Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

Stitch Fix #8: Help Me Decide What to Buy!

YAY, it’s time for my 8th Stitch Fix! I took a little break last month because I had such great luck with my March Fix… so I was super happy when the Stitch Fix box landed on my front porch this week! If you must know, the second it was sent out I obsessively stalked the items online.

Yup, not a drip of self-control for me this week.

Let me back up a scooch, if you are like “What the Heck is Stitch Fix” you should probably check out this post. If you’re feeling super stalkery and want to see ALL my Stitch Fix posts, you can find them here.

For this month’s Fix, I requested my same stylist again (Meagan) because she did such a wonderful job putting together my last three months of boxes. On the notes for this month’s order, I asked for a pair of ‘grown up looking’ distressed jeans and something that I can throw on over t-shirts instead of my overused zip up hoodie.

Here’s what I got:

Item #1: Emmet Marled Knit Open Cardigan – $48
I’m guessing that this cardigan is meant to be a replacement for my faithful hoodie. I really wanted something I could throw over a t-shirt and shorts (or jeans) for warmth and comfort. So, with that in mind I styled it like I would typically run around during the spring/summer. Yup, with a t-shirt (Loft) and a pair of jean shorts (Gap). It has an interesting texture and pattern to it, but I’m not sure that it’s really what I’m looking for.

Keep or return: I’m feeling kind of torn on this one. What do you think?

Item #2: Ivy Abstract Triangle Print Tab-Sleeve Blouse – $68
Okay, add a cute print and tab sleeves and I’m usually SOLD. One of my favorite Stitch Fix purchases is the tulip printed tab-sleeve blouse and this is pretty much the EXACT shirt in a different pattern… so I love it. First, I styled the top as if I were going to work… which was pretty easy since I was wearing my tulip blouse! I just switched out blouses and kept the same necklace (Etsy) and pants (Loft) that I was already wearing. Meagan suggested that the top would also work well with my red jeans from the last fix (LOVE that she keeps track of these things!!), so I tried it out.

Keep or Return? Do you love it, or is one tab-sleeved work blouse enough?

Item #3: Mirena Zip Pocket Top – $68
This top is kind of odd – the front is made out of a silky material but the back is a soft cotton. I guess it’s like a mullet, all business in the front and party in the back? Oh, and it has a boob zipper. It’s actually a pocket, but I just keep imagining that it would be super handy for those times when you’d like to pull your left boob out.

Keep or return? It’s a pretty color, but the rest is just super weird. RETURN!

Item #4: Edmond Chevron Print Henley Shirt – $54
When I originally saw the description for this shirt, I was a bit worried. Chevron has been SO POPULAR lately that I was afraid a chevron printed shirt would look dated pretty much immediately. When I pulled it out of my package I was pleasantly surprised. The fabric is the silkiest cotton EVER and the best part is that it’s NOT SEE THROUGH! I hate it when lightweight shirts require wearing another shirt underneath. Since this is the casual shirt that I’ve been wanting from Stitch Fix, I styled it like I’d typically wear it – with jeans or jean shorts (Gap).

Keep or Return? Keep. Right?

Item #5: Sophia Distressed Skinny Jean – $88
I was super excited to see these jeans in my Fix, because I had been really wanting a pair of distressed skinny jeans. I’ve been LOVING my red skinny jeans, so I had high hopes for this pair when I pulled them out of the box. As luck would have it, they have the perfect amount of stretch and they’re super comfortable! If I could have taken a pair of jeans out of my imagination and put them on my booty, these jeans would be it! For the pictures, I did a “date night” version with one of my favorite tops (Daniel Rainn) and leopard heels. Of course. For the second outfit, I took Meagan’s recommendation and tried it with the chevron blouse and marled cardigan.

Keep or Return? Um… just TRY to take them away from me!!!

HELP ME!
So now it’s the fun part where you get to tell me what to do! My mind is totally made up on the jeans and I’m leaning towards buying the triangle print blouse AND the chevron Henley shirt. I wish I loved the whole box o’ clothes so that I could get 25% off of everything… but I HATE that zip pocket top!

