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Getting Your Best StitchFix Ever

January 10, 2018

This post was created in partnership with StitchFix. Items in the post were provided to me for reviewing purposes. This post also contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Hey, babes!
I hope everyone has had an incredible beginning to the New Year! Mine has been SUPER productive, and I am so excited to share that I have been spending a lot of my time planning my upcoming trip to New York Fashion Week! It’s less than a month away, so believe me when I say that I’m a little stressed getting everything lined up. Back to present day, I’m happy to bring you this month’s StitchFix, but this round is a little different… I’m also going to be sharing how to get your best fix EVER by communicating with your stylist, how to truly voice your opinion, and what I feel makes for the best fix.

In case you’ve been under a rock and haven’t heard about the awesomeness that is StitchFix, it is a service that delivers curated pieces to your door as frequently as you like. You fill out a detailed questionnaire, including how much you’d like to spend, your body shape, areas you like to flaunt/hide, and so much more, so they can really get to know your style. You send back what you don’t like, and they only keep the $20 styling fee if you don’t purchase anything from the fix, otherwise it goes towards whatever you buy, AND you get 25% off if you buy everything.

First up, communication is KEY! There are several ways to make your voice heard with your stylist. The one I always get very detailed on is the “note to stylist,” where I can request specific pieces for events, certain fabrics, lengths, anything that I would like to wear in the next couple months. When I was headed to Vegas year before last, I requested a “Vegas-worthy midi dress,” and for a brunch with the girls, I wanted an “off-the-shoulder floral top,” and that’s exactly what I received. I love that the stylists try so hard to match up my requests, and sometimes I wonder how much time they must spend searching for the perfect item for me!

I’ve also thrown out pretty broad requests, like in this fix, I wanted a pair of dark distressed jeans, colored blazer, and another midi dress. I was super happy with the pieces they selected, although the blazer was just a touch snug, so I’m currently wearing it as a cape! It’s also important to give feedback on past fixes, such as when something was too tight in the hips (usually the case with button-down shirts for me), or too short (I generally don’t wear anything above the knee). Once your stylist knows your tastes and fit more in more depth, they can use that info when planning your next fix.

Another way to share your style preferences is through creating and sharing a Pinterest board. We’re already all spending hours a day on Pinterest anyway haha, so start creating a board of styles you would actually wear, and link it for your stylist in your StitchFix profile! I have tons of midi skirts, floral prints, comfy cardigans, and fun work looks on mine. I know my stylist references it whenever she’s planning a fix for me, because influences from it are so apparent with her choices. It’s also so important, I believe, to focus on your lifestyle and what you truly will wear. If you work an 8-5, only go out to meet the girls for brunch, and don’t like showing your legs, than it’s probably not the best idea to link a street-style thigh-grazing look that you’ll never get any use out of. By the same token, if you’d like to get a little adventurous with color, patterns and prints, and maybe highlighting your décolletage for instance, don’t be afraid to share some pins that pull elements you’d like to experiment with.

I hope these tips have been helpful for you! It’s taken me a little bit to get my bearings with the service, but as you can tell by this being my 28th fix (!!!), I truly am enjoying it. StitchFix is offering to all of my readers their first styling fee waived! Now you have nothing to lose, and a closet full of cute clothes to gain 😀

Jacket and midi dress c/o StitchFix // Heels / Nordstrom Rack // Clutch / TopShop // Necklace Luv AJ // Glasses / EyeBuyDirect
The color of this blazer is so unexpected, and actually pairs with more in my closet than I anticipated. I can definitely picture pairing it with a floral skirt, or jeans and a white tee.

Top and jeans c/o StitchFix // Booties / JustFab // Necklace / Rocksbox // Glasses / EyeBuyDirect
The mesh cutout on the back of this top is such a cute and interesting detail! I loved making a jeans and tee combo just a little bit fancier and brunch-worthy by adding a statement necklace and gold-specked ankle booties.

