Wantable v. Stitch Fix - Installment 2: The Clothes

Last blog I introduced you to clothing services for those that hate to shop and have no fashion sense: Stitch Fix & Wantable. Both services send clothing directly to your house, no traffic, no people, no endless hours of going from store to store. We discussed setting up your style profiles, styling and referral fees. Now I'll share with you what each service sent, cost of each piece, whether I kept anything, the check out and return processes. Without further ado, let's get to it.

I received my Stitch Fix box first. One thing I like about this service is the flexibility around how frequently you want to receive "Fixes" which range from every 2 - 3 weeks to every three months. This helps with budgeting. If you don't usually or can't afford buying things frequently, select every three months (once a quarter) so you aren't breaking the bank. My Wantable order arrived a couple weeks later. As you can see, both are packaged nicely. 

The Stitch Fix package which comes with return bag (free returns), cards for each item that show you possible outfits, including shoes and accessories and the purchase order with prices including application of your $20 styling fee and a 25% discount off your entire order if you keep all five pieces. The Wantable package which comes with return bag (free returns) and your order with a quick note from your stylist. Below are pictures of the actual pieces in each shipment. No, I'm not modeling any of them. Just like being stylish, I'm horrible at selfies.

Up first Stitch Fix:

SF Piece 1

SF Piece 2

SF Piece 5

SF Piece 4

                       

SF Piece 3

SF Piece 1 is a light, greenish-blueish top with pretty cut-outs on the arms and bottom of the shirt. It's made by Skies are Blue. It was a softer cotton-like material, loose fitting. The cost is $54. I didn't purchase the top, it made me feel frumpy and boring. SF Piece 2 is a navy, blue lace fitted skirt by Brixon Ivy. The cost for it is $74. I was torn regarding this skirt but ended up not purchasing it. For me $74 is a lot of money for just a skirt that had limited options for tops. SF Piece 5 is a black dress with floral pattern by London Times. This dress fit well, was an appropriate length for work and would look good with either a sweater or blazer. The cost for it is $68 and due to it's versatility I ended up purchasing this. SF Piece 4 is a silk-like red flowing shirt by Papermoon. I like the color and the potential of it being used for work or play. The cost for it is $44. The only thing wrong with this top was it was to wide and very flowy at the bottom. I felt like a maternity top and not flattering on me so I didn't purchase it. In this Fix they sent a necklace (Piece 3). Usually, they send five articles of clothing. The cost for the necklace is $32. I didn't purchase the necklace because I have similar items in my jewelry box and I could go to Kohl's and pick up something similar for half the price. Out of the five items, I purchased one. Stitch Fix applies your $20 styling fee you already paid against what you purchase. $48 was applied to my credit card. If I had purchased all five items, a "buy five" discount which would have saved $68 off the entire order. It's a great deal IF you like everything they send.

Let's take a look at my Wantable order now. As you can see above, very similar packaging.

Wantable Piece 5

Wantable Piece 4 

Wantable Piece 1

Wantable Piece 2

Wantable Piece 3

W Piece 1 is a black and white sweater from JOA with a cost of $48 (reduced from $64). It is cute to look at, but on it was short. If I lifted my arms it pulled up exposing areas that haven't been seen in public since before my son was born. No wonder it was reduced. Definitely and no. W Piece 2 is a casual, cotton shirt the kind you see in family pictures at the beach. Designed by Beach Lunch Lounge at a cost of $58, was also a no. It was too short to be a dress, too long and casual to tuck in and wear at work, it would serve no practical purpose in my wardrobe. W Piece 4 is a long top by Mod Ref for $48. It was cute, but see through. My philosophy is if I have to spend additional money to wear clothes from these services, it doesn't make sense to buy them in the first place. A no-go. W Piece 4 is the best of the lot, a layered salmon/pink top by Olive & Oak for $55 that would have looked great by itself, under a blazer or sweater. Unfortunately it had a stain right in the middle of it. Another rule of thumb, if there's a stain or tears, etc...I don't purchase the item. Give me something great that's not stained and we can talk. And finally W Piece 3, a printed romper by Kut for $48 (reduced from $78). I'm not a fan of one-piece outfits, the thought of having to go to the bathroom and taking off all my clothes just doesn't do it for me. What if it's an emergency or freezing? But, as I always do, I tried it on, I've been surprised by things before. It was a no, the shorts were way too short and the top just hung there. Every time I raised my arms the shorts rode up even farther...I have no desire to share my booty with the world. Overall, disappointed with this style edit plus, they offer a 20% discount if you wanted to purchase all five items. In this case it would have been $51.40 is savings.

The check out process varies slightly between the two services. Both ask you to select if you want to keep or return each item and asks you to click on reasons why you like or dislike the item. However Stitch Fix allows you to type in a review of each item during your check out process and leave a note for your stylist. Wantable doesn't allow you to leave notes on each piece during checkout, you have to go to a separate review section to leave written information about each piece,why it may or may not work for you. That's an extra step I'll probably never get back to, just being honest. Both companies provide a postage paid return bag, simply place the items in you're not keeping in, seal it up and drop it in your mailbox or your local USPS. Both send you an electronic receipt of what you purchased or email that you checked out. Overall the return process is simple and my mail person has never grumped about my return packages yet.

Both services allowed me to write a note to my stylist letting them know what I was looking for. In this case, I'm looking for mostly business casual items that I can wear to work and maybe a piece or two for casual. I've shared with them My Style board on Pinterest to give the a lot of ideas of colors, patterns, styles and fit that I like. As mentioned above Stitch Fix sends you cards for each piece, giving you ideas on how to wear that item, which I'm ALWAYS in need of. Included with those cards is a note from the stylist that put together my Fix. Regardless of who put the box together, they always mention having reviewed My Style board on Pinterest and also mention how to put together items in the box if possible. Wantable doesn't provide this, they simply give you a one-liner about what other items might be able to pair with the piece. They do have a Stream feature that shows other pieces which I say I like them and they'll try and include it in my next shipment. I'll be looking into this feature to see if it will allow the stylist to put together an edit that's more suited to my style.

Overview of these orders:

Stitch Fix	Wantable
- Five piece cost: $272	- Five piece cost: $257
- 25% discount: $68	- 20% discount: $51.40
- Total: $184	- Total: $185.60
- Kept 1 items	- Kept 0 items

At this time I'm favoring Stitch Fix, it feels like they offer a bit more service and ease of use. However, I haven't had an issues or had to work with customer service on anything. I'm going to give both a second order, see if either can get closer to my style. Fingers crossed.

I'll follow up with your regarding what they send in the next month or so. Until then, if anyone has used either service or a similar service not mentioned here, I'd love to hear from you and try the service giving you credit. If you want to try either service for yourself, click on the links above and sign up. Until next time, have a wonderful day!