A Stich Fix Alternative

It doesn't take much web surfing or blog reading to learn that Stich Fix is a hot property. They recently went public and though they did not raise as much money as hoped, their stock price is up.

What is Stitch Fix?

For the uninformed, Stich Fix is a clothing subscription service.  Customers fill out an online survey and then, periodically (frequency depends on the plan chosen) they are sent a box of five clothing items and/or accessories which they try on in the privacy of their own home where they can see if the pieces go with other things in their wardrobe and where they are not being pressured by sales people.  The box includes a mailer for returning unwanted items and a $20 "styling fee" is applied to any purchase made.  

Stitch Fix has combined data analysis and a flair for fashion to make it easy for people who hate to shop to update their wardrobes and to give even those who do love to shop a chance to try something they might not have picked.  

I've never tried Stich Fix though I've read reviews online.  I have tried a competitor, Dia & Co., which does pretty much the same thing, except that Dia &Co is for plus-sized women, a market Stich Fix has just begun to serve.  I wrote about one box on my book blog, and another box here.

What Are the Plusses and Minuses?

I recently ran across yet another blog post about Stich Fix and reflected on my experience with Dia & Co. and came to a few conclusions:

• It is fun to get stuff in the mail.  Even in this day of one-click ordering from Amazon, there is still something fun about coming home to a package with your name on it, especially if you aren't quite sure what is in it.
  


• Trying things on at home, with your other clothes is more helpful than trying them on in a dressing room, in isolation from the rest of your wardrobe.  If it looks awful on you, you aren't going to want it in any case, but if it looks good, it would be helpful to know if it matches your gray pants or the blue sweater.  Yes, you can always return things, but will you?


• The box can encourage you to try things you might not otherwise have given a second look.  One of my favorite Dia &Co. purchases is a dress I would never have tried on because it was too expensive and that style doesn't look good on me. 


• Those boxes are expensive.  If you regularly walk into mid-priced department stores (Dillards, Macys) and buy non-sales price merchandise, then these boxes will be in your spending niche.  For those of us who shop the sale racks or lower priced stores, the prices of $50 or more per item seem high. 

Is There a Lower-Priced Alternative to Stitch Fix or Dia & Co.?

If you are looking for a subscripton box that costs substantially less than those two, well, I haven't found it.  While I'm sure computers do most of the work, reality is that someone is picking the clothes, putting them in a box and sending them to you, along with a cute little note.  While I doubt stylists spend a tremendous amount of time on any one box, the cost for them, plus packaging and two way mailing means, I suspect, that this business model wouldn't work with lower-priced clothing. 

However, I do have a couple of almost alternatives, for those of us who don't have quite as much money to spend:

• Decide ahead of time on an amount of money or number of items and then go to your favorite store's website and order them.  Hopefully your favorite store has a website and accepts returns either in the mail or in-store.  Dress Barn is my favorite store and my last Dia Box came in at $300, so I went to Dress Barn's site and picked out $300 worth of clothes in my sizes--and was able to get closer to ten items than the five Dia &Co. sent me.  They showed up a few days later and I tried them on.  I kept two and stopped by my favorite store a couple of days later and returned the rejects (and picked up something else while I was there).
  
  The main advantage to this method is that you don't get things you absolutely wouldn't wear--no tulle skirts or distressed jeans for me, I'm in my 50s, I'm not 5 or 15.  The disadvantage is that there is no one pushing you to trying something you wouldn't ordinary try.  You could remedy that by some version of digitally throwing darts and ordering what you land on, even if it is a tulle skirt (shudder). 


• Give someone you know your account information for the store website.  Unless it is somone you really trust with your money, don't give them the credit card information but let them log onto the site as you, and fill your cart with a specified number of items or amount of money.  Give that person your sizes too.  Once the cart is full, you log on and pay (and decide whether or not to peek).  A friend who really "gets" you and has great sense of fashion could both avoid the tulle skirt and find the vest you'd never look at twice--but which looks great on you and goes with half your wardrobe. 

Clothing subscription boxes can be fun, but they are an expensive way to build a wardrobe. Consider alternatives for at least part of the fun for a lot less money.  However, if you want to give Dia &Co. a try, use this link and I get a referral fee.  

Are Subscripton Boxes Worth It?

If you have spent any amount of time surfing the web lately, you've probably run across ads for subscription boxes of various ilks.  You can get costmetics, snacks, books, meals or clothes delivered to your mailbox on a regular basis, but should you?  If you are in debt or if money is very tight, the answer is probably "no".  But what about for people who have a little extra money?  Are these boxes a good idea?  You be the judge.

