The Thrift Box Service by Janeane
Many of you might have heard of the concept of having a stylist “shop” for you and send you the clothing in the mail. I’ve never tried Stitch Fix or the Trunk Club personally, so I can’t tell you the exact specifics about their products or service. However, I do know that when I first read about them, I thought I’d never want to do it because I truly love shopping for myself.
But the more I’ve been blogging and evaluating my clothes and style, the more I realize how interesting it would be to see how other women would style something differently. And included in this idea would be what other women would pick out for me. It was only in the last 6 years or so, that I grew to enjoy having a sales associate suggest a clothing item or pairing. Sometimes, the items I would have never picked for myself, became some of my favorites!
I have seen some of the products from Stitch Fix & the Trunk Club shown on other blogger’s sites, and for the most part, the prices seemed out of my comfort zone. Thus when I read that Janeane of Designing From my Closet was going to start the same idea only using thrifted pieces, I wanted to join in on the fun! Here’s her description of the service from her site!
My Thrift Box!
The photo above shows all 7 items I received in my box (the necklace is somewhat hidden in the cardigan neckline)! And this instructional sheet is included to offer up ways to combine the pieces.
So let me first show you the outfits that Janeane suggested. The photos aren’t as perfect as I’d like since it was snowing outside. One way to get great photos is to take a bunch of them. However, I was too impatient to stand out in the cold for very long!! (These are the struggles that my poor husband puts up with by being my photographer!)
I wore the lace dress with the cardigan unbuttoned with the heels & necklace. It’s definitely something I would wear to many different occasions. Ignore the trash cans—LOL!!
Next I put on the jeans with the blouse and cardigan, but I buttoned up the sweater this time. I wore the same shoes & necklace, but changed out my earrings (not that you can really tell)! See the look on my face that says “hurry up, honey, I’m freezing?”
Then I slipped on the other shirt included in the box and wore the same jeans. Instead of wearing a light pair of shoes like Janeane recommended, I went with dark ankle boots! I also took off the necklace & used dark earrings instead!
My Impression
So one of the reasons, I am drawn to thrifting in the first place, is because you can get some name brand items for a lot less money. That being said, I have to admit that I’m not someone who knows labels very well.
The lace dress was a Max Studio which is a brand I’ve seen at Nordstroms. And the cardigan is a Charlotte brand which is a label of another cardigan I have in my closet from a small boutique. (I’m sure I paid more than $50 for the first cardigan back in the day!) The shoes are a Kenneth Cole and the purple shirt still had the tag on it from Anthropologie!
I actually liked every piece that Janeane sent me in my box. I will admit that the jeans are much tighter than what I normally wear so I’m not sure I’ll keep them, unless I can treat them like leggings. Everything else fit great and I even wore the blush blouse & cardigan to a writer’s conference last weekend with my white jeans!! I love that the sleeves of the cardigan are ruffly, since interesting sleeves are such a new, fun trend that I’ve seen lately!
Pros & Cons–My personality is one that typically sees everything with a good and bad aspect. So I thought I’d outline what I considered a couple of the pros & cons for you.
Pros:
1-Even if you shop at the thrift stores where you live, there can always be a different selection in other areas! Thus having someone in a different city look for items for you, can certainly be a treasure trove!
2-If you are someone who does not enjoy the shopping experience and likes to save money; this is the avenue for you.
3– This isn’t a monthly or recurring service, so it’s not such a big investment. You can try it once and that’s it. Or I’m sure Janeane would love it if you sign up multiple times! I know I’m going to try it again in a couple of months!!
4-This service is open to women of all sizes!!
Cons:
1-Of course fit is the biggest factor that comes into this deal. Even though you give Janeane your measurements, it can be a challenge to have the perfect fit. I really consider this a factor even when I’m shopping for myself. Most items that I buy, I will end up altering in some form just because I can’t count on a perfect fit from retail shops. And who hasn’t bought an item themselves, only to get home and realize that somehow it’s not going to work for you? I think it’s certainly easier to accept when you haven’t spent that much on the item! So for my experience with this thrift box–I figure I got 6 perfect items. That’s less than $20 an item!
2-There are no exchanges or returns. Janeane asks to see one of your Pinterest boards so she can get an idea of your style and likes. However, I’m sure there could be times that you wouldn’t like what she picked for you. I know this has been the case for me even when I order something online. There are times that it just isn’t as I thought and the shipping to return it is too much money. Thus I usually see if a friend would like it, or I donate it to ARC.
I don’t receive anything if you sign up for one of Janeane’s thrift boxes. It was just one of those ideas that I thought was brilliant. Almost to the point that I wondered if I should do something like it. And then I came to my senses–ha ha! But I really thought that my readers might enjoy a service like this. Besides it’s fun to support other women with great ideas! So I certainly hope this was a fun read and if you’re interested, check out the Thrift Box Service!
Keeping in Touch
Are you registered for my emails reminders to let you know when a post goes live? I’d certainly love it if you take the time to sign up and make sure all your friends sign up too!! There are other ways to follow my blog. Facebook readers can see my posts by liking my page. Or my Pinterest page has all of our outfits in a nutshell!
And if you’re new to the party, you can always see our outfits organized by categories, here! Don’t forget to check out the deals & discounts too, on this page!