Because of my dumb scheduling, I don’t have a ton of time to make my decision so PLEASE help me out by leaving a comment below with your thoughts!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix, I pay for the $20 styling fee and any clothing I purchase with my own hard-earned money. If you enjoyed my review and decide to try Stitch Fix for yourself, the biggest compliment you can give me is by using my referral link. Thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction!

5/16/14 Update: Thank you all SO MUCH for leaving all your amazing feedback comments! From this Fix I decided to buy the jeans and the chevron henley shirt. I was sooooo close to also buying the black and white top, but when it came down to it I just didn’t have that giggly love for it that I had for the other pieces. Countdown until the next Fix begins NOW!

Psssst…Do you love checking out what other people received in their Fixes? I added quick links to every single one of my reviews on my Stitch Fix Reviews page!

Trying on Bras with True&Co

I love trying out new things, whether it be a personal stylist in a box, yummy spreadable cookies or a kit to make my own lip balm. Last week I asked my readers if there was a company, service or item that they were dying to see me review and Katherine suggested I try out True&Co.

True&Co is an online bra service that uses your current favorite bra data and a 2-minute style quiz to determine your perfect bra options and provide them to you in a personalized store. They have a home try-on program where they send you 5 bras to try on for free. You keep and pay for what you want and return what you don’t.

Kinda like Stitch Fix for boobs.

But not, because you get to pick three of the bras that they send you and then they surprise you with two others. Also, unlike Stitch Fix there is no charge for the service… even if you send everything back. The only catch is that you need to send what you don’t like back within 5 day or you’ll pay a $20 late fee.

I actually went to one of those fancy schmancy bra shops about a year ago to be properly fit for a bra and I was not impressed. Even though they measured me, the sizes they had me try on did not fit correctly. I’ve honestly done better on my own through trial-and-error of taking 50 bras into a dressing room and coming out with maybe 2 winners.

I was a bit skeptical about True&Co, but when I saw that they also offered exercise bras – including the one that I’ve been stalking on Amazon.com – I signed up immediately!

I took their Fit Quiz and they gave me a huge selection of gorgeous bras that I might want to try. I picked three favorites (including the Panache bra I’ve been eyeing) and submitted my order. Less than a week later and they arrived at my house for me to try on:

Panache Sport Bra (chose by me) – $68
When I mentioned in a recent post that I have to wear two exercise bras to keep my goodies from bringing all the boys to the yard (or knocking me out on a run), a friend on Instagram suggested I try the Panache Sport Bra. When I was reading reviews on Amazon.com, many people said that you should size down in the rib measurement, but up in the cup size to get the best fit. So, I was pleasantly surprised when True&Co suggested that I do exactly that with this bra.

I was MOST excited to try this bra on and was totally devastated when I could hardly force the clasp to close. Apparently sizing down in the band was the not the right choice for me. After a hearty struggle, I did finally get it closed, but it was way too tight with overflow happening pretty much everywhere.

The bra is made really well though and I love the fabric and the fact that they’ve made underwire work in a sports bra. I’m definitely going to order this in another size and try it again.

A Space Girl’s Dream bra (chose by me) – $44
This bra looks much like my current favorites, so I figured I’d try it out. I normally wear Wacoal bras, so I was interested to see that based on my Wacoal sizing, I should go down in rib measurement and up in cup size for this style.

When I took this bra out of the box, I pretty much already decided that I was going to buy it. The fabric is gorgeous and I love the little stripy design that runs around the band. It also has the perfect amount of light padding for a smooth look, but no push-up action. Unfortunately, the fit was off. Once again, the suggested smaller band size worked against me and it was way too tight. This is another one that I’m going to try again in a different size.

Brallelujah Racerback (chose by me) – $62
Okay, so now I’m singing Bralllelujah, Brallelujah all over the house, which is worrying Ollie. I chose this bra because I have a love affair with racerbacks. I just find them all around comfy and enjoy the “BOOM, THERE IT IS” when you unsnap the front to unleash the girls on the world at the end of the day. I thought the Joules-ish color would work well for summer, since most of my bras are black and this could go under some tops without showing through.

