You may recall, in the last StitchFix post I did, that I'd mentioned moving up my delivery date. I'd rather receive my StitchFix early in the month rather than late in the month, as then I can do all my planning and budgeting for the rest of the month around what I do or don't keep out of that box. So, this week I got my April Fix, even though I just got the March Fix a couple of weeks ago.
Again, looking ahead to my vacation (as well as the fact I do a lot of airplane travel for work), I had some specific requests this time. I asked for a poncho of some sort that I could wear in airports that would second as a blanket on the plane. I've used shawls and pashminas for that for years, but it's hard to keep a pashmina wrapped over your shoulders while you're hauling luggage without getting all tangled up in straps. I thought a poncho might work better. I also asked for some neutral colored ponte knit pants or similar--they're great for travel. I requested a good tote with lots of pockets and a zip closure for my travels--I actually already have a couple but I'm always in search of the "best one ever." I also threw in there that funky jewelry was always fun.
So, how did my StitchFix stylist do?
BAM! She hit it out of the park again! Woo woo woo woo!
(No pics of me this time as I'm still dealing with that really bad chest cold and I'm not at my most picturesque at the moment.)
Yes, I got a totebag! Woot!
Okay, it's not quite "the best travel totebag ever" but hey, it's cute and very functional so I'll take it! I love the style. It's a canvas exterior, and with the olive color it will definitely take a beating and just keep looking better. I'm not really into the camouflage/army style that's still big these days but this has enough of it for me to look current but still be far more to my taste. It's more "outdoorsy" than "military."
The straps are sturdy--just look at those metal grommets!--and the shorter ones are wide enough they'll be comfortable over my shoulder. I doubt I'd use the longer strap with this one, but I'll keep it with me in case I wanted to do a cross-body thing. It's a little too narrow to be comfortable on my shoulder if the bag is heavy. (Somewhere I have a pattern to make a padded thingie to wrap around skinny straps--I should dig that out and actually make it some day.)
I've learned to generally try to avoid dark interiors on bags because they make it harder to find things, but I plan on using a lot of zippered pouches to keep my stuff organized on the plane so that shouldn't be too big a deal. I don't tend to dump a ton of stuff in my bags anyway--I like to travel light so I carry as little as I can possibly get away with.
It has decent pockets--the standard zipper interior pocket on one side with two open pockets on the other. If I had more pockets, I'd use them--but sometimes too many pockets makes you dig a lot because you can't remember which pocket holds what. Again, I'll be using zippered pouches so the pockets will be for quick-access stuff.
What I'm most pleased about is that the whole top zips--fantastic! Too many totebags have flimsy little magnetic closures that pop open the first time you hit turbulence and suddenly your bag is spilling out all over the floor. Ask me how I know.
All around, very pleased with this bag. My stylist definitely listened to me!
Remember that I'd asked for ponte knit pants? Another bingo!
These are actually more leggings than pants--at this point in my weight loss journey I'd only be wearing these with longer tops, but since 90% of the tops in my closet qualify, that's not an issue. I do think I'll be able to wear them even when I go down another size at some point--the fabric and style will adjust with me for some time to come, which is really helpful.
These pants are incredibly comfortable, though. The wide waistband doesn't dig and they move and stretch everywhere I go. These may well be my travel-day pants. They'd be so comfortable on the airplane but I'd still look put-together, not like I rolled out of bed to get on the plane. The fabric is really sturdy so they don't feel like they'd get baggy, but I'll only know that after wearing them for a prolonged period of time.
True confessions, though: I did put these on immediately out of the box and wore them the next couple of hours, tags and all! I'd been in "sick day" sweat pants before that, and I have to say these pants were as comfortable to wear! Still, I changed back into my sweats because I'd rather keep these in good shape if I do actually go out in public sometime later this week. I've asked that my stylist send me more like this (not necessarily exactly, but same idea) in other colors in my May Fix, the last one I'll get before vacation. I asked for olive, navy, or black, as those are three colors of non-dress-pants I don't own yet. And yes, I could actually wear these for work, given the right top and shoes. Very versatