur.
I have to admit, this has been my favorite subscription box option. I am a fan of the Nordstrom department store and feel like the store probably best fits with my personal style. Hence, I knew I could find something from their subscription box. It works very similar to Stitch Fix. You are assigned a personal stylist that sends you e-mails and questions. I like this subscription because I feel like the stylist is more in touch with your needs and seems to communicate better than the stylist through Stitch Fix. If you check out my instagram account (ShopwithJodi) I did a short preview of a few items saved under my Fashion Finds story. Like most of the subscription boxes many of the items are hit or miss, but some of the hits have surprised me and I probably would not have purchased them on my own.
If you have Amazon Prime there is NO reason not to check out this option. I do not think there is a stylist option with Prime Wardrobe. You pick out the items on your own, keep them for up to 7 days then return what you do not want to keep. You will not be charged until you return the items. Everything comes in a convenient pre-printed return label and you can even call UPS to come to your location for pick-up and return of the items. I think I picked 7 or 8 items to initially receive when Prime cut me off and said I was at my limit. I did keep a couple of pieces. The price points are nice and I even got a Tory Burch top that was less expensive than other places online. However, some of the pieces did not fit true to size and the sizing seemed a little off for me. If you are going on vacation and need a few less expensive travel pieces Amazon also has some great price savvy brands like Lark & Ro that are comfy and easy to pack.
This is not so much of a clothing subscription box as the others, but more of a product and accessory box. The box contains $300.00 worth of items for the price of $100.00. It is offered on a seasonal basis. I was one of the first people to sign up and was super pleased with the full size products (such as Too-Faced Make-up, Juice Beauty and Tatcha skincare). The box also included great accessories like Tom's sunglasses, a nice watch from Cluse and some cute purses. Unfortunately, as more people joined and the box production went into the third year I felt like it started becoming repetitive. Additionally, I moved so I had to change my billing information. I had a really bad experience trying to change my billing info. My card was charged the $100.00 charge four times and it took almost three weeks to get it fixed. The customer service is horrible. There are no live people to speak with by phone and only one person to contact by e-mail. This person always took a few days to answer e-mails and never really answered your actual question. I honestly felt like I was being held hostage by Box of Style and by the time I finally got my cancellation I felt such a relief. I do not think I will ever go back to this subscription service again.
Those are my honest reviews and I hope they have helped inform some of you out there thinking about trying out one of these subscription boxes. If you have tried any subscription boxes not on this list or had a different experience, please feel free to comment on the post or send me an e-mail. Thanks for taking time to read my blog and stay spunky! xoxo
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