In reality, this bra is horrible and one of the most unsexy bras I’ve ever seen. The cups are WAY too padded with extra padding in the bottom to push the ladies up and out. The fabric of the bra was strangely reminiscent of shapewear… and then I realized that the bra is made by Spanx and it totally makes sense. This one is definitely going back.

Made of Stars (chosen by them) – $44
This is one of the bras that they chose for me and unfortunately it is NOT actually made of stars. When I saw this bra in person, it reminded me of pretty much every bra I owned about 15 years ago – not very fashionable, no structure and just kind of blah. The bright orange piece on the clasp area is cute, but defeats the purpose of this being almost skin colored. If you wear it under a light shirt, you’ll see the bright orange block. The fit didn’t do anything for me, so this one is going back as well.

Marielle (chosen by them) – $45
This is another surprise option that was sent to me by True&Co and they sent it to me in my typical bra size (with no sizing up or down). When I first saw it, I thought it was okay. But then I tried it on and the lace placement makes it quite sexy. I’m not normally a white bra person, but the lacy part is soft and the whole bra is pretty comfortable. It fits very nicely everywhere, except the back. There is a bit of squishy back fat situation going on. Although this one is really cute, it’s being returned and I don’t love it enough to reorder it in another size.

Returning the bras was super easy, as they provide a return bag and label in your box. So, within a couple minutes, I taped the label to the front of the bag and walked it down to my mailbox. Easy-peasy and the order is heading back to their company within 24 hours of it being delivered.

My thoughts on True&Co:
Even though I ended up sending all five bras pack, I have to say that I love this service. They don’t charge anything to have the bras sent to me to try on (they put a hold on your credit card, but there is no initial charge) and I think they had a great selection to choose from.

The prices were comparable to what I would pay at the mall and actually much cheaper that I paid at the fancy bra store. Having the bras sent directly to you is a really great option for moms of small children, because it totally saves you from the always awkward “Sorry my kid is looking under the dressing room door” apology. Also, with free delivery and free return shipping it’s a WIN-WIN for anyone to try out.

I actually liked the company so much that I reached out to them to see if they could hook my readers up with a discount code, and they did! If you use this link you can get $15 off your purchase. The link has no expiration date, so you can order your own box of free bras whenever you’d like to try them out. I do want to point out that I get credit if anyone uses my referral code, but much like any review I’ve done on this blog I NEVER give a company a positive review unless I think they actually deserve it!

Although I didn’t purchase anything from this shipment, I’m going to place another order so I can try the black bra and exercise bra in different sizes. I’m also thinking about trying out some of their loungewear, panties and other sassy accessories. For free delivery and free shipping, why not?! Not these though because although my body may be a wonderland, it is not a garden.

Would you try a box of bras at home instead of going to the mall? Do you routinely contort into strange positions to make sure you don’t have back-fat? Do you have a company, service or product that you wish I’d review?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by True&Co. They did not ask me to review their service or reward me for doing so. True&Co did give me a special referral link for my readers though and if you decide to use it for your purchase to save $15 off your order I will receive a small referral reward. Here is my link. So thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction.

Stitch Fix Breakdown: What I Love & What I Regret

After my March Stitch Fix success that cost me a little more than I had hoped for (but totally worth it), I figured that it would probably be a good idea for my wallet if I skip a month. Apparently Stitch Fix felt the same way, because when I went to sign up for my next Fix, they had a longer waiting time than normal… so my next box won’t come until mid- May.

I know you guys like weighing in on my purchases though, so I thought I’d do a little review of my favorite pieces and the pieces that I regret buying. If you’d like to play catch-up, you can see all of my Stitch Fix reviews here.

Everything I’ve Bought
I’ve been Fix-ing since September, which has resulted in me purchasing TEN items:

Top row: Kayla Skinny Jean (March), HoneyPunch Payge Striped Cross-Back Sweater (December), Mission ¾ Sleeve V-neck Blouse (February). Middle row: Moni Stud Detailed ¾ Sleeve Blouse (March), Rylin Pintuck Detailed Silk Blouse (February). Bottom row: 41Hawthorn Abrianna Long-sleeved Knit Cardigan (October), Renee C Jemdy Striped Dolman Sleeve Jersey Top (November), Mia Melon Paloma Striped Short Sleeve Cut-Out Top (September), Broadway Swing Skirt (January) and Ivy Tulip Print Tab Sleeve Blouse (January).