Top and jeans c/o StitchFix // Necklace / gift // Ring / LA gift show // Metallic sandals / JustFab // Glasses / EyeBuyDirect
This top is definitely my favorite find of the fix. Mark and I went out to date night in this very outfit after my shoot, and I definitely turned some heads! The color is so saturated and the ruffle neckline is very flattering!

Don’t forget, all of my readers get their styling fee waived on their first fix! Hope you enjoy!

December Stitch Fix

January 31, 2017

Hello, loves! Yes, I realize I’m a month behind on posting my fixes, but (if you haven’t read my previous post), I’ve had a lot going on! I love opening up that box every month and seeing what my stylist has selected for me. It’s like getting a care package from a friend! Well, one I have to pay for haha, but a fun gift to open nonetheless. For my December Stitch Fix, I requested a fun party dress, a metallic or embellished clutch, and a cozy sweater. I received two dresses, a clutch, a sweater and a pair of leggings. Read on to hear my thoughts on each and see how I styled them.

Cocktail dress & metallic clutch / Stitch Fix // Peacoat / Victoria’s Secret (so sad they stopped making clothes!) // Necklace c/o Baublebar // Tights / Hue // Heels / Mossimo
The dress was unfortunately too big on me, I could have gone down a size. It honestly seemed a little young for me, and that’s one of the reasons I sent it back, along with the price. It kind of seemed like something I would find in the Junior’s “occasion” department at Kohls, and definitely not a piece I would pay $88 for. The clutch was SO cute, maybe a touch oversized for a night-out, but it had several nicks in it. Not sure if it was from a previous recipient who sent it back after using it or perhaps it was damaged during shipping. Either way, I expect things to arrive in “new” condition. Dress and clutch, $38, returned.

Dress / Stitch Fix // Jacket / gift from the boyfriend // Tights / Hue // Booties / Forever 21 / Necklace and bracelets / LA finds
This I believe was the second attempt at a fun party dress, but I was just not feeling this print for December. I feel like it maybe could have worked in summer, but I didn’t see it as an ideal holiday option.
Dress, $118, returned.

Sweater and leggings / Stitch Fix // Necklace / Rocksbox // Flats / BCBGeneration // Bag / Forever 21
I became a little obsessed with how soft this sweater was and the saturated wine hue. Even though it kiiinda shows my bra straps without some frequent adjusting, I found it so cozy that I wore it for a couple days in a row, with a little fabric refresher in-between. The leggings were great and felt very supportive, but I felt that I could have done better on the price.
Sweater, $58, kept, leggings, $78, returned.

Overall, just the sweater was a keeper from my December Stitch Fix. I think the price points were still a little high for my liking, and the damaged item was definitely not great to discover. Overall, not my most inspired fix, but my next one was much better, and it should it up very soon!

Shot by Holli Zenko Photography.

This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on links may provide me with a small commission. This is part of what helps keep Dressed for Time going.

Graze Box: A Review

April 18, 2015

Several weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try the Graze snack box subscription after a deal came across Groupon that was just too tempting to resist.. I’ve always been a fan of subscription services, (we know this!), and currently have them for everything from makeup, skin and hair products (Birchbox and Ipsy), to blouses (Elizabeth & Clarke), and of course my beloved Rent the Runway unlimited membership, among others.. But the idea of food being shipped to me didn’t really strike as something I “needed.” Well, now, that’s all changed, because I feel like I can’t get enough of these boxes!
Here’s the deal.. You go to their website, Graze.com, and chose from several options, like strictly sweet or savory or a mix of everything, a 4 or 8 pack.. You can even go more in depth and choose which snacks, amongst over a hundred choices, that you would like or would not care to receive (all nutritional and allergy info is listed). I prefer to be surprised, so I just let it ride with whatever they had in store for me. You also select the frequency at which you’d like the boxes delivered.
My first box did take a few weeks to arrive, but I feel that’s normal with any subscription service, until they get you in the loop. Here’s what I got my first time around:

