Experimenting with a Personal Stylist Online Shopping Box
A personal stylist online shopping service is something that could be hit or miss. Along with it could be quite expensive. I think the clothing box services that are available are an interesting phenomenon.
Quote of the day: “When you help someone up a hill, you get that much closer to the top yourself.” Susan J. Decuir
When I talked about different subscription box services that I had tried, I asked if you’d be interested in a budget friendly clothing box. The feedback was positive so the three of us each ordered one through the company Fashom. FYI, this is a sponsored post which you can read the details more about below.
Even though the site seems marketed to younger women, I wanted to find out if it could be worth it for us older women, including my mom Charlotte, and Lesley.
An interesting part will be included in a blog post later this week. In that post I will analyze the process of using a subscription box service and offer tips on how to make this venture successful. These tips will be useful whether it be with Fashom or any other personal stylist online shopping site. I will compare my experience with other companies and Fashom. I will cover specifics on how to sign up with Fashom and what to expect .
How Do They Know What to Send
I will say that Fashom is different from Stitch Fix in that you can actually speak to your stylist by phone. She will ask you all types of questions to really try to know what you want and need from the box.
My biggest requests were color and unique pieces. We discussed the fact that I’m living in Arizona now where the temperatures are warmer.
For these posts, I will show how I would style the piece and then showcase the item. Since your box would be VERY different than mine, I won’t concentrate TOO much on all of the details of the pieces.
The Good & Bad About the Blue & White Striped Top
For me, a striped top is the perfect piece with which to print mix. While print mixing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it’s easier when the two print pieces are basically the same color. Like my top and cardigan both are shades of blue. Heck, even Shelly who filled in for Nancy a couple of times tried it with black and white.
The good part about this top is that it’s more than just a striped top. It has that layered look of a white top sticking out underneath. And while I like that idea, the bad part is it would wrinkle easily because it was cotton.
Verdict: I did not keep this piece.
The Good & Bad About the Striped Cardigan
I’ve only just begun buying longer cardigans in the last couple of years. In fact, I recently showed 5 different ways to wear another one from my closet. However, that teal one is quite heavy, so I haven’t worn it that much here in Arizona.
The good part about this cardigan is it’s very lightweight so I can seriously wear it all year long here. Sure, you may not think I’d need it in 100 degree weather, but the grocery stores are ALWAYS cold. LOL! I didn’t really think there is a bad point about the cardigan, although you could say the sleeves are a tad long. That, however, doesn’t bother me.
Verdict: I bought this item.
The Good & Bad About the Blue Velvet Dress
The color and material of this blue velvet dress was fabulous.
I will say that before I started blogging, I wouldn’t have liked the dress because of my bra straps showing. In fact, I tried it with a bralette here but my grey bralette doesn’t cover this bra well. In case you missed the post about bralettes earlier this year, I wear mine over my bra. For me, they are to add prettiness, not support.
But after these photos, I changed and added a silver top under the dress, and it was perfect as you can see in the middle photo below. And I have since ordered a different bralette that will work better. Either that or I will take the time to use my bra where the straps are adjustable.
I wouldn’t consider the dress super flattering because there is no shaping. However, I’m finally learning that “flattering” isn’t everything. I like having variety in my wardrobe, and the color and texture of this dress makes it wonderful.
Verdict: I kept the dress as part of the collaboration.
The Good & Bad About the Burgundy Sweater and Embroidered Skirt
The Burgundy Sweater
I tend to be a magpie meaning I like the bright, shiny and more interesting pieces. The bad thing about that is I tend to overlook basics that are also needed in outfits. So when I first chose this burgundy sweater as part of my box, I figured I wouldn’t really like it.
The funny thing is I had purged a much heavier sweater like this when we moved. So I didn’t have a burgundy sweater in my closet anymore. While it is a sweater, it’s not super heavy and will be perfect for this new chapter of our lives.
The only bad part is because it has wider sleeves, I can’t really layer it under the cardigan above. Trust me that I have enough to wear under that cardigan, but it was my primary thought when I first looked at my box online.
There was a time I wouldn’t allow myself to buy sweaters since I could knit them. However, if you know anything about knitting then you know it would take me months to knit this and truthfully, I have so many other projects planned, that I’d never get around to it.
Verdict: I bought the sweater.
The Embroidered Skirt
Let’s just say that this skirt brings out the magpie in me, ha ha!! I knew I would love it even before I tried in on. I guess this would be considered a boho piece which is quickly becoming a favorite style of mine.
Then I found that the skirt has two front pockets and that sealed the deal even more. I think my mom is the only person who doesn’t appreciate pockets. She’s been known to take them out of items so they don’t add bulk.
I can’t pick out a bad characteristic of the skirt. You might think it’s too short, but I asked for shorter skirts to wear with my OTK boots. And if you think that women my age shouldn’t be wearing OTK boots, remember that my mom (who is in her 80’s) wears them.
Verdict: I bought the skirt….no surprise there.
How Would I Rate this Personal Stylist Online Shopping Experience
I have read a couple of other blogs with their Fashom experience. Just like all box services, I have enjoyed them more than I originally thought I would. Because I LIKE to shop, I never thought I would want/need something like this.
This particular box was what I’d consider successful, considering I kept 4 out of the 5 pieces. As a thrifter and sale junkie, I rarely spend over $50 on most items, and that’s what I said in my profile. In fact, with the discount that is given for buying 3-5 pieces, each item would be about $30.
I thought the prices were reasonable, and the service very good. The material of the pieces seemed good too although I’m not an expert on that like my mom and Lesley are. While the fit was pretty spot on for my items, you could say they weren’t perfect. The sleeves of the cardigan were a tad long, but that was the only thing.
While I will go more into depth about tips to making any personal stylist online shopping box more successful later this week, let me just say that this is no risk to you. Since EVERYONE’s first Fashom box doesnt have a styling fee.
If you care about companies with a mission, Fashom donates $1 for every box ordered to Second Change Rescue NYC Dogs. AND even if this isn’t something for you, maybe it would be great for a friend. Because you can also give the gift of style this year with a Fashom gift card!
Photo credit: Rob Filogomo
The Facts
This is a sponsored post by Fashom. Which means Fashom sent us the boxes to review, and I was paid to write these posts. I always appreciate it when small companies support my blog, and they appreciate your support. It’s truly a win/win for everyone.
I was not paid to write a positive review; this is my true and honest opinion of the service. In fact, I contracted that we could keep one item out of our box, yet we all bought extra. Make sure to check out the tips to make it successful for you also.
I also compared three different companies’ experiences with these types of services so you can get an idea of them side by side.
Thank you
I know I say thank you all the time, but I really mean it. If you are a blogger, then you know all the work that goes into everything. Even though it is work, it’s been such a joy to do this. And then to have others appreciate it too, just makes me SO happy.
Please share, share and share wherever you can!! You can do this by saving an image to your Pinterest board or sharing this post on Facebook. Or send this post to your friend, and make sure they sign up for the emails.
As my goal to show my appreciation for your support, I have started a FUN 411 feature to add some value to your day in most emails. Sometimes it’s a funny piece, sometimes is a great sale or trick! On top of that, there is a monthly giveaway for email subscribers only. Many times I also include some sneak peeks about what’s going on in our personal lives that I don’t share here on the blog. Just add your email address to the box that says email below.
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