Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Trunk Club Review - Trunk #1

I decided to dive into the world of shopping services. I had started using Stitch Fix when I was pregnant and I received 3 boxes from them. I was overall happy, but didn't feel like the stylist was truly reading my notes to her. Last box I asked for a "bachelorette party" theme and received a maxi dress, cardigan, two casual tops and a bag. While the items were my style and very cute...none of them were going to be scoring me any free drinks on my weekend out.

I heard about Trunk Club from others who used Stitch Fix and I have been loving Nordstrom recently (can't beat free shipping and returns!) so I decided to give it a try. Upon signing up I was matched with a stylist. You can use the messenger feature on their website/app to communicate or set up a phone call. I decided on a phone call. We went over my measurements (that you add into the app) and talked about my style and what I was looking for.

I stated to my stylist that majority of the items in my closet are from Boden and that I typically will buy the same style over and over in different prints or colors if I like it. Also, a main reason for me using this service is that I'm 3 months post partum, we have a bunch of events like weddings and a vacation planned, and unfortunately my items from last summer don't fit well. With a newborn and toddler and living in the middle of nowhere, I don't have the luxury of driving an hour to the mall to shop. It becomes a whole day event. And it was time to bite the bullet and go up a size. We talked about my job and I let her know I work from home so I'm looking for casual items to wear so I can put away these black workout leggings and class it up a bit. It probably looks like I'm wearing the same pants every day but I just happen to have like 15 pairs of black workout crops, I swear!


Price list

The service used to be free it seems, meaning that for no up front cost, you received a box of clothing with free shipping to and from your house. I had seen on blogs and chat pages that they were going to roll out $100 fee to new customers. I was told that there would be a $50 deposit on my first box only and that it would be credited towards my purchase. I'm fine with that because they send around 15 items and I'm sure I'll keep a few pieces. Also, not saying people do this...but you are working with a stylist and the service is personalized. I can see as a business how it's a waste of time to pick out items, ship for free and a person not buy a single item. Just saying! Just for reference, Stitch Fix charges a $20 styling fee per box, that you lose if you don't purchase an item. And with only 5 items in their boxes it could be likely that you don't like any of them...like in the case with my "bachelorette box" - I ended up selling some items just to not lose my styling fee.


A key feature with Trunk Club is that you get a preview of your box and you can nix items right away that you know for sure you aren't interested in. I'm going into this with an open mind because I told my stylist to help me get out of my comfort zone.

Trunk upon arrival!
 When I received my first preview I had 14 items and I only selected "not to send" for 3. I gave feedback on why I did not select these items (and shockingly the reason was I had similar styles in my closet, not that I hated them!) and I gave her additional ideas of what to replace it with. So in the end I ended up receiving 15 items.

Ready for the reveal???












Swim wear:









Kept: I'm keeping the bandeau one piece and the caftan. The caftan is actually on sale for 22.80 and looks amazing over the bathing suit. Colors match perfectly. I do have two navy suits, so I'm clearly branching out with a different shade of blue. Very flattering on my post c-section tummy.
Returned: Black enchantment swim suit - ruffles weren't doing me any favors. I'm on the fence about the hat still, it's also on sale for 28.80 and I like the colors on it, but it doesn't match any of my swim suits.





Casual wear:
 

Kept:Madwell V-neck is a keeper! I'm also loving the ankle boot but I need to style it with some more items in my closet. This hat matches so many of my casual looks, maybe I need to start wearing a hat while sitting at the pool. Ok, I'm like talking myself into the hat!
Returned:  KFTK jeans. Sadly a size too small. I know why the stylist sized down, these do have stretch (I have a pair), but with just having a baby there's not quite enough stretch. This was sent in my "pre baby" size. I do like the lighter wash on the jean, I gravitate towards dark and my closet is full of those. The free people tank is so soft, the price is right, the style is great to hide post baby pooch, but over a D cup looked too frumpy and like it was hanging out too far. The Rag & Bone linen tank has so much potential, very soft, love the detail in the back, but I felt it was a little short on me.


Dresses and jewelry:
 



Kept: Jersey Maxi Dress. Love the print and the style!
Returned: The Ezri maxi is going back. Comfy, but the print was too loud for me and I thought it made me look heavy. I'm still deciding on the Kendra Scott necklace - I have the same one in white that I wear all the time. Maybe it's time to add a new one to my rotation, but at the same time maybe I'll hold out for something different.







Athletic wear:
I do crossfit and I live in leggings, this is my weakness and my stylist picked up on that!



 


Kept:Optic long leggings (right) Looks great with my lululemon singlet.
Returned: Tango and Slim Fit - these were both too big. And the Tango I couldn't really find a workout top to go with, and that's a problem when you have like 50 different options.

So in summary - would I do it again? Yes! I would love to see more workout clothes in my size with matching tops and once fall comes I'm ready to try some great jeans on - hopefully in that smaller size! Leave feedback in the comments and let me know what you think!




If you liked the items in my box and are thinking of giving it a try, click here. It will put you in contact with my stylist and you can get started on a trunk of your own!