Oh boy. My 40 hanger closet.
I'll put it like this. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. No worries, help is on the way.
I've got some problems:
- I have 5 pairs of black pants. Cinco. What in heavens name?
- I have 7 striped shirts. I can't even count that high in another language but come on.
- I yard sale'd my black dress shoes and when black pantalones make up half of your 40 hanger closet you really don't need to be prancing around town in your pewter flats. A pair of black flats moved to the top of my fashion list because it was just getting awkward.
Here is something really cool I've realized. I can break my wardrobe needs down into three basic categories.
- Cute & Casual
(shopping/church/date/Friday night with friends)
- Everyday Comfortable (working
around house/grocery store/errands)
- Special Occasion (date night,
wedding, funeral)
Your lifestyle is the biggest influencing factor in what type of clothes should be in the closet.
My dear friend Tiff shared something with me called Stitch Fix. Do you know about it? I wanted to share with you everything about my Stitch Fix experience so far.
Well for starters right now I am sitting here in my granny gown drinking sweet tea and talking to you. Meanwhile, somewhere out there a personal stylist is shopping for mwah. No I didn't just blow you a kiss, that was an attempt at French. Please. I don't know what is up with all the foreign language talk tonight. Let's just go with it, wee wee?
How much have I had to shell out?
So far $20. In a week or so, I'll be receiving a box in the mail (if you are a burglar reading don't you dare try to steal my box containing non-stripey paraphernalia) The box will contain 5 items. I can keep whatever I want and the $20 is applied to the items I purchase. If nothing works it can all be returned and I'd loose the $20.
Is it expensive?
That is a good question. They say the average item is $55. Personally, I'd never pay $55 for an item of clothing unless it was a fantastic pair of jeans that was comfortable and made me look exotically skinny. I can't even pay $38 for a shirt in the store. My clothing budget is small. As in $20 a month or less small. So then how am I going to fund my little experiment then? It is called the consignment shop. Today I picked up $100 from clothes that I dropped off. Now I have funds to reinvest into current things that look good now.
How do they know what I like?
That is part of the fun of it. When you sign up with Stitch Fix you fill out a Style Profile. They ask you all kinds of questions. Things like: What kind of coverage do you prefer? Do you like ankle length, regular or long? Here are some pictures, rate them based on how much you like them. What are your sizes and measurements. If you have a Pinterest fashion board you can link it to your Style Profile so that your stylist can get a better feel for your taste.
You can leave a note for your stylist. Here is what my note to my stylist said...
{Apple shaped body. Looking for pieces that can easily be mixed/matched. Our clothing budget is pretty small. Recently I paired down my closet to 40 items. I noticed I have 5 pairs of black pants and 7 striped shirts-oops! Want cute everyday things that can also be worn to Bible study and dinner :).}
My friend Tiffny brought her box over tonight and modeled her new duds and OH MY WORD she looked like a doll. They nailed it for her.
Why am I trying Stitch Fix?
I want someone else who does not have striped shirt bondage to show me some cute things. You know how it is. We like what we like and our eyes don't even see the other stuff in the store.
My goal is to maximize my 40 hanger closet. If this Fix goes well, then they will ship me another box in 3 months. (you can get them to ship more or less and you can cancel at any time). SO. If I even choose 1 or 2 items every few months then my basic core wardrobe will stay fresh and cute.
If they send me things as cute as Tiff's, then I'm going to be so happy I'll probably have to celebrate with ice cream or something. Of course that's what got me looking like the apple dumpling that I am, so maybe I'll just stick to a happy clap. Naw, who am I kidding? I'll have ice cream. I'll spread my birthday and Christmas money out. I'll fill my envelope with my $20 each month. And I'll keep consigning like a boss. Today I picked up my consignment check and am using it to reinvest in my Fix.
After working in fashion for 8 years I have learned something. It DOES NOT HAVE TO COST A MILLION BUCKS TO LOOK LIKE A MILLION BUCKS. Now I'm not saying I look like a million bucks. Sheesh. I've been wearing pewter shoes with black pants in public. But I am a big believer in having some basic pieces that can be filled in with the cute/fun/trendy.
Let me know if you try
Stitch Fix! If you use my referral I get $25. If you try it and like it let your buddies know and you'll get referral credit which is so neat.
