If you’re like me, your calendar is overflowing with holiday cheer. You can’t find a single place to add in time for yourself between the cookie baking, secret family recipe wassail making, and holiday music themed gift-wrapping marathons. You’re meeting yourself coming and going, which means you have no time to find that perfect holiday outfit. You know, the one that takes all week trekking from store to store to locate. This year, you’re in luck ladies and gents because I have an excellent option for you!
I’ve spent a year testing out two companies that pair you with a personal stylist who picks out clothes and then sends them directly to you. The first company I tried was Wantable. The second, is Stitch Fix. Because it’s the holiday season, I chose their holiday edits for the best comparison.
Wantable: Holiday Style Edit
With Wantable, you fill out a survey, your sizes, and notes to direct your stylist, choose your edit, and pay a twenty-dollar styling fee, which you get back if you purchase an item. You also receive access to a clothing stream where you can request or reject different articles of clothing. There’s a section for notes and requests as well. The box you receive will contain seven items, along with a return envelope for the articles you decide not to buy. If you buy five items, you receive twenty percent off your order, a great incentive. Sometimes they waive the styling fee or add other incentives to your order. Currently, there’s a free necklace with a single purchase. After you try on your order, you have five days to return whatever you don’t want. If you need longer, they have an option to extend the return period.
Above, you can see the Happy Holiday Style Edit I received. The last image on the right is the free necklace.
Upon first look, I loved everything they sent me, and I was excited to find that they gave me a preview before finalizing my shipment. With the preview, the stylist gives you a short window to reject or request items she has picked for your order. This is new to me. I never received an email about this review period previously, so I believe it might be a new thing they’ve adopted.
Everything looks cute, but upon further inspection, I found the (78 & Sunny $69) Grateful sweater to be too big, with massive batwing arms. The animal print (B Collection by Bobeau $69) popcorn cardigan’s sleeves hung roughly 7 inches past my fingertips. I already have a green sweatshirt like the (Herizon $69) black one, and I decided I didn’t need another. The burgundy and white striped (Staccato $59) sweater isn’t my thing. I really wanted the (Joy Susan $86) purse. It has a secondary crossbody purse inserted inside, but the reviews I found made it sound like it wasn’t worth the money. I’m not a blazer person, so while I appreciate the look and feel of the red velvet (Skies are Blue $89) blazer, it’s not something I’d wear. The green and white striped (Z Supply $79) sweater was wide, but much shorter than it appeared online. It’s a crop sweater and I specifically requested no crops/midriffs, but I requested it from my preview, as the image is deceiving. In the end, I returned everything including the necklace.
The order total before the discount was $520. If I’d bought the purse, I would have gotten my $10.55 discounted styling fee back, and I would have received the free necklace. Had I bought five items, I would have received the styling fee and twenty percent off.
PROS:
- Wantable sends you 7 items to choose from.
- You get a discount if you buy 5 items.
- You can choose a category for your order: Style, Sleep, or Active.
- Allows for recurring orders.
- Has sustainable brands.
- Customer service is kind and responsive. They’ll go out of their way to make things right.
CONS:
- No kids clothing.
- I feel the clothing is less budget-friendly than Stitch Fix.
- You can’t schedule for a specific date.
- I’ve asked for a specific item in the note many times but never seem to get that item, though I frequently get other items I requested in the stream.
- Discount is only 20%.
Stitch Fix Fa-La-La Edit
I’ve purchased a few Stitch Fixes over the past year, but the edits are new and something I’m very excited about. This was my first themed edit, and I have to say, I was impressed.
Like Wantable, Stitch Fix has you pay a twenty-dollar styling fee, which you get back if you purchase an item, fill out a survey, and sizes, and make notes for your stylist. They also have a stream where you can give a thumbs up or down to items. If I want a specific item, I usually put it in the notes. You will receive five items and three days to try them out. Stitch Fix also gives you a window to preview your stylist’s pics. You can veto as many as you like and they will pick new ones if needed. I highly recommend leaving notes for your stylist so they know why you vetoed, etc.
One thing they have that Wantable doesn’t is an inspiration board. If you’re serious about receiving a great style box, follow my lead. Create a file on your computer of images of you in some of your favorite looks, as well as images you downloaded of styles you love. Upload them to Stitch Fixes’ inspiration board. Before I did this, I was not satisfied with my styles. Now it’s rare for me to receive items I’m not fond of.
I loved four of these items, but in the end I only bought two due to budgeting being unsure about one item and how it looked. I wasn’t sure about the black lace (Dizzy Lizzy $68) mini dress, as I don’t usually show that much of my legs, but I truly debated it because I thought it was cute. It did come with a flaw. There was seam ripped at the very bottom, but they still had my size and Stitch Fix has had great customer service response thus far. I kept the (Urban Expressions $48) green daisy clutch because it was vegan leather and reminded me of a 20’s purse. It matches a super cute pair of wedge sandals I bought a few months back from Stitch Fix. I also purchased the green (FORTUNE + IVY $39) keyhole blouse. I didn’t think it would fit, but it did and I can’t wait to wear it with the sandals and new purse. The black sparkly (Bobeau $58) boatneck bow shirt was cute, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep the bow looking nice. The number one love in this order, that I didn’t purchase, is the gold Shaken and Brewed (Kate Spade $68) mini studs. I love Kate Spade, but I’m willing to wait for them to come down in price, and between that, my clothing maintenance issues, and the mini dress, I decided to tamp down my purchasing urges and only buy two items.
Had I purchased all of the items, the original total would have been $281, but with the twenty-five percent discount and removal of the styling fee, the final price would have been $190.75.
PROS:
- Ships fast and generally arrives within a day or two of chosen delivery date.
- Allows for an inspiration board.
- Well-known brands.
- More budget-friendly than Wantable. (I let them know if I’m looking to keep prices on the low end due to Christmas, etc.)
- Has sustainable brands.
- Allows for recurring orders.
- Responsive customer service.
- You can purchase items individually if you don’t want a full fix.
- 25% off if you purchase all 5 items.
- You can schedule specific dates/timeframes to receive your fix.
CONS:
- You only receive 5 items.
- There is no discount if you choose not to purchase all 5 items (unless they’re running a special)
- The return window is shorter than Wantable’s.
- No categories to choose from. (But you can request specific items).
After all my fashion adventures between Stitch Fix and Wantable, I still like both companies. Most of their brands are different, but a few overlap such as Bobeau. They’ve both given me excellent options over the past year. I’ve fallen in love with great new finds from both companies. When all is said and done, I lean slightly more toward Stitch Fix, as I like being able to choose a specific date for my order to arrive and that they give 25% off your full order. Also, their holiday edit felt more festive and spoke to me and my style.
To schedule your edits, check out the links below. While I’m not an affiliate, both sites do give incentives for recommendations.
Happy holidays!
Wantable:
https://www.wantable.com/?invite_token=qGTuCEaFI4I
Stitch Fix:
Star Spirit Adventures 