Looking for honest Stitch Fix reviews? I’ve used Stitch Fix on and off for almost 10 years now and have a lot of experience with the pros and cons of the service! Read on for my completely honest thoughts about my Stitch Fix experience, whether it’s worth it, and all my best tips & tricks for making it work for you!
Stitch Fix sponsored this post and they recently sent a box to both me and Gretchen on our team. But as always, these are my completely honest thoughts after using the service for nearly a decade! (And if you’re a teacher, scroll to the very bottom of this post for a HOT 20% discount you can get right now!)
For those of you who have been following me for a really long time, you’ll probably remember parts of my Stitch Fix journey throughout the years and how I slowly went from not being impressed with the service to loving it. I figured an updated Stitch Fix review post was long overdue since I’ve been using it on and off for close to 10 years! And I’ve learned a lot in that timeframe as to what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to this service.
For those of you who haven’t been following me for very long or are reading about my Stitch Fix experience for the very first time, you should know that I am always brutally honest with my product reviews. I will never endorse a product that I don’t truly love. I will also never lie about loving a product that I don’t. So if you’re looking for really honest Stitch Fix reviews, this is the one to read!
In this post I’ll cover how Stitch Fix works, how much it costs, the pros & cons of the service, my honest Stitch Fix review, whether it’s worth it, and how to best make Stitch Fix work for you.
What is Stitch Fix?
Stitch Fix has been around long enough now that you’ve most likely at least heard about it in passing. But just in case you’re not familiar with it, I want to first briefly cover what Stitch Fix is and how it works.
Stitch Fix is an online clothing shop designed to provide personal styling services for women at an affordable cost. It was specifically created for women who need to wear nicer clothes for events/work but who don’t want to spend hours and hours combing through clothing stores to put together outfits.
Originally, it was only for women, but they recently opened up a line for men and a line for kids. They carry women’s sizes 0-24W and XS-3X, maternity and petite options, men’s sizes XS-XXL, and kids’ sizes 2T-14.
When you sign up, you’ll receive a box of clothing (called a “Fix”) on your doorstep at the frequency you choose (no subscription required). Each box is custom picked just for you by a Stitch Fix stylist based on your size and style preferences!
How Does Stitch Fix Work?
If you’re interested in getting started with Stitch Fix, here’s how it works…
1. Sign up for a Stitch Fix account. (Are you a teacher? If so, go HERE for your 20% sign-up discount!)
2. Fill out your style profile. You’ll give very specific details on sizes you wear, styles you like, colors you like, types of clothes you like, and what types of clothing you are specifically looking for (more casual, all business, a mix of both, etc.) You can be very detailed in your descriptions and even share a Pinterest board with them to give Stitch Fix some ideas of your tastes in clothing.
3. Go to checkout and pay a $20 styling fee. This is reimbursed if you choose to keep any of the clothes.
4. A Stitch Fix stylist will look at your style profile and put together a box of clothing just for you. It will be based upon what they think you’ll like, according to all your size, color, and style preferences.
5. They’ll send you this box in the mail. You’ll have a few days to go through the box, try on the clothes, and then choose to keep any that you liked and ship back any that didn’t work (they provide a postage-paid envelope for you to use).
That’s it — that’s how Stitch Fix works and it’s super simple, actually!
They also now have a feature where you can shop for one-off items based on your past kept items from boxes! It’s really convenient!
How Much is Stitch Fix?
You only pay a $20 styling fee out of pocket to have the box shipped to you.
If you choose to keep any of the clothing in your box, that $20 will be put towards your order as a discount. If you choose not to keep any clothing at all, you’ll lose the $20 you paid for the styling.
When you sign up, you get the opportunity to specify your budget range. There is a really nice variety of different brands at different costs for all budgets.
If you decide to keep all the items in your box, you’ll receive an additional 25% off your entire order!
(And don’t forget — if you’re a teacher, you can currently get a bonus 20% sign-up discount!)
Stitch Fix Reviews from My First Fix Experience
Back when Stitch Fix first launched, a few of my friends signed up for it and loved it. Based upon their rave reviews and my husband’s encouragement, I decided it was finally worth it to try Stitch Fix.
I wasn’t thrilled with what I got in my first box.
In fact, I sent half of it back, and I wish I wouldn’t have kept two of the items I did. As much as I thought I could convince myself to love them, I just couldn’t.
