I revamped my work wardrobe with almost no effort with this personal shopping service

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Trunk ClubSaying I'm not fashionable is an understatement.

It's not that I don't understand that certain colors or patterns do or don't go together, but I see clothing from a utilitarian point of view.

If it fits and doesn't seem objectionable, I'll wear it. If what I'm wearing catches people's eye (in a good way), I consider it to be a bonus.

That said, I know a lot of people don't share that opinion, which is why I turned to Trunk Club, a service that combines personal shopping with the mechanics of a subscription box.

Here's how it works: Trunk Club pairs you with a personal stylist who asks you a series of questions over e-mail. After you establish your budget, style, sizes, and which pieces you're looking for, your stylist puts together a "trunk" full of clothes for you. Before it's shipped, you're shown an itemized list (with photos) of what the stylist has picked out. If you see something you don't like, you can ask them not to ship that piece, and it'll get replaced with another option.

The consultation process is very professional and straightforward, which is great since it's not something I'm used to. It's also remarkably quick; I spoke to my stylist on a Wednesday, and the clothes were shipped to me that Saturday.

Once you receive your clothes, you're given a few days to try everything on and see which pieces you like enough to keep. I've always hated trying clothes on at a store because I always felt rushed, but that wasn't a problem here. I was also able to mix and match pieces from Trunk Club with my entire closet's worth of clothes, a luxury I didn't get when shopping for clothes traditionally.

I found a few pieces I liked (and learned what gingham meant), and sent the clothes I didn't like back in the original trunk. Shipping is free both ways, and a return label is included in your trunk; and you only pay for the clothes you keep. My stylist called me to discuss which pieces I did and didn't like and I was sent a follow-up trunk, which included clothes that were even more tailored to my taste.

Trunk Club

What sets Trunk Club apart from a clothing subscription service is that there's no monthly, quarterly, or annual fee. You only get trunks when you request them, which is a nice departure from other services I've tried. I liked my stylist, never felt pressured to keep more clothing than I wanted, and didn't feel like I was being talked down to as a someone who doesn't know a lot about fashion.

It's not a cheap service (expect the prices to be in line with upscale retail stores), but I definitely found some value in it. In addition to learning about gingham, I also learned I loved wearing chinos and what a really nice belt looked and felt like. Patterns, styles, and materials may be obvious to people who really like fashion, but to an outsider like me, these were new, valuable insights.

Using Trunk Club made me a little more conscious about fashion, and I was able to add fresh pieces to my wardrobe with almost no effort. If either of those prospects sound appealing to you, I recommend you give Trunk Club a try.