Fix #20 - October 2016

Hello, everyone! I know it has been awhile since I posted a StitchFix review, and I apologize. I'm a bit of a political/news junkie and, let's be honest, October was a crazy month as far as news goes. In addition, my day job was pretty busy, so I just couldn't seem to find the time to be creative and post my latest review!

I am here to remedy all of that with a double post this week. Today is my October 2015 fix. Tomorrow will be my January 2017 fix! How does that sound?

Let's get into the nitty gritty of my fixes as per the usual:

If you are entirely new to Stitch Fix, please read up on the service here:

My Very First Stitch Delivery and Stitch Fix Explanation - Fix #1

You can also check out a whole bunch of Stitch Fix reviews below. I've been writing them since May 2014:

Fix #2 - June 2014
Fix #3 - July 2014
Fix #4 - August 2014
Fix #5 - September 2014
Fix #6 - October 1, 2014
Fix #7 - October 29, 2014
Fix #8 - November 2014
Fix #9 - December 2014 
Fix #10 - January 2015
Fix #11 - February 2015
Fix #12 - March 2015 
Fix #13 - June 2015 
Fix #14 - September 2015
Fix #15 - December 2015
Fix #16 - March 2016
Fix #17 - June 2016
Fix #18 - July 2016 
Fix #19 - August 2016

For this October fix I asked for sweaters and pants - warm clothing for the upcoming winter. I especially was hoping for some regular jeans, as a few jeans I used to wear had seen better days and needed replacing. I was also up for colored jeans, as I love my pair of red jeans so much.

My stylist has been so so good at picking out things I like and that fit well, so I had high hopes for this fix. Let's see what was in the box!

 It was a deep box with two bulky wrapped packages. I knew at once, I probably had some warm sweaters inside, which made me very happy. Here is a stack picture for you:

A great mix of patterns, materials and colors. I do get a lot of stripes, so I wasn't 100% pleased about that one, but you know my motto by now: TRY EVERYTHING ON! Never leave something in the box or on the hanger and just say, "no." Give all clothing items a chance.

1) The first thing I hung up was the Matillay Faux Suede Jacket by Tallie for $98. This looked so warm, so cozy, and so blanket-like, I was hoping for great things when I tried it on.

It was a mix of sweater and faux shearling. Just scrumptious under the fingers. A neutral gray that would go with a lot in my wardrobe and allow me to extend the use of summer or spring tops into the fall and beyond. However, when I tried it on....

 

It was a bit of a mess. A huge pile of fabric that sat on my body like a dead faux sheep. My body grew by two sizes that day. I am lost in the jacket, and it just didn't look as chic as I had hoped it would.

The side view was actually better. However, I don't typically catch glances of myself from the side. We all know it, ladies, we mostly focus on the front and what we can see easily in the mirror (as evidenced by a lot of bad back-of-head hair I've had in my day...I mean, who takes time to really style the BACK of her hair?). I also found myself readjusting the collar trying to figure out how to make it lay nicely.

This went in the "NO" pile immediately. Sadly, though, because it was delightfully warm and cuddly.

SIDE NOTE: After I packaged this up for return, I opened up the style cards that came with it. The picture of this jacket showed a much wider fold back of the collar than I had tried. Perhaps if I had worn it correctly, I may have liked it. But it was too late by that time...and I already had negative feelings about it. 

2) I moved on to my second item of the day. The Elizabeth Super Skinny Jean by Liverpool for $78. This was more like a jegging in material and style, but I hate the word 'jegging,' and I think Liverpool does, too, as they used the word 'jean' in the description. So dispel any thoughts you may have about jeggings and who wears them and why, and read my review!

They look very dark in the photo, but just to clarify: they are a dark blue jean color. Not black. I was pretty excited by this pair of pants. Stitch Fix sent me some Liverpool pants a couple of years ago, black ones, that I LOVE and wear all the time.  I was very hopeful these would be equally amazing.

