Fix #21 - January 24, 2017

I'm back again today with another Stitch Fix review. This one is a little more current...from just a few days ago. Let's start with the usual intro for those who are new here:

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
Fix #20 - October 2016

At some point my list of former fix reviews is going to be so long, I'm going to need a different method. Maybe just link to some of the most popular ones or the ones from the last 12 months...hm. Let me think that over.

For this fix, although my October 2016 fix resulted in a good pair of stretch jeans, I wanted a pair of 'normal' and not-so-fitted jeans. I was still needing good jeans to replace some that were being retired. So I asked for more jeans!  I also continued my request for warm sweaters, as we still have several months of cold here in Idaho. My final request was a jacket or vest that I could use as a layering piece.

How did my wonderful stylist do? Read on, my friend, to find out.

First, I opened the box - a very big one - with a massive wrapped package inside.

I knew that my stylist had given me what I asked for - sweaters and/or jackets/vests. w00t! The stack of stuff was promising indeed:

Lots of colors and textures going on here. In the end, I had received two sweaters, a pair of jeans, a vest and a jacket. SCORE!

Once again, I hung everything up and TRIED EVERY PIECE ON. Never ever ever ever ever look at something Stitch Fix sends you and say, "Oh my God, what is this? I would never wear this. Why did my stylist send this to me?"  No, that is not allowed in the world of Stitch Fixery. You just never know what might happen. You might look at the dress below and think, "What a lumpy nightmare."

Then, you try it on and say to yourself, "My stylist is a genius of the largest proportions."

This dress was from Fix #14 if you want to read the review!

Anyway, back to the review.

1) The first item I hung up was the Liza Skinny Jean by Lila Ryan for $98.

Hm, when I hung these up, they just looked small and wee compared to my other pants. Even my other SKINNY pants. But I've been fooled by this before, so I put them on...sort of.

 If you carefully analyze the photo, you may be able to see these pants are not zipped up. Want to know why? Oh my LORD the tightness. Sure I got them over the calves, over the knees and up the thighs...but then I ran out of stretch, ran out of fabric to yank, and was left with a waistband that sat across my derriere. No way to zip these babies closed.

First item was a NO. Done with the skinny jeans, people. Can I just have 'regular' jeans again? I like a good stretch, but does it have to be body conforming stretch at all times????? Sometimes I just want to throw on some jeans and walk away knowing that I look comfortable and not stuffed into my pants. (rant completed)

2) Next I decided to try on the Harrie Button Detail Pullover by RD Style for $74.00.

This sweater was so so soft. I thought it felt like cashmere, but, no, it was a combo of things...and none of them were natural fibers. I loved the color, I loved the simplicity of the design, and I had a red sweater that never was warm enough for me to wear much beyond October without a tank underneath.

When I tried it on, it fit GREAT. (notice the dreadful skinny jean was replaced with my good old Levi's?)

The sleeves were nice and long, the shoulders fit perfectly on my wide-shouldered self, and the softness was incredible. I checked the laundry instructions just to make sure I could put this in the washing machine (still convinced it had to have angora or something in the blend) and found out the only 'special' instruction was to lay flat to dry. Most of my sweaters say this. Not a problem!

KEEP! KEEP! KEEP!

3) The next item out of the box was the second sweater - the Nalia Cable Front Turtleneck Pullover by Emily Rose for $64.00.

This was a pretty, faded blue with a nice texture from the cable knit. It looked like a potential addition to the wardrobe, so I quickly threw it on.

I loved this sweater. I actually loved it more than the red sweater, and I'm no fan of 'turtleneck' anything. But this was more of a cowl style neckline that was warm without being tight. There's nothing I hate more than a tight turtleneck that makes my head look like a gigantic floating planet atop my shoulders (did I mention I have a pretty big head for a lady?).

The sleeves had some extra length, which is a rarity to find when you are tall with longer arms. It was a very flattering fit with a good length. The shoulders fit. All around a win!

KEEP!

