Stitchfix and Bad Relationships
By: Alexa Johnson Anderson
I got my first Stitchfix order a year ago. I know it’s been almost exactly a year because my first Facebook post popped up in the Remember When type feature it has. I still remember the excitement I felt when I opened my front door and waiting for me on the stoop, inviting me to open it up and check out its wonders. When I opened it, I felt like the stylist knew me and knew what I wanted and what exactly I needed to look cool and hip…
For those of you who haven’t heard about it, Stitchfix is an online seller, stylist, trend-setting company that takes your tastes and price point and uses that information to send you a box with five items. These items can include dresses, pants, jewelry, accessories… really anything. You have the opportunity to tell your stylist (underpaid intern?) what fabrics you like, what type of fit you prefer and roughly 1 million other little quirks you may have. You can even set up a Pinterest page and link it to your Stitchfix account so that they can reference it when curating your box of fun.
My first Stitchfix box was like a dream come true. I loved every item, the colors were great and everything was perfect. I raved about it for days, even weeks. My friends got tired of hearing how much I loved it. But now, some time has passed and I realize that Stitchfix seems quite a bit like a boyfriend, that in retrospect, you should have dumped, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it. Here are some of my thoughts on this:
- Like that old ratty boyfriend, when you first meet, he (it) can do no wrong. Everything he does is magical and super romantic and even when you aren’t with him, you are thinking about him.
My first Stitchfix box was dreamy. I loved everything about it. The dress was amazing, the jewelry was so fun and I spent my days telling any and everyone what a delight my first box was. I posted on social media, I got other friends involved. They even loved it. The new love was amazing. I had found the freaking diamond in the rough with this whole she-bang.
- Time passes. Your boyfriend doesn’t listen. No matter how many times you have asked him not to, he keeps sending you freaking shirts, skirts and dresses with asymmetrical hems! Oh wait… that was Stitchfix, not the boyfriend, but you get what I mean, right?
In any relationship it’s normal for things to go slightly wrong. You take the good with the bad and you communicate. That’s normal. Let’s say your significant other leaves dishes in the sink all the time. It’s annoying, but not a deal-killer. You communicate, you tell him (her) that it drives you crazy, and then they keep doing it. At some point, every time you see a sloppy spaghetti covered plate in the sink you feel like he is placing every single dish in the sink to spite you. No matter how many times you communicate your dislike, disdain and fury, he KEEPS doing it.
Stitchfix is doing the same. At this point, I feel like my stylist is a vindictive college student who is relishing my rage, just waiting to see what I write in response to that sorry synthetic shirt they have chosen for me.
- You decide to take a break. With many relationships that decide to go south, taking a break can seem like a wise idea to get your head together.
After my 4th or 5th Stitchfix, I decided that I needed a breather to refresh and maybe I would fall in love with it. I changed the timing of the Stitchfix order and after a couple of months, I felt the excitement building when I opened up my email inbox and saw the message that my package would be delivered soon and to make changes to my profiles before the stylist compiled my box.
- Bad relationship mojo: You start changing yourself to better fit the needs of your partner.
Okay, I REALLY wanted to fall in love with Stitchfix again. Instead of accepting that it was over, I rehashed our relationship and wondered where I had gone wrong. Was my price point too low? Had a selected the wrong profile to accurately describe my style? My mind was spinning. I decided to throw caution to the wind. I went through my profile, changed everything from the materials I liked, to how much I was willing to pay (the sky is now the limit), to the types of articles I wanted in my box. The only thing I didn’t change was my size, because it’s physically impossible to change that.
My last Stitchfix package came in the mail this week. You may be rooting for Stitchfix to meet my needs. Just like with the loser boyfriend, you may think that he really was going to turn it around and actually listen and stop leaving the freaking dishes in the sink. You’d be as disappointed as I am that NOTHING changed! I still got an uneven hem shirt; I still got stuff with crazy fabrics and though I am sure that someone will love these clothes, it’s not gonna be me.
But here’s the thing. My biggest strength, and weakness, is that I am optimistic. You might be yelling at me to throw him to the curb, but… I have got to give him one last chance. So, be on the lookout for my next Stitchfix update. Until then, call me if you want to sign up and I’ll give you my code.
P.S. Excuse the complete lack of make up.