They come stashed in these cute, themed boxes, and are in little packs that you can just grab and go. I’ve yet to find one that requires a spoon or fork, but you may need a napkin. In this box:
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dippers with Oat & Spelt with Berry Compote – I found the compote to be a bit on the sweet side, but it definitely worked in place of the dessert I was considering the night I had it.
Chai Latte dried fruit & nut mix – this one was really good and gave me a nice boost before doing my vinyasa yoga class.
Thai Sweet Chili Bites – definitely my favorite from this pack, the sweet and salty and savory balanced so nicely and was only 80 calories!
Southern BBQ Pistachios – these were also really yummy and I was surprised by how much flavor they got into the shell, a nice smokey bbq flavor.
I didn’t change any preferences after I finished this box because everything was great!

Two weeks later, I received this box filled with:
Tutti Frutti mix– a blend of dried fruit which I enjoyed on my lunch break at work when I was having one of my frequent sweet cravings. I love that all of the fruit is still soft and chewy and tastes very fresh.
Honeycomb Flapjack – this one I definitely wanted to eat on a day I knew I’d be getting in a workout, because at 240 cals, it’s one of the more caloric options available. The taste was insanely good, but could have just as easily been had in place of dessert.
Fruity Mango Chutney – now, this is surely a personal preference, but I HATE cumin with such a passion, I actually spit this out, not knowing that cumin was one of the ingredients. Some may love it, but I quickly removed it from my options online.
Chili & Honey Almonds – OMG, are these things addictive. I will say that with almost all of the Graze boxes I’ve tried, I don’t feel left wanting after I’ve finished the pack, with the exception of these guys.. I could have had like 2 cups of these. So good.
After this box, I decided to up my frequency to every week, because it really was saving me time and money if I had not planned ahead from not going to the vending machine to buy some crappy processed food with no health benefits that had been sitting there for months. I can just throw the whole box in my work bag and decide which snack I’ll have based on what kind of food I’m feeling and how many calories I’ve allotted for the day.
It did take another two weeks to get my next box, adjustment time which I was fine with, and here’s what I got:

Aren’t the boxes just the cutest!
Herby Bread Basket – I was surprised to like this one as much as I did, even with the pronounced herb flavor staying with me longer than I would have preferred haha! It was a great savory crunchy mix.
Popping Corn – Lightly Salted – the flavor of this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but definitely included enough popcorn (along with some blackberries and a yogurt I’d left in the work fridge) to help me through a day of forgetting to bring my lunch!
Beach Bum Mix – another great combo of dried fruit, soft and wonderful.
Caramel Apple (dried apples and caramel dipping sauce) – this one again I felt was just a touch too sweet with the caramel, but you get just the right amount of it to avoid that sugar rush.

A few things to note about Graze…
The expiration dates can vary. They’re listed on the booklet that comes in each box, along with the nutrition facts and ingredients for each snack. I’ve seen them vary from several months to just a few weeks, so definitely something to stay on top of if you’re not planning on eating the goodies right away like I do.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that I only eat these as a part of an estimated 1,400 calorie, relatively healthy and fresh meal plan. I’m not advocating eating all of your food out of pre-packaged pouches (the horror!), but these are convenient, inexpensive, and generally health-conscious snacks to supplement a balanced diet. I strive for a 350 calorie breakfast, 400 calorie lunch and dinner, and 200 calories of snacks. I bump that up a bit when I know I’m going to be exercising that day, so I have enough energy for my workout.

I’ve recently upgraded to the 8-snack box option, but reduced frequency to every other week, so essentially the same amount of goods, but I will get them all at the same time so I’ll have more to choose from. This option is $11.99, and the 4-snack option is $6.99, with shipping included.
All in all, I highly recommend Graze and will continue to purchase it until I get bored, although with all of the options, I’m not sure when that will ever happen! If you use the code ZVXGLZT6P at sign up, you will receive your first and fifth box on me free of charge, and can cancel the subscription at any time! I do get $1 off my box for referrals (disclaimer) but I would be recommending this service regardless, because I think it’s pretty awesome.

I hope you all enjoy!
😀