I tried Stitch Fix, a popular personal styling service, and I loved it — here’s how it works
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Love it or hate it, shopping is a process that takes time.
Maybe you do have efficient shopping to a tee and you know the aisles and shelves of your favorite shop like the back of your hand, but your quest to get in and out as fast as you can leaves you buying the same safe pieces over and over again.
Traditional personal styling services solve these time and style problems, but can be expensive and still require your physical presence in a store.
Stitch Fix is an online styling service that was founded in 2011 and has mastered the business of mass customization through the combination of data and 3,500 full- and part-time stylists. In the 2016 fiscal year, Stitch Fix brought in $730 million in revenue. It also recently launched a separate styling service for men, which another Insider Picks team member reviewed and enjoyed.
Since the majority of its customers are female, we were curious to see how well Stitch Fix's core business stacked up, especially after hearing so many rave reviews from peers and friends.
At a glance, this is how Stitch Fix works: After you fill out a Style Profile, a personal stylist will hand pick five pieces of clothing, shoes, and accessories and mail them right to your door. You try them in the comfort of your home, send back the pieces you don't want, and pay for the ones you keep.
It's convenient, personalized, and let's you try clothes you maybe wouldn't have chosen for yourself. If it sounds like it's too good to be true, read on to get a more in-depth perspective into Stitch Fix and why I wholeheartedly recommend the service after just a couple months of trying it.
Sign up for Stitch Fix to try it for yourself.
First, you'll create a Style Profile by answering questions about your clothing and shoe sizes, desired fit/cut, style, price range, and more.
The questionnaire delves deep into every aspect of your body and style, such as your body shape and what parts of your body you like to flaunt. The example above tries to get a sense of your style by asking which outfits you like.
It takes into account your overall budget as well as the different price points you may prefer for different categories of clothing.
Whether you choose "The cheaper, the better" for every single option or "$200+," you are in total control. This ensures you won't be surprised by the price tag when you receive your pieces. You'll also avoid that crushing feeling when you fall in love with a piece, but it turns out to be way out of your budget.
The last part of the Style Profile is your chance to get even more personal.
This part reminded me there's a real human being on the other side. There's an optional feature to share your public social media handles like Instagram or Pinterest so your stylist can get to know your personality and style even more.
You can also add any final thoughts that the questionnaire may have missed. For example, I mentioned how our office is very cold, so I'd appreciate any business casual look that strikes the balance between the hot, humid weather outside, and the freezing interior of the office.
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