Styling services I've tried & my honest reviews

I've tried a few and have been fairly disappointed with most. Are you ladies with me? It's like the stylists REALLY don't understand how tight the strings are on my wallet...like, can you shop at Target for me instead of Saks 5th?! I just can't get myself to spend over $40 on a sweater, and $40 is pushing it. I mean, that blouse should NOT be $60...I can get the same thing at TJMaxx for $20. I know they have to make money somehow, but it's just really not worth it to me. So, as I'm sure you can tell by the tone of my writing (:P), I haven't quite found a service that I really love (but have found one that I "like"). Here are the ones I've tried and my overall feelings on them:

1. StitchFix - this was the first service I tried and probably the most well-known across the country. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed. I kept with it for about three months and then couldn't take it anymore. I just kept hoping that they'd finally send me things within my budget and they never did. Most bottoms were $80 or more, tops - ones you could clearly tell were very cheaply made - were $50 or more, sweaters were never cheaper than $60, etc. Most of the product was pretty cute, but because I work in the apparel industry, I know what they're paying for those garments and I just can't support that high of a markup. If you make more money and can have that kind of a budget for your wardrobe, by all means, give it a try. It's a $20 styling fee that goes towards the cost of a garment if you decide to purchase.

2. Le Tote - this was a better experience, but I still didn't stick with it. I had a coupon that allowed me to try for $20, but after that it starts at $79 per month. With Le Tote, they send you a certain number of pieces, once or twice a month depending on which plan you choose, you wear them and then send them back to be styled again. If you wish to buy something, you can, and they offer a 50% discount off the wholesale price. It's great if you care about not re-wearing outfits every few weeks (which I really don't) and can afford to spend $79/month on garments that you have to eventually return. Also, as I'm sure you've picked up on, the garments you're sent are previously worn/used garments. So, if you decide to purchase, yes you're getting a decent % off, but it's off an already used garment. If that doesn't bother you, go for it.

3. Allume - this is the third and final styling service that I've tried and is for sure my favorite (I actually still use it on occasion), but it does have its flaws. Allume is different from other styling services in that you order directly from the brands' website. So, you tell your Allume stylist what you're looking for and she goes out, searches all of their partner websites to find what you're looking for and then puts together looks for you. If you decide to buy something, you end up purchasing it directly from the brands' website (it links it through for you and everything; no extra steps needed). One big downside, though, is that if you want to buy items from multiple websites, you're going to have to pay for shipping on each separate website (unless they offer free shipping). The styling service is $20 and is refunded if you purchase anything. I have had some technical issues with them, however. For example, I thought I had my account scheduled to be styled every 3 months or so, but I kept getting messages from my stylist saying she was getting ready to style me. Then I'd try to go into my account to push it back, and it would say I wasn't within the allowable timeline to extend your styling session...which was incorrect. Anyway, I contacted them and they fixed it/refunded the $20 fee to my account and I was able to push the session out. It was just a little frustrating. Their website, also, isn't super user-friendly.

---

So, I haven't come across a styling service that completely meets my needs. It seems like there's always something that's not quite right with what's being offered. Allume is definitely my favorite one thus far, but they have some glitches they need to work through for sure. With that, let me know of any services you all have tried and your overall thoughts/feelings on them! Personally, I'd love to provide a styling service for all you ladies. I feel like it should be pretty easy to find exactly what you're looking for within your budget. Is that too much to ask?! I think not!

A place to be #unapologeticallyme.