I did get a pair of earrings in the box that I love and have worn countless times since then. So that was the one redeeming part of my very first Stitch Fix experience.
But I kind of just decided that Stitch Fix probably wasn’t for me and was happy to leave it at that.
Stitch Fix Review: My (Second) Disappointing Stitch Fix Box
However, a year later, a friend here invited me to go with her to a Stitch Fix Influencer’s Dinner here in Nashville. I decided to go — mostly because I was honored to be asked and I was hopeful that I’d meet some other local bloggers at the event.
While at the Stitch Fix event, I had a long talk with the Stitch Fix folks. I was quite cynical about things, and they patiently answered all my questions and encouraged me to give Stitch Fix another try. They gave me some pointers on how to get a box that better matches your style. They told me to be really, really specific in what I asked for and also encouraged me to set up a Pinterest board with wardrobe ideas.
And then, they gave me a $20 Stitch Fix credit coupon so I could try the service without having to pay the $20 stylist fee. I debated whether or not I was brave enough to try again. I finally decided that it was worth it to give Stitch Fix another shot since it was so risk-free. Even if I sent everything back, I wouldn’t be out any money out of pocket.
So I really put some time and effort into making sure my profile had very specific directives on it and I set up a Pinterest board with some outfit ideas. I was SO excited to get my box in the mail.
…But I sent every single item back due to the pieces either being not my style or not the right fit. I really wanted to love Stitch Fix (maybe because I really dislike actual in-person shopping and this seemed like such an amazing option to just have clothing arrive at my doorstep that was picked out for me?!).
I had heard that it takes a few times of really honest feedback before your stylist really learns your style well and starting sending the right kind of clothing for you, but I was starting to feel frustrated…
The Box That Completely Changed My Mind
Truthfully, if I hadn’t had a little bit of referral credit built up in my account, I probably would have walked away at this point. But I decided to give it one more try, since I basically had free money in my account and I hated for it to go to waste!
So I tried another box. This time, when I sent the previous box back, I was super forthright in my feedback of the items they sent to me in hopes that my critique would help them do a better job of nailing my style in this third box.
All of the items were much more my style than the first two boxes. Yay! In fact, I really liked every piece. I did send 4 out of the 5 pieces back simply because of fit and price.
But when I pulled out these Jimmy Ankle Length Skinny Jeans, everything changed for me.
I LOVED these jeans!!! It’s so hard to find jeans that fit my short frame well. These were PERFECT and I was SO excited that they fit me so well! Honestly, I wanted to buy multiple pairs of these exact same jeans because they were exactly everything I’d ever wanted in a pair of jeans.
The jeans were $88, and I know that’s A LOT to pay for a pair of jeans. In fact, it’s quite a bit more than I’d ever paid for jeans prior to this. However, I realized that I would probably wear these jeans hundreds of times over the next few years (and I definitely did!). In that case, I decided it was worth it for me — especially to get a style and fit I love.
And over the years, Stitch Fix jeans have continued to be my absolute favorite jeans. They always fit me perfectly and are such high quality.
{Another favorite pair of jeans from Stitch Fix!}
{Sweater and Jeans from Stitch Fix!}
The Secret to Making Stitch Fix Work for You
After lots of trial and error with receiving many boxes and being patient, I’ve learned that it’s all about getting a stylist that learns your tastes and preferences well. It might take a few boxes for this to happen, but for me it has been well worth it to be patience and give Stitch Fix a chance!
Here are my best tips to make Stitch Fix work for you…
Make Sure You Fill Out Your Style Profile Carefully — Be really, really honest in your style profile. Make sure all your sizing and preferences are absolutely accurate and that you are very specific about colors, patterns, and styles you don’t want.
Request a Stylist — If you know someone who has gotten fixes that you especially love, you can ask them who their stylist is and you can request that they assign the same stylist to you. No guarantees, but I’ve heard of this working for people. You can also request to have the same stylist you had last time (if you liked them) or a different stylist (if you didn’t like what they chose).
Leave a Note For Your Stylist — Please do this. Tell your stylist exactly what you are looking for and what you aren’t looking for. They do read these notes and try to honor them. You can even ask for very specific items for an upcoming special event — like a dress to wear to a wedding or special event!
Give Incredibly Honest Feedback — Seriously, don’t shy away here. I’m brutally honest and I’ve seen that it makes a huge difference when I leave 100% honest feedback. Don’t hold back! It might seem mean-spirited, but it’s not. They really want you to be honest so that they can get it right for you next time. (By the way, a number of times, if I left feedback about how I really didn’t like what they sent, they either refunded me the stylist fee or gave me a free $20 stylist credit to use the next time.)
