Stitch Fix Maternity Review #1

As alluded to in my latest pregnancy update, now that I'm well into the second trimester I'm pretty much wearing maternity clothes exclusively. While I can still fit in a couple shirts and some dresses, all my regular skirts and pants have been retired for the moment.

I started buying maternity clothes pretty early, around 12 weeks, because I knew I'd need them and they were much more comfortable than trying to adapt my clothes and having them not fit or look quite right. It's been a balance between trying to have enough to wear and not overbuying. That said, feeling confident in how I'm dressed is important to me, and this is the first of what I hope will be more than one pregnancy so I'm cautiously collecting a wardrobe.

I've done a lot of looking online, but I hate the hassle of paying for shipping especially if things don't fit and I have to return them.

Here in Albuquerque my options are a little unimpressive. We have a Motherhood Maternity, where almost my entire current wardrobe [of approximately 5 outfits] is from, and a maternity section at H&M.

All this to say I wanted some unique options without hassle and I decided to try Stitch Fix.

I should mention I paid for the service and this is not a sponsored promotion. 

What's Stitch Fix?

Stitch Fix is a personal styling company that delivers clothing to your house. You complete a style profile and they send you 5 items. You try them on at home with your current wardrobe, decide what you want to keep, and send back the rest with no shipping cost in a bag they provide. There is a $20 "styling fee" however if you keep 1 item, it's credited to the cost so the service is free if you buy something. There's also a substantial 25% discount if you keep all 5.

They have maternity and petite in addition to regular clothes. No men's section yet.

The average price of items is probably $40 - $100 but you can specify the amount you typically like to spend on each type of item and they'll try to accommodate you.

I asked for a fitted pencil skirt for my work wardrobe, and other than that I left it pretty open. People say it may take a couple "fixes" to help articulate your style, but I thought for my first it was really good. I had a lot of fun filling out the style profile. It was interesting because I hadn't really thought about my style that much and it helped me ask myself what I actually look for in purchasing clothes.

Each item also comes with a styling card, which offers suggestions for how to wear the items in a couple different combinations. I loved that these could be used for similar pieces already in my
closet. My stylist was Lexi and I thought she did a great job.

So let's get into it. Please forgive my face and eyes in these photos - the seasonal allergies are really not messing around.

1. Anabella Maternity Knit Top from Tart Maternity

This shirt was so soft and I really liked the drape. I'm wearing it here with Motherhood Maternity black leggings. I thought it would look great with shorts or jeans as well. Ultimately I decided not to keep it because I have something kind of similar already, but if I hadn't it would have been a winner.

Status: Return

2. Beatrice Exposed Zipper Dolman Top from 41Hawthorn

The exposed zipper on the back of this was pretty (though I neglected to get it in the photo) but from the front it just looked like a plain black shirt, and I didn't think the dolman width was quite right on me. In the photo I'm again just wearing it with Motherhood Maternity black leggings, but it would also be cute tucked into a skirt or over some colored jeans.

Status: Return

3. Alondra Maternity Ruched Skirt from Renee C

I loved this. It's exactly what I was hoping for to add to my work/headed into spring wardrobe. It's neutral without being boring. I love the way the ruching frames my baby and it also disguises all the varying lengths of other layers I put under it (like leggings, a tank and a shirt). Often softer fabrics in skirts don't work on me because I end up with an inner tube of bottom shirt edge that looks terrible, but this hides it perfectly. I'm wearing it with a plain black Motherhood Maternity 3/4 sleeve shirt. I've already worn it to work twice and it's probably the most complimented item in my wardrobe right now. For work I styled it with a striped pre-pregnancy shirt and leggings with heels. Little bit of a creepy face in this photo sorry. Probably also could have closed the closet door...

Status: Keep!

4. Jill Reversible Maternity Skirt from Market & Spruce

I thought the reversibility of this and the pattern were so nice, and I wanted to love it. Unfortunately it did the opposite of the things I loved about the other skirt. It looked fine in the front, but didn't really frame the bump. In the back it just made me look wide, especially on the patterned side. I think it photographed better than it actually looked. It also had the problem I mentioned above, where I couldn't easily hide the bottom edge of my shirt layers. I'm again wearing a black Motherhood Maternity shirt in these photos.

Status: Return

5. Evelynn Cross Front Maternity Knit Top from Madigan

When I first saw this I thought the pattern was a little bright for me. Then I put it on and was surprised how much I liked it. They really suggest you always try everything on even if you think you'll hate it and I was surprised with this one. It'll be something I can wear in the months after I deliver for nursing as well. In this photo I'm wearing it with Motherhood Maternity jeans. I've also worn this one to work a couple times already with some gray ankle pants. I'm sure as the style card and my stylist suggested it would also be cute tucked into a skirt. 

Status: Keep!

Cost:
Anabella Maternity Knit Top from Tart Maternity: $68
Beatrice Exposed Zipper Dolman Top from 41Hawthorn: $58
Alondra Maternity Ruched Skirt from Renee C: $48
Jill Reversible Maternity Skirt from Market & Spruce: $54
Evelynn Cross Front Maternity Knit Top from Madigan: $54

Total cost for items kept: $102 (minus $20 already credited for the service) = $82

Overall I thought it was a lot of fun and I liked the variety of items I received. 

For my next fix I asked for a spring dress, and I gave feedback about all the items I was sent so we'll see if it really gets more tailored to my style. 

Check out Stitch Fix here for more information. If you decide to sign up, using my referral code [which is linked throughout the post] helps me out with some site credit which of course I appreciate, but you don't need a referral code to sign up.

Bump status in these photos: 22 weeks

Have you ever tried Stitch Fix or any of the other subscription styling sites?

Thanks for reading, see you soon.