4) The next item I tried on was the Wilco Solid Quilted Vest by Market & Spruce for $68.00 in a nice army green.

I already have a vest like this one. But it is purple and hard to wear with a lot in my wardrobe currently. Purple is not exactly a color that can work with everything. But this army green is a 'neutral' that I knew had a lot of potential with pieces in my closet. Plus, in my neck of the woods, layering is important, and I found my purple vest to be very warm and useful on the coldest days of winter or as a jacket on a cooler day in fall.

This vest had a scalloped bottom edge, where it was longer in front and in back than on the sides. I thought that was an interesting detail. It also had tiny little pockets, which my purple vest did not have, so that was a nice extra thing. It had a sturdy zipper that worked well. The warmth was good, and it fit well. However, I just wasn't 100% sold on this vest. I'm not sure why. I think because it was slightly bulky around my middle, where my other vest was more fitted. I just wasn't sure how I felt about it.

I actually set this vest aside until my husband got home to get his opinion. I tried it on a different way, though. My stylist had written a note to me where she explained that one of the sweaters in my box and the vest could be paired together. For some reason, I read the advice as meaning the turtleneck sweater. So this is what I wore when I showed my husband the vest:

I actually liked how that looked, and I would never have paired a sweater with a vest. I am not sure why. Maybe it is because I grew up in California and never learned the true art of how to layer your clothing? Or maybe I thought I would be too hot? Who knows. But pairing this sweater with the vest made me realize I could use this vest more often and in more interesting ways than my purple vest.

My husband liked the vest. He really liked the scalloped edge. I mentioned I didn't know if I liked the shape of it as much as my purple vest. I went back to my closet to show him the difference in shape....and that is why I discovered that I actually liked the fit of the Stitch Fix vest BETTER than my beloved purple Costco vest! The purple vest was very form fitting. This also meant I was a little more limited as to what I could wear underneath, or it would fit a little too tightly. Also, this army green would match a lot more items in my closet and would get more use. I also unzipped the vest entirely and realized it looked good that way also, which could not be said of the more form-fitting purple vest.

What started out as a 'maybe' turned into a KEEP. Big surprise to me!

NOTE: This morning, as I was re-reading my stylist's note to me, I was embarrassed to discovered I had misread her note...she wanted me to pair the RED sweater with the vest, not the turtleneck! LOL. But, to tell you the truth, I LIKED the way the turtleneck worked with the vest, so I'm sort of glad for my mistake.

5) The last item in my box was the Tamit Knit Jacket by Market & Spruce for $78.00. It was a deep navy blue, which isn't easy to see in the photo.

This was made from a rough cotton stretch-type material (I'm awful at fabrics, so I apologize if this makes no sense). Kind of a nubby feel to it. Not a ton of stretch, just a bit. It had a zipper with a Peter Pan collar when fully zipped and a nice blazer look when unzipped part way.

Peter Pan Collar

Blazer-style Collar

I really really really wanted this to work for me. It was adorable. It was flattering. I could imagine how this could be worn with pieces in my wardrobe in all seasons. HOWEVER, the upper arms of this jacket just fit. And when I mean 'just fit,' I mean I could not ever ever ever wear anything under this with any sort of sleeve. The style card showed two different ideas, one outfit with a long-sleeved striped blouse under it (cute) and another with a short-sleeved billowy sleeve blouse (also cute).

For me, I could never achieve either style with the way this fit me. So disappointing. I wish I had my arms of a younger day...but I don't. I have aging 40-something upper arms that really seem to enjoy carrying a bit of extra chunk on them to mess with clothing items with sleeves of this type.

Boo-hoo! This went into the NO pile with a sad face.

So this turned into a 3-out-of-5 box, which made me delightfully happy. I actually wore the turtleneck right out of the box for the rest of the day. Loved it! Yesterday I wore the red sweater, and today I will be wearing the vest. HOORAH! I love my Stitch Fix days.

My next fix is coming in April, so be ready to tune in for a spring fix review.

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