Stitch Fix #4

(I know I owe everyone a Z at One Year! post, and that'll be coming as soon as I stop sobbing over the fact that  my baby is just about to be toddler!)

Last week, during some unprecedented completely ALONE time while hubby and Z were on a road trip, and coming off a terrible stomach virus, I got a package on my doorstep with that familiar blue tape and got really excited that my latest Stitch Fix had arrived.  

My referral link -- you sign up, I get $25! Yay!

You may recall that I wasn't thrilled with everything in Stitch Fix #3 out of the box, but ended up polling the Facebook hive mind and keeping three things!  I got great feedback via email from the company, but....Stitch Fix #4 was, unfortunately, a disaster.  So much so that I wasn't even going to post photos, but I want to be honest about it.  However, I did not and will not post these photos on Facebook for the hive mind to weigh in.  One, because it didn't matter: I didn't like how any of the items FELT on me, and two, because it would come across as self-deprecation which I loathe.  I don't want a bunch of "oh but you look great (for just having had a baby) (a year ago)!" because it makes me feel weird.

My biggest issue with the Stitch Fixes right now is that what I see online (via customer blogs that they post or that the company itself posts on Instagram) doesn't match what I see in my fixes.  I LONG for some of the A-line dresses and skirts and even some of the pants.  But my stuff always seems really kind of boring.  Maybe that's just really good marketing, which, hey -- good for them! I mean at the end of the day I still ordered another fix because a) I really want to love it and b) I still have referral credit $ hanging out.

Also, I'm frustrated that I keep getting a different stylist.  That may be because I don't have monthly fixes set up, and I can totally understand that!  But I honestly can't afford to pay the styling fee every month, let alone the cost of clothing every month.  Not with daycare costs.  Even getting the fix feels like a Mommy luxury and I have buyer's remorse and guilt.  But that's my issue!

Ricardo (the stylist for this fix) got it WAY wrong this time.  He mentioned putting in "working mom" looks, but honestly?

Believe me when I say this was the ONE photo in a long line of selfies that I deleted.

 What 32-year-old working mom is going to wear a FITTED, short, horizontally striped, sleeveless dress? It's super cute -- for a 22-year-old. Even with a cardigan and heels, it'd be too short.  That's not even to mention the fact that it hugs me in the WORST possible place (mid-section) when my Style Profile clearly states that I like "fitted on top, loose on the bottom" because I'm still "self conscious about my tummy after having a baby."  Total fail.

On the other hand...

This tunic, while I LOVED the color (kind of a bright tangerine/pink) and pattern (mini Chevrons), it is completely shapeless and wrinkled if I looked at it funny.  And it's hand-wash only.  Not many working moms have a) the time or b) the clean tub needed to hand-wash clothing.  Sigh.  Back in the box, too.

HOWEVER -- unless it seems like I'm just totally bashing Stitch Fix, which I don't mean to do ("I'm not mad; just disappointed!")....these shorts were a contender.  I didn't like the fit of either of these tops they sent (too small by just enough, and too pricey for what I thought the material warranted), but when I paired them with one of my own t-shirts, I actually considered keeping them.

Over it. Sad.

I actually said "UGGGGHHHHHHH" (direct quote) when I pulled a pair of SHORTS out of the box.  I don't have the time or the webspace to talk about my long-standing rocky relationship with shorts. I have awful, short legs and quite a bit of junk in the trunk, so shorts-shopping (along with swimsuit shopping and jeans shopping) is high on the Suicide Watch list.  HOWEVER, imagine my surprise when they both fit over my thighs AND buttoned without cutting me in half!

Truth: if they'd been a) pants or b) a different color, I'd have kept them. I saw on another Blogger's Fix that she got a pair of red, ankle-length skinny pants in this same brand and I was like "WHY NOT ME?!"  They looked awesome.

So anyway.  Sad.  Back in the bag everything went and back to the Stitch Fix HQ.  I immediately scheduled another fix for many reasons:

• I really love the idea of the company.  I really, really do.  I still pimp it out! I just warn curvier girls not to get their hopes up too high...my body shape must be hard to style, and I get that.
• I don't give up on things or people easily
• They have GREAT customer service and excellent response via their email/social media team!
• I still have referral credit and I really want to get some new pieces.

I also went and double-checked my style profile, made a few tweaks, and was very honest in my feedback.  I wish I could go out there on one of those Blogger trips and SHOW them how bodies like mine -- real, postpartum everyday mom bodies; not just the cute bloggers with fancy cameras -- are tough to style and what things to avoid and what things to ALWAYS SEND. 

But as always, I am hopeful. Here's to Stitch Fix #5 being AWESOME.  :)