Stick With it For a Few Fixes — It took several fixes for my stylist to really learn what I liked. I’m very picky on the clothes I keep. Since I have more of a simple wardrobe, I have to really love a piece of clothing to keep it. As the stylists learn your fashion tastes and what you don’t like, they will do a better job choosing for you. After I had done several fixes with them, they started sending me fixes much more in line with my style.
Request Multiples of An Item You Liked — If you liked a specific dress, shirt, or pair of shorts, you can ask if they have it in any other colors. I’m the kind of person who loves to get multiples of the same style (it simplifies things!), so this has worked well for me! (For instance, I got multiples of this dress and these pair of shorts — just in different colors.) And now you can even buy one-off items based on your past kept items. Just log in and look under the “buy it again” tab under “shop.”
{I love these Utility Pants that came in my latest box!! I can’t recall having pants in this color and I love how they fit! They could easily be dressed up with nicer shoes and a nicer shirt or dressed down with Birks or sneakers and a tee and jean jacket.}
Let’s Talk Stitch Fix Prices (The Elephant in the Room)
The biggest drawback to Stitch Fix is obviously the pricing, and trust me — I totally get it!
Here’s the thing — Stitch Fix won’t be the right choice for everyone. But if it’s within your budget to try it out even just once and see how you like it, it might be worth it to experiment with Stitch Fix. (And if you’re a teacher, you can try it at a 20% discount right now!)
Yes, Stitch Fix can be more expensive, especially if you’re used to thrifting for most of your clothing. BUT the clothing is really high quality and can last a lot longer — making your spent money stretch a lot further.
Also, you can specify your budget when you sign up! You get to choose your budget range for all the different clothing pieces, which is really nice! For example, I’m willing to spend more on a quality pair of jeans than I am a top, so I set my jeans budget a bit higher.
And don’t forget that you’ll get your $20 styling fee back in the form of a credit towards a purchase from your box, which is really nice! (And if you’re a teacher, you can score a 20% discount on anything you keep from your first box right now, too!)
{This blazer also came in my latest box and fits me perfectly. It’s very different than anything I have and I don’t think it works with the shirt I am wearing it with here, but I think I like it and I am thinking there’s a good chance it might become a staple business piece in my wardrobe. Years ago, I got a blazer from Stitch Fix and I’ve worn it countless times to so many conferences, business meetings, and speaking events!}
Is Stitch Fix Worth It? Pros & Cons
Are you the kind of person who needs a simple pros & cons list?
These are my overall positive and negative reviews of Stitch Fix, after having used it for almost a decade now. I’ve found Stitch Fix to totally be worth it for me, but you have to decide for yourself!
Pros
- Filling out your style profile is fun! It kind of helps you figure out your true style and discover what you actually love and don’t love when it comes to fashion. Since I’m not a fashionista, this isn’t something I’ve spent much time considering. So I thought that was a very valuable exercise.
- I love the anticipation of getting a box in the mail. It adds to the excitement that you don’t know what will be in it. It’s fairly rare that I get to open and go through a mystery box. Looking forward to the box makes the experience more fun!
- It’s SO much easier than shopping! Since I don’t enjoy shopping in-store, I find it so much easier and more fun to receive a Stitch Fix box on my doorstep! Plus, it’s nice to be able to try clothing on in the privacy of your own home and compare/match them to items already in your closet. It makes it really easy to decide whether or not to keep an item.
- It challenges you to try new things. It’s fun to try new and different styles that you normally wouldn’t pick off the rack in a store. It helps you further define your style and experiment some!
- You get to set your budget for what they send. Although the prices at Stitch Fix are going to be much more than what you’d find at thrift stores or on the clearance rack at Target, I love that they give you the option to set your price preferences for certain clothing items and they also offer you the option to set a budget for the entire cost of your box.
- I love the styling cards that come with each box. It gives you great ideas on how to style and accessorize an item of. clothing. These are great especially for someone like me who had no idea how to put outfits together when I first started with Stitch Fix.
- The stylists are very helpful and try really hard to listen to your honest feedback and notes
- You don’t end up buying things you don’t love. I find that I am more apt to only buy what I really love when I get to try things on at home and have a few days to decide versus having to decide when I’m in the dressing room at a store. Plus, it’s easier to tell if a clothing item fits into your wardrobe well and matches other pieces.
