the real deal about Stitchfix

Three StitchFix items in this picture - the fun coral sweatshirt I would've never picked out, the jeans I wear EVERY DAY, and the lady purse that I'm so glad I have now. 

I am really, really excited to finally write this post! 
It's been brewing for awhile! 

A very quick explanation of WHAT StitchFix is. 
- It's an online personal styling business. You pay $20 and fill out a really detailed profile of what your body, style, and budget is like and what you need clothes for. You schedule a "fix" and wait. A personal stylist in California looks at your personal profile & puts together a box for you of 5 items, sends it to you. You try on said items. If you keep anything, your $20 fee goes towards whatever you buy. If you keep nothing, you send it all back for free & just pay that first $20. If you keep it all, your entire order is 25% off! Repeat. 

I first tried StitchFix back in the fall and my love has been growing and growing and growing.  I got to meet some of the minds behind the business and the stylists in September at The Influence Conference and I was so blessed by how lovely the women behind the business truly are. Since then, I've really utilized StitchFix to try and WAKE up my style, try things I wouldn't typically try and get out of the normal rut of my yoga pants & camo jacket. I'll be the first to tell you my first few fixes were not perfect, but through trial and error and really direct communication - I've been able to make it really work for me. 

I'm going to go to Q&A format now to hit some of the most frequent questions I get asked when I talk about StitchFix on instagram. 

How much are the clothes?
You set your price range. I've never seen anything less that $25, but I set my prices pretty low, so I've never seen anything over $75 or so. I still wouldn't typically spend $75 on a clothing item, but I'll explain that below. 

HOW are so many women affording StitchFix? 
Referral credits. Referral credits. Referral credits. 
Everytime someone uses your personal link (that StitchFix provides you with) to sign up for their first fix, you get $25 in clothing credit. That $25 over time adds up. I know lots and lots of bloggers (and a few non-bloggers) who rarely pay for clothes and get fix after fix after fix all funded by their referral credits. 

But what if you're not a blogger? How will people get your referral link? 
I have a lot of ideas here! Don't assume that if you're not a mega fashion blogger, you'll never see that $25 credit.  Here are a few tips on ways you could share your link outside of blogging: 
- share a StitchFix image on pinterest with your referral link (that's the gift that keeps on giving! think about how many times it could be repinned - this is where most of my referral credits come from, I think) 
- share your link on Facebook and encourage friends to try
- make it the link in your instagram homepage & show your fixes on there
- email a group of friends and plan a "stitchfix night". You could all get fixes, a bottle of wine, and have fun trying things on - even swapping what you got! They could all use your referral code! 
- most of all, don't believe that if you don't have a million online followers, you won't get any referral credit. one person = $25. $25 of FREE CLOTHES. 3 people = $75 of free clothes. That's a lot in my book. 

Do you have to do it every month? 
Nope! You can do it once a year or sign up for a fix to come automatically! 

When I first saw this shirt, I was like "blech! ick! no!" and now, it may be may favorite shirt that I own. Margaret knows better than me!

Is it easy?
Yes! You order online, they send it to your door, with a styling guide for each item. When you're ready to send back, you pop in the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope & give it to your mailman. 

What if I've done it and I was disappointed? 
It's up to you, but I'd try again. Try to be as specific as possible and give your stylist feedback. I also asked to keep the same stylist for each fix, Margaret, because I feel like she really really really gets me. Now, she sends me things that I would NEVER pick out for myself, but really push me style wise. 

But I am really, really specific. And I give detailed feedback on things I don't keep so she knows why not to send them to me. I also made a pinterest board that I shared with her & I send a note when I schedule my fix with any events, weather changes, body changes, etc. That has seemed to help a ton. 

I'm not sharing all my fave goodies in this post, but I share a lot on instagram using the has tag #naptimerunway! 

So is it really worth it? 
I really vote yes, even if you don't have hundreds in referral fees lined up. It will stretch you and push you in your style (if you're into that kind of thing). It puts new and fresh items in your wardrobe without leaving your house. I also like it because as a married gal, it involves my husband in the shopping process and I find that when Margaret sends me really fun & funky things - he is way more likely to say "BUY THAT!" when he sees it on, in our home, and imagines the fun dates we could go on if I was wearing it. 

Overall, I am love love loving StitchFix. 
And would I be sad if you used my referral link to get your first fix? 
Girl - you know I wouldn't! I like free clothes too, you know! 
Try it out & see!