To Dress or Not to Dress?

A wise friend once said to me “Three things tell the truth: wine, young children and leggings.”

My sister, the person who introduced me to Lululemon 13 years ago, declared a couple years back that she was going to make an effort to get dressed (meaning no yoga pants) every day and she politely suggested I do the same. I thought she was on to something so I, too, decided that I would put together actual outfits that don’t consist of stretchy fabric and athletic shoes.

I don’t know about you but attempting to be stylish can be exhausting some days.

Do I attempt Stitch Fix again for inspiration or go with tried and true denim? Love these jeans, btw, C of H Emerson Skinny Boyfriend.

Do I throw in my fave camo t-shirt or a cozy sweatshirt?

Something a little dressier?

I LOVE fake layering!

And then there’s which shoes to wear with what. I love flats and sneakers but feel better in even the slightest heel.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that these decisions are high-grade problems and I’m thankful to have them!

Today, however, I couldn’t decide. See photo below… 😂. Sorry, sis.

linking up with: Curly Crafty Mom, Shelbee on the Edge, Jaymie Ashcraft, Fashion Should Be Fun, A Labour of Life, Sincerely Paula, Nancy’s Fashion Style, A Little Bit of Everything, Jo-Lynne Shane, Bright on a Budget, Rachel the Hat, Sheelagoh, Beauty101 by Lisa, Fine Whatever, More Pieces of Me, Not Dressed as Lamb, The Glam Adventure, Not Dead Yet Style, Style Nudge, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, The Pleated Poppy, Get Your Pretty On, Shopping My Closet, The Mummy Chronicles, The Blended Blog, Classy Yet Trendy, Posh Classy Mom, Foxy’s Domestic Side, Beauty by Miss L, The Fashion Canvas

Third Time’s the Charm?

I love everything about the Stitch Fix concept so I decided to give it another try. If nothing else, it is super fun to open the box and see what my stylist thinks might look good on me.

I have kept just one thing from my each of my previous two boxes so I was hoping to have a more successful Fix this time around.

First up was the Olaf hooded knit top. Cozy but not super flattering and not unlike a couple other things I have in my drawer.

 

I added the Wels plaid puffer vest to to see if it would change my opinion. It didn’t but it did reinforce the fact that me and the word “puffer” do not mix well.

 

 

I pulled out the Minno cowl neck pullover sweater. The cowl neck was a good style for me but my 13-year-old daughter promptly said it looked like an old lady sweater. Next!

 

This dark green Fillmore crochet detail dlouse was the last top in the collection. The color wasn’t bad but I knew it wasn’t right for me. In my sister’s words it was “yuck”.

 

 

Thankfully, the leggings you see in every photo were also from Stitch Fix. This Liverpool coated skinny pant is comfortable and a step up from the usual Lululemons I wear. Though you can’t see in the pics it has that finish on them that give them a little sheen but not in a bad way.

So, it looks like I’m keeping just one thing again from my Fix. My sister recently tried her first Fix and kept two things so she’s off to a better start than I was. I give my stylist an A for effort. Though this Fix wasn’t a charm I’ll try it again simply for the fun and for adding the occasional piece to my wardrobe.

linking up with: Curly Crafty Mom, A Labour of Life, Sincerely Paula, Elegance and Mommyhood, Jaymie Ashcroft, A Pocketful of Polka Dots, A Little Bit of Everything, Jo-Lynne Shane, Nancy’s Fashion Style, Posh Classy Mom, Rachel the Hat, Shelbee on the Edge, High Latitude Style, Claire Justine, Fine Whatever, Beauty101 by Lisa, Not Dead Yet Style, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, More Pieces of Me, Elegantly Fashionable, Not Dressed as Lamb, ByBMG, Garay Treasures, Style Nudge, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, A Good Hue, The Pleated Poppy, The Blended Blog, Get Your Pretty On, Mummy Chronicles, Crazy Together

 

 

 

Hello….Stitch Fix!

On the retail front, things were a little low here in Canada after Target left.  Although, nothing will ever replace Target, we now have DSW, J Crew, Nordstorm, Famous Footwear and a few other retail darlings.  What we don’t have though, is Stitch Fix.

My sister who lives in the States had ordered a couple of times and really liked the service.  She wrote about her boxes here and here.   To say I was jealous, was an understatement.  I was reading bloggers who raved about their boxes and the awesome stylists that Stitch Fix employed.  So, after lamenting for the umpteenth time to my sister, she suggested she order one for me.  I would fill out the questionnaire and it would be mailed to her house.  Easy peasy.  Yes and no.  The questions were easy, but I messed up her address (just by a few houses), so there was a small address correction I had to take care of.  Then, we had to figure out how to get it to me.  Hmmm….

When it arrived at her house, I made her open it and we FaceTimed while she tried on the most of the pieces.  I was interested in what I saw and she was quite enthusiastic about what was in my box.  But I still had to get it and we had to send back the pieces I didn’t want, so she mailed it to a border town close to me.  Most of us along the 49th parallel, have had parcels ship from the States to us, but the cost of shipping, duty, taxes and the time…well, sometimes it isn’t worth it.  Enter in the border towns and parcel shipping.  Lots of small towns along the Canada US border have parcel shipping / receiving companies and a lot of us Canadian drive less than an hour to pick up items we have purchased online from the States.  It’s really quite simple and doesn’t take too much time.

So, when I received notification that my box had arrived I set out to get it.  In less than 45 minutes, I saw this:

Then, I saw this:

I wasn’t prepared to try on my items in the parking lot, so I headed to the beach where there was not a soul around.  No one.  Just me and a deserted beach in November.

First up, this lovely on trend scarf:

I don’t have anything like it, it wasn’t too big or too heavy.  So, I kept it!

Next, this grey cardigan:

Cute hoodie, eh?  It was soft, grey and fit just right.  So, I kept it!

Next was this top:

It is a classic baseball style shirt which is dark grey with black sleeves.  But there’s a twist…

How cute is that elbow patch?  So cute!  But the neckline was too wide and it didn’t feel comfortable, so I put it in the return bag.

Next up was this top:

I thought this top was great.  It was soft, fit well, but I didn’t love all the stripes – on me!   It also went back in the bag.

Lastly, was a pair of DL 1961 Cherise Skinny jeans.  I had never tried this brand before, but both my sister and blogger Jo-Lynne Shane have raved about them, so I was excited they were in my box.   They were soft and they fit well, but they were a little big and I could feel them stretching out as I walked around.  Sadly, I said good bye to the DL 1961 jeans until next time.

Overall, I was so happy with my Stitch Fix box.  It is really not that inconvenient to drive across the border, pick it up and try on your clothes at the beach.  The beach in November makes for an interesting background, doesn’t it?

Would I do it again?  Probably. Maybe.  Yes.  For sure!!

Have you tried Stitch Fix?  Will you keep ordering?  Please let me know in the comments.

linking up with: Curly Crafty Mom, Sincerely Paula, Elegance and Mommyhood, Fashion Should Be Fun, Jaymie Ashcraft, Jo-Lynne Shane, A Little Bit of Everything, Nancy’s Fashion Style, Posh Classy Mom, Birdie Shoots, Crazy Together, Not Dressed As Lamb, Shelbee on the Edge, Rachel the Hat, SheelaGoh, Beauty101 by Lisa, It’s Fine, Whatever, More Pieces of Me, Not Dead Yet Style, ByBMG, Garay Treasures, Style Nudge, Elegantly Dressed & Stylish, Walking in Memphis, The Pleated Poppy, Get Your Pretty On, Shopping My Closet, The Mummy Chronicles, Classy Yet Trendy, Jersey Girl Texan Heart, Posh Classy Mom,Sydney Fashion Hunter, Foxy’s Domestic Side, A Labour of Life, Style by Joules

 

Getting a Fix

This sounded like my dream come true since I’ve become the reluctant shopper (husband’s nickname for me). Have you heard the commercials and seen the Facebook ads for Stitch Fix?

To break it down, you go online, create a profile, answer some questions regarding your personal style and preferences and hit the save button. You choose a date to receive your “Fix” and then a mystery stylist sends you a box of goodies she has selected for you based on your profile.

The box arrives like this and includes a card with photos and styling tips and a prepaid envelope for returns.

I opened it up, very curious to see what my stylist had chosen. It it were two cami/tank-styled tops, a pair of boyfriend jeans, gray jogger pants and a floral dress.

It was easy to see why she had sent me the pieces she had based on the profile I had created. I live in boyfriend jeans and tanks with sweaters or jackets. That being said, I didn’t need another pair of said jeans so I knew I wasn’t going to keep those. The jogger pants would be easy to style with the suggestions she sent me and I was thisclose to keeping those except they made my butt look a little bigger than I prefer so I added those to the return pile as well.

The grayish/greenish tank had a crocheted panel at the top which was cute but the fabric felt like it would pill after a couple wears so that was a no. Also cute was the black overlay tank. The problem was that in my profile I had specified that I liked things to fit looser around the middle and this was too loose. Almost maternity looking. Out.

Finally there was the dress. I don’t wear a lot of dresses but since I was trying things on…

 

 

It’s a keeper, I think! Kinda cute, lightweight and comfortable. So 1 out of 5 ain’t bad for a first go. The styling card suggested this dress with a denim jacket, which wasn’t in the box. Guess this reluctant shopper needs to go shopping.

linking up with:  The Pleated Poppy, Shopping My Closet, Reasons to Dress, Mummy Chronicles, The Blended Blog, Happiness at Midlife, Curly Crafty Mom, Jaymie Ashcraft, Fashion Should Be Fun, Jo-Lynne Shane,Posh Classy Mom,Garay Treasures, More Pieces of Me, Sincerely, Jenna Marie