- You can change your profile at any time. Update your profile if your spending preferences, sizing, or likes change. You can do this whenever and however many times you want.
- Returns are incredibly easy and free. You just send whatever you don’t want to keep back in a pre-paid envelope. So simple!
- No subscription is required. You can get a box any time you want. Either on-demand or regularly — every few weeks, once a month, or every season.
- There are discounts! If you keep your whole box, you get 25% off your entire order. Plus, your $20 styling fee always goes back towards your order if you decide to keep even one item.
Note: They also now have an entirely new way to shop called “Stitch Fix Freestyle” where you can shop their store without getting a scheduled Fix. You can browse and buy specific items based on personalized recommendations from your style profile. You can shop “trending for you” items, “complete looks” to find pieces that go with items you already have, or “buy it again” to find an item you love in a different pattern/color/size! As always, shipping and returns are free — just like with a regular Fix!
{Jean Jacket from Stitch Fix!}
Cons
- You might need to be patient. Like I mentioned previously, it will probably take a few times for your stylist to get it right.
- Prices are higher. If you’re used to shopping at thrift stores or from sales racks, the prices you’ll find at Stitch Fix are definitely higher. Stitch Fix curates their collection from high quality name brands, and that comes with a bit of a price hike compared to what you might be used to normally.
- You never know what you’re going to get. While it’s fun to not know what you’ll get, it can sometimes be a bit disappointing. A few times, I’ve loved almost every piece in my fix. Other times, I’ve loathed most of what I received. It’s a risk you’re taking — and you’re out $20 if none of the items work for you.
- Sometimes, it seems like they don’t look at your style profile carefully. This usually doesn’t happen, but I have had a few times where I wondered if the stylist even so much as glanced at my profile because what she sent was so far off from my style profile and preferences. Like I said, this isn’t super common, but I did think it was worth mentioning. If you’re on a tight budget, it might not be worth the risk of the $20 styling fee.
{Shirt from Stitch Fix. I love some of their dressier shirts!}
Honestly, Stitch Fix has been a real gift to someone like me who dislikes shopping and finds it exhausting and time-consuming to go to a store, search endlessly through racks and racks of clothing, and then try things on, only to discover that most of the items don’t fix or won’t work!
Overall, I think I’ve come to realize that I really do love Stitch Fix after all these years!! In fact, some of my very favorite items in my closet are from Stitch Fix!
Though it can be a bit pricey, I’ve personally found that the things I’ve kept from my boxes have held up well and I’ve worn many items over and over and over again for years. This is especially true of their jeans and shorts. And it’s really nice that you can set your budget when you sign up.
If you like wearing quality pieces, you don’t enjoy shopping, and you’re not on an extremely tight budget, this styling service can be a lifesaver for busy women — and it can be a fun way to branch out and try new styles!
So there you have it after my almost-10-year journey — my very long and extremely in-depth (and brutally honest) Stitch Fix review!
A Second Opinion: Gretchen’s Honest Review!
Since Stitch Fix so graciously sent a second box to Gretchen on our team for this review, you get to hear another team member’s experience with Stitch Fix!
Gretchen here! I tried Stitch Fix years ago and wasn’t super impressed. This time around, I had the most amazing experience! Stitch Fix made it super easy and fun to fill out my profile and pick styles that I most preferred.
When I opened my box, I was pleasantly surprised at the items they had sent. I especially loved the jeans. It is super difficult for me to find jeans that fit in all the right places and aren’t too short. These jeans are absolutely perfect and I’ve already worn them several times!
I was also excited to see that they sent some jewelry. I have a really hard time finding jewelry that I like and these bracelets are exactly my style. I adore them and have already been complimented while wearing them and asked where I got them. 
They will definitely become a staple in my closet to dress up an outfit.
Overall, I had the best experience with Stitch Fix! I ended up keeping several items and am very excited about them.
Teachers: Get 20% Off Your First Stitch Fix Order!
As a special back to school discount, Stitch Fix is offering teachers 20% off their first order! This is a pretty rare Stitch Fix discount, so you don’t want to miss out!
It’s a great chance to grab some clothing for the new school year!
Just go HERE and click on sign up to get started. You’ll verify your teacher status with ID.me to get your 20% discount after signing up. It’s super simple!
This teacher discount is only available through September 3rd, so hurry and take advantage of it while you still can!
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