Winning
Even though I still love most of my purchases, three of them stand above the rest. I consider these three items my BEST purchases because they fit great, they’re wearing wonderfully AND every time I wear one of them they put a little extra sparkle in my grin:

Ivy Tulip Print Tab Sleeve Blouse
I wear this shirt A LOT. It looks good with everything – a suit, a skirt or even a pair of jeans.

It’s loose enough that I’m not constantly sucking in my stomach or adjusting my top, and it’s got a sassy little slit neckline that shows off my assets. Every single time I wear this top I get compliments and it looks just as perfect as when I received it.

Moni Stud Detailed ¾ Sleeve Blouse
This is another of my absolute favorite shirts in my closet. The red is vibrant and the studs are just enough decoration that I don’t need to wear any jewelry if I don’t want to.

It is a bit sheer, so I usually layer it over a tank top. This is another one of those shirts that can look polished and professional for work AND looks great with jeans if I want to step it up a notch for a family holiday dinner or date night.

Kayla Skinny Jean
To be honest, I haven’t had a chance to wear these jeans often but I did break them out over the weekend for date night with my husband! I feel like they’re going to be my go-to pants for some upcoming spring events though and I really like them best with my chunky sandal wedges.

The reason I had to put them on my LOVE list is that they make me feel so damn sassy! Instead of focusing on how much more work I need to do to lose weight, I can actually appreciate how far I’ve come. And my husband gives them two thumbs up and a booty grab.

Regrets
Out of the 10 pieces of Stitch Fix clothing I’ve purchased, I only regret two of them…

41Hawthorn Abrianna Long-sleeved Knit Cardigan
I knew that this sweater was kind of boring when I bought it in October. However, it was lightweight and could be worn in a variety of ways. It actually became my go-to sweater for Friday’s at work for a few weeks because I could throw it over a plain shirt, add a statement necklace and be good to go. Unfortunately, after just a few months of wear the sweater looks incredibly worn. The fabric has pilling all over the place and it’s such a shame. I absolutely regret this purchase, because it is about to be added to the Goodwill pile and I just bought it 6 months ago. However, looking back at my October Fix… well, there was nothing else I would have bought anyways.

Renee C Jemdy Striped Dolman Sleeve Jersey Top
Sorry dolman sleeve top, I really wanted to be the kind of girl that would rock you for a night out. However, my husband hates you. So, that means that I have to rock you for a night out WITHOUT my husband… which pretty much never happens. I tried to wear the top to work for a holiday party and someone took the MOST UNFLATTERING PICTURE in all the land of me… so now I can’t even look at this shirt without feeling like Fatty McFattyPants. And no, I’m not posting the picture because it is SO HORRIBLE. Regret, regret, REGRET!

Even with a couple regrets, I really think that Stitch Fix has been a great service for me. I’m much more thoughtful when I purchase clothes – both from my Fixes and when shopping in stores. I’ve noticed that I’m less likely to buy something cheap and trendy (besides that stupid dolman shirt), which has been a really good thing for my closet.

When I initially thought about Stitch Fix, I was afraid that the quick-ish decision turn-around time would result in too many hasty decisions. However, for me, it has been just the opposite – it forces me to try on the clothes with stuff from my own closet and REALLY THINK about whether I’m going to get wear out of it. You all help too and I LOVE getting your feedback on what I should buy and what I should skip!

Have you tried Stitch Fix yet? If so, do you have any clothing regrets? Have you ever liked an item of clothing only to switch over to HATING it because of an unflattering picture?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix, I pay for the $20 styling fee and any clothing I purchase with my own hard-earned money. I do have a special referral link though and if you decide to click through and sign up I will receive a small referral reward. Here’s my link. So thank you for anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction.

Psssst…Do you love checking out what other people received in their Fixes? I added quick links to every single one of my reviews on my Stitch Fix Reviews page!