As you can see, I tried them on at the same time I tried on the jacket. They fit really well. Tight, but comfortable. The fabric was stretchy, but not overly so. I have worn these a lot in the last 3 to 4 months and they have not bagged or sagged at all. They have an incredibly thick waistband that holds you in without resulting in a muffin top problem (as long as you are wearing the correct size, I'm guessing). They are a different and seemingly more durable fabric than my black Liverpools.

Here's another shot of them...please ignore my unfashionable wool socks. They are a staple where I come from! The only issue I have with these pants, as well as my black Liverpools, is the front pockets are faux. I am sure it would make the front look lumpy, so I get why they do it. Just disappointing not to have front pockets. They do have back pockets, however, that fit my cell phone, so that works for me.

These went in the YES pile (which I revealed in my description above...whoops...so much for suspense. What kind of writer am I???).

3) The next item I selected for a try-on was the Mabel Button Detail Striped Pullover by Market & Spruce for $68.00.

I will say that I was not thrilled by the stripe. I think I get a lot of striped stuff from Stitch Fix, but...I did love he button detail and the weight of the knit. It just felt good when I hung it up. Not cheap feeling. Heavy, stretchy, very high quality, fine gauge. I knew this would look great with my red jeans, regular blue jeans and even dress pants.

When I put it on, I loved it. The sleeves were plenty long, the shoulder fit well for my broad shoulder problems, and it had a great length...pretty long, which meant it would do good butt coverage with lower waisted pants. A big plus! I just loved the button detail at the top, as it added a bit of extra snazziness to the overall sweater.

This was a KEEPER!

4) So far this box was looking pretty good. I hung up the next item and crossed my fingers. The Brantly Plaid V-Neck Pullover by Absolutely for $54.00 was next.

I did like the bold plaid of this sweater. It also looked warm and cozy for winter. The knit was larger than the striped sweater and made with a thicker yarn. That actually was a good thing, as it would certainly hide any lumpiness and it would work well with my black Liverpool pants! So I was excited to try it on.

I know. You think it looks pretty good. And looking at this picture now, I'm thinking: "Huh, doesn't look so horrid in the photo." Well, sometimes photos can be deceiving! The problem once I got this sweater on was the boxiness of it all. It hung pretty loosely from the body and really reminded me of those big, bulky sweaters from the 80s that you wore with leggings. Not a flattering look back then for anyone with a less-than-straight figure. The bottom band of the sweater just hung there, providing zero shape. It just reminded me too much of poor fashion decisions made in high school/college that I regretted. The knit was not as high quality as the other sweater, which also made me wary of the wear-and-tear on this less expensive sweater.

Into the NO pile it went!

5) The last item in my box was the Alverta Textured Knit Dress by London Times for $118.00. More stripes for me!

I could tell when I looked at the way the striped fabric was used in constructing this dress that it would be a figure-enhancing dress. Although I was wary of more stripes in my wardrobe, I did have some cute cardigans that could really make this a smashing dress for church or special events. Time to try!

Okay, I took 3 different photos of this dress because I really did love it. I mean LOVE it.  The way the designer used the striped fabric was quite genius, from the stripes straight down the front to the angled stripes at the waist. I mean, isn't it adorable?

 Even the side view was flattering. Sigh...

And here is an up close photo of the top part of the dress...I just loved it. Notice the darts on the bustline for the ultimate in fit! The fabric was thick with some stretch. The shoulders fit like a dream. I really did love everything about this dress....but....

THE LENGTH!

ARGH! It is hard to see in my pictures, but this was just too short for me. If I were 35 maybe I could do it...but in my mid-40s, it just seemed way too young for me. If only the hem had been about 2 or 3 inches longer, that sucker would be hanging in my closet right now. The price also turned me off a bit. Not that I wouldn't pay $118 for such a well-made dress, but the fact that it was just not 100% perfect for me. If I am going to pay over $100 for a dress, I want it to be perfect in every way.

This was the hardest NO I have had in a long time....

So, overall, this turned out to be a 2-out-of-3 box. NOT BAD! I loved both the new pants and the sweater. They would fit in quite well with my wardrobe. The only thing I could've wished for was a little more color in my selections. But not a huge gripe!

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Thanks for stopping by, and check back tomorrow for my January fix!