style: my second stitch fix (february 2015)

Since I enjoyed my first Stitch Fix in January so much, I was pumped for my February shipment - in fact, I think waiting for that box with the teal tape to arrive on my doorstep was what got me through a particularly tough week at work. 

Following my first shipment, I'd taken other bloggers advice and tweaked my style profile.  I had requested classic, work appropriate pieces in January and gotten a box of mostly black pieces, so I made sure to express my love of color and patterns in my feedback, and I think it worked!  I think I squealed out loud when I saw this:

I had a different stylist for this shipment - who just so happens to be named Heather as well! She chose the Pixley Edmond chevron print Henley shirt, Mystree Halima asymmetrical zip jacket, Papermoon Jonie printed elastic waist dress, 41Hawthorn Iris striped a-line skirt, and Zad Adrianna Necklace. I had been really anxious to see how my stylist would handle the special request I had made - for something to wear to the Fleetwood Mac concert I'm going to with my cousins next month - so I was excited when Heather mentioned my request in her notes, and that she'd checked my Pinterest board. Blogger tips work, y'all!

The first piece I wanted to try on was the Papermoon Jonie dress, which will heretofore be known in my household as my Fleetwood Mac dress! Stylist Heather recommends pairing it with booties for the concert or with tall boots for a different look.  I definitely love the way it looks with my Kasia riding boots from Target. After figuring out from my fist shipment that Stitch Fix pieces tend to run small, I had changed my dress size on my Style Profile, and I'm so glad I did. The material is super soft and comfortable, like a thick t-shirt, the colors are gorgeous, and the print is fun without being too over-the-top for me. Additionally, I love the conservative cut - this will be a great dress to add to my work wardrobe. The only drawback for me is that the "tab sleeves" are fake - the button is sewn on rather than there being an actual buttonhole, so the sleeves aren't actually adjustable. Yes, I tested whether I could raise my arms, spin around, and jump up and down in it. This one was definitely a keeper.

Now that my inner Stevie Nicks had come out, I wanted to try on the Pixley Edmond chevron print Henley - a piece stylist Heather had seen pinned to my Stitch Fix Pinterest board. I love Henley tops (and dresses, apparently) and think the cut of this one is very flattering while still being modest enough to wear in the classroom. The thing that kept this one from being a keeper for me was the color scheme - coral, teal, purple, and brown. All fine and dandy colors on their own, and even perhaps in pairs, but all together? I am not a fan. I wanted the top in the color scheme I had pinned after reading Jaime's review - beautiful purple, blue, and gray. I guess the lesson here is to be SUPER SPECIFIC in your captions when adding items to a Pinterest board for Stitch Fix stylists.

I felt good about the Mystree Halima asymmetrical jacket when I saw it in the box and on my styling card. I knew the color would work with a lot of my other clothes and I'd been eyeing similar pieces, as evidenced by several jackets I'd pinned. My excitement abated when I put it on - believe me, the picture looks a lot better than real life. Instead of a waterfall effect, the collar just sort of hung like a bib. And do you see how long those sleeves are?

Maybe it will look better zipped up, I thought. Nope, it was worse. Finally, I realized what it was that bothered me the most: the raw edges. I felt like they made the whole piece look cheap, and Mr. Q pointed out that little threads were shedding all over my other clothes. Definitely NOT a keeper for me.

I was on the fence about the 41Hawthorn Iris a-line skirt: I liked the stripes, nautical color scheme, elastic waist, and POCKETS! However, it was twenty degrees in Virginia at the time so it was hard for me to think about spring and summer pieces. When I went downstairs, though, Mr. Q instantly said, "Summer festival outfit!" That settled it - I would keep this skirt for sure! I can also see this being a great piece for vacation packing. My "keeper" last month was a 41Hawthorn piece as well, so I hope my Stitch Fix stylists will continue to send me pieces from that brand!

The final piece in my shipment was the ZAD Adrianna necklace. I was happy to recieve an accessory since I did not receive any in my first shipment. ZAD is a jewelry wholesaler, and their Adrianna necklace is a really pretty silver matte bib style with abstract circle designs. Stylist Heather suggested pairing it with the Papermoon dress, but for me that ended up looking too busy. Since I went on a bit of a jewelry buying bender last year and already have several statement necklaces, I decided to send this one back.

Let's talk money: when you sign up for Stitch Fix, you pay a $20 styling fee. That fee can be applied toward any items you decide to keep from your shipment. Everything else goes back to Stitch Fix in a prepaid Priority Mail envelope. I noticed that I didn't really shop for clothes in January or this month outside of my Stitch Fix shipments - I was even able to resist browsing at Target. For me, the anticipation of waiting for my next Stitch Fix seems to cancel out my tendency toward shopping when I'm bored or stressed out. When I'm online, instead of adding items to a cart, I can pin items to my Stitch Fix board and leave the work to my stylist!

In terms of Stitch Fix styling, I am still hoping to achieve a happy medium between "classic" and "unique."  The pieces in this shipment didn't go together like the pieces in my first Stitch Fix did, and I missed that sense of getting a mini capsule wardrobe all at once. The style suggestions on the cards included with my shipment were cute, but the items weren't things I already had in my closet like most of the suggestions from my January Stitch Fix.  On the other hand, I really appreciated that my stylist pushed me to take more fashion risks with this shipment. After checking out this month, I went into my Style Profile and changed my preferences to reflect what I'm learning about my own style.

Do you think you'd like to try Stitch Fix? If you follow this referral link to sign up, I'll receive credit toward my account when you receive your first shipment!

Linking Up With:

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

Style to Inspire at Rhea Et Cetera

Style Sesssions at Style Elixir

Style Me Wednesday at Shopping My Closet

I Feel Pretty at Get Your Pretty On
Tucker Up by Sarah Tucker