My 19th Stitch Fix arrived in the mail on Friday, so I did a little fashion show and enlisted my husband as photographer yesterday afternoon. When I opened the box I was excited to see a variety of colors and patterns inside:

In the words of kids these days, what is Stitch Fix even? Stitch Fix is a subscription-based personal styling service for men and women. You sign up on the website (it’s free to join), complete your style profile, and schedule a Fix. Then you’re assigned a stylist who selects five items of clothing and accessories for you based on your profile. They mail your box to you and allow you three days to try everything on at home so you can decide which pieces you want to purchase.  If you want to learn more about how the service works and sign up to receive your own Fixes, please see additional details at the bottom of this post.

So! This month I actually pushed my delivery date up a couple weeks; it had been scheduled for July 11 but I decided I wanted summery clothes and I wanted them NOW.  🙂 And I’ll add that my scheduled date for this Fix was June 26, but it arrived on the 23rd. SCORE!

Because my last couple Fixes weren’t totally spot on, I decided to prepare better for this one. First, I updated my style profile, which I recommend doing periodically because tastes and preferences can change. Second, I left a pre-Fix note for my stylist because I’ve learned that giving a bit of direction is better than nothing at all unless you’re truly open to anything. I said that I was interested in trying another romper and that I’d be open to trying a cold shoulder top. I also noted that I wanted a casual summery dress or two, and that I only wanted short sleeve or sleeveless pieces because the summers are so hot here in DC.

My styling cards looked pretty promising, with two sundresses, two tops, and a pair of denim shorts:

First I tried on the Liverpool Jade Distressed Frayed Hem Denim Short ($48) and the Papermoon Loni Crochet Back Knit Tank ($38). When paired, these two pieces don’t make for the most summery-looking outfit due to the dark colors, but it’s not like I have to wear them together. Michelle, my stylist for this Fix, noted that these shorts have a shorter inseam than the last pair I received (and returned for being a strange length on me).

Papermoon Lonni Crochet Back Knit Tank & Liverpool Jade Distressed Frayed Hem Denim Short | Stitch Fix
Walter the Cat: all up in people’s business since 1999.

And you know what? These are the first shorts from Stitch Fix that I’ve liked on me! The fit and length are good, and I like that although the edges are frayed they don’t look ratty. The overall amount of distressing is just right. The shorts arrived at the perfect time, too, because most of my denim shorts are so worn out that they’re all kinds of saggy in the butt. Not a good look. The Papermoon tank is very cute too—I’m all about basics with interesting details, and this top certainly fits the bill with its crocheted hem and back detail. Check out the back here:

Papermoon Lonni Crochet Back Knit Tank

I do wish the top was a lighter color, but overall it’s great. It’s swingy but not boxy and it won’t cling to my skin when it’s a million degrees and a thousand percent humidity outside. So the verdict on both of these pieces is KEPT!

The next piece I tried on was the Renee C Jayani Racerback Top ($48). This is definitely a different style for me (probably due to minor changes I made in my style profile), but I think it’s cute. I really like the colors and pattern of this top. However, it was too roomy under the arms (which you can sort of see under my right arm in the below pic) and a little too boxy at the bottom. I also wasn’t a big fan of the polyester material, which honestly felt kind of cheap.

Renee C Jayani Racerback Top | Stitch Fix
NO BRA…WHEEEEEE!

Here’s a look at the racerback—you can see the roominess a bit on the left side by my armpit:

Renee C Jayani Racerback Top back detail | Stitch Fix

So, while I thought this top was super cute, the fit and material weren’t quite right for me. One size down might have worked, but I didn’t want to exchange it because I thought the price was a little high for a material that felt cheap. So…the verdict is RETURNED.

Then I tried on the Pixley Mavis Dress ($68), a cute red paisley-ish number in a lightweight, breezy material. And I loved it!

Pixley Mavis Dress | Stitch Fix

This summery dress is just right for me! I love the blousy style at the waist. While I wouldn’t have been drawn to this pattern in-store, I’m glad Michelle sent me something outside my usual solids, florals, or stripes uniform. Here’s a peek at the dress’s strappy back:

Pixley Mavis Dress back | Stitch Fix
Awkwardly doing an over-the-shoulder pose.

Clearly, the verdict on this dress is KEPT!

The final piece I tried on was the Q&A Portia Maxi Dress ($78), which Michelle picked for me based on all the florals I’ve pinned on my Pinterest style board. This dress is very pretty; I love the floral pattern, the colors, the slightly heart-shaped neckline, and the buttons (which you can’t really see in the below pic). The problem is the fit: the way the dress bloused out at the waist looked a little funny on me. I found that if I lowered the neckline the blousiness looked better—slightly more like the Pixley dress above—but then it was too low-cut for my comfort. I think this dress would work better on someone with serious boobs—at least, boobs more serious than mine.

Q&A Portia Maxi Dress | Stitch Fix

I wasn’t super into the material of this dress, either; I think I would have been more likely to keep this dress had it been some kind of cotton. The dress is polyester, yet a much nicer-feeling polyester than the racerback top. Nice enough to feel a tad more like a special occasion dress than a throw-on-and-go-to-a-BBQ dress. I’m sure that for some people this material is perfectly casual, but for me it seemed a lil’ fancy. My reasoning doesn’t make much sense because the Pixley dress is a similar material but that one feels casual enough—maybe because it’s short and more lightweight? I don’t know, I can’t really explain it! So for these reasons, along with the fit issue, I felt like I wouldn’t end up wearing this dress much. I’m sure you can tell that the verdict for this dress, unfortunately, is RETURNED.

All in all, I’m quite pleased with Fix number 19! I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t receive a romper or a cold shoulder top, since I mentioned in my pre-Fix note to my stylist that I was open to trying those. That said, Michelle did a good job of picking out good hot-weather pieces and she did send more than one summery dress, per my request. After the $20 styling fee credit, plus tax, I spent $142.86 on the the shorts, the top, and the dress, which is a price I can live with for three items that I know I’ll wear.

New to my Stitch Fix reviews? You can read my past reviews here.

What is Stitch Fix?

Stitch Fix assigns a personal stylist to hand pick five items for you, including clothing, accessories, and shoes—and ships them right to your door.

How does Stitch Fix work?

Sign up at Stitch Fix and complete a style profile by filling out your clothing and shoe sizes, what sort of styles you like, color preferences, and more. You can even specify a price range you’re willing to spend per piece. The style profile is comprehensive, and they encourage you to include a link to your Pinterest style board (here’s mine) to help guide your stylist. You can request specific items via your Pinterest board or by leaving a note for your stylist on the Stitch Fix website, though there’s no guarantee you’ll get them.

Then you schedule a Fix. You can get a Fix as often as you’d like: monthly, every other month, for an upcoming special occasion, etc. When the appointed date arrives, you get a box filled with five items picked just for you, along with a note from your stylist and cards with outfit ideas for each piece. You have three days to try everything on and decide what to keep or return. If you keep any items (even just one), they’ll deduct a $20 styling fee from the total cost. Even better? If you keep all five items, you get a 25% discount on everything! You only pay the $20 styling fee if you send everything back. What happens if you don’t like some of the items? Stitch Fix makes it simple for you to return whatever you don’t want to keep. Each Fix includes a pre-addressed, USPS postage-paid envelope for easy returns. Schedule your first Fix today!