Ipsy Glam Bags

I've gotten into a make-up rut and haven't tried anything new for a while.  I hate spending lots of money on make-up and I'm not the kind of person to spend a lot of time on her face.  I decided to subscribe to Ipsy to get some new make-up and types of make-up.  The box is only $10.00/month and contains five items each month, mostly sample sizes.  Here is what I got this month:

The blush compact is a "free" welcome gift; not part of the monthly bag.  Each month they send you a cosmetic bag, plus the five things.  This month I got the mauve eyeshadow and a brush, plus the mascara and a highlighter stick (kind of like concealer but a little sparkly).  The final item is some eye cream.  I'll give it another few months and see how it goes.  From this month's bag, I know I'll use the mascara and the eyeshadow.  The brush is nice.  I'll use the eye cream too.  I suspect the highlighter will hit the trash eventually--I've never figured out the whole highlight, contour thing.  I think I got my $10 worth.  If you want to try Ipsy, use my link and I get a referral credit.  

Dia & Co

I hate to admit it but in the last few years I've put on more than a couple of pounds.  Between being laid up with a sprained foot that took over six months to heal and going through menopause, and just generally finding a lot of sedentary activities I like, those pounds have crept on and don't seem to be going anywhere.  However, I'm still trying to dress the shape I used to have and I haven't figured out what to do with the body I have now.  I'm not much of a fashionista anyway but as my daughter says "You go shopping and come  home with another red sweater".  

Dia & Co is a styling service for women who wear sizes 14-32.  You register with them and then go online and fill out a personal profile about your style and preferred colors.   You can get boxes as frequently, or infrequently as you want.  You can sign up for a monthly or quarterly subscription or you can just order  a box when you want to.  Dia & Co's sylists put together five garments based on that information and send it to you.  The cost is $20, but that is applied to any purchase.  If you buy everything in the box you get a 20% discount.  Anything in the box that you do not want goes into the prepaid mailer and you send it back.  

I thought Dia & Co would be an interesting way to explore fashion that I might not pick off the rack.  Let's take a look at my first box.

I actually like this picture better than I liked the shirt.  It fit funny, and just didn't feel good.  It is a Zenobia Amelia top in Yellow and it costs $36.00. 

I don't know how well you can see by clicking on the photo, but give it a try.  These are Rafaella Carson Pants in Gray.  They cost $65.00 and were just big all over.  They were too long, and the crotch kind of hung, and the waistband slipped down closer to my hips.  I would like to try them a size down, but anything you order from Dia &  Co is not returnable so I won't do that.  The top is a royal blue Junarose Destiny top, which was basically a poly silk in the shoulder area and cotton knit from the chest down.  $59.00 is way too much for a t-shirt and this one was way too big anyway.  

Here I am wearing the blue top again, this time with an Emerald/Leslie Kimono in blue, which sells for $42.00.  I don't know if it was too big or if I just didn't like the look.  Basically I felt like I was in a robe.  The fabric is pretty though.  

This is a dress I never would have tried on in a store or ordered online.  For one thing, that style doesn't look good on me; for another, at $89.00, there are a lot less expensive clothes out there.  Guess what I'm keeping?  This is a Lysee Leanna dress.  The fabric is a thick knit and it is lined, but still machine washable.  My husband and college girl say it looks good on me.

Are Subscription Boxes Worth It?

I can't speak for every box out there. I've tried these two, and several years ago I tried Birchbox.  For $10 Birchbox and Ipsy are fun and expand my make-up collection in a low-risk low-cost way.  I'm not a big make-up customer so I'll probably get tired of this pretty soon.  People who have a tendency to spend too much on make-up may find these boxes help, since they get new toys monthly; or they may just encourage more consumption of more stuff.

As far as Dia & Co, you can tell by the prices that these aren't low-end clothes  You can certainly dress yourself for less elsewhere.  On the other hand, I found a nice dress that I would not have otherwise even tried.  Yes, it is a little high, but not so much that I can't afford it.  Honestly, if I had been out shopping and a salesclerk handed me the dress and suggested I try it, I probably wouldn't have bought it, just because of the price.  However, I had already spent $20 to get the box; if I sent everything back I would have nothing for that $20--so now I'm out $89 rather than $20, which makes all the sense in the world, right?  Obviously the way the program is set up, it encouraged me to spend money I would otherwise not have spent.

I don't think I will be getting a lot more of these boxes, but I will get at least one more to see if they do a better job of fiting my size--they say that the first box is hit or miss on sizes and it gets better after that as they get to know you.  After trying everything in  your box , you go to thier website and let them know what you are keeping and what you are sending back.  They ask you how you liked the color, fit and price of each piece and give you a space for comments.  Hopefully my next box is more moderately priced (the lowest price range they offer is $50/piece and that's what I selected) and has more clothes that fit.  

If money is a problem at your house, Dia & Co isn't for you; however, if you usually buy clothes in this price range (or even if you don't but can afford a piece or two) then Dia & Co is a fun way to explore fashion you might not otherwise try.   If you want to try Dia & Co. use my code and they will style my next box free, so if I don't like anything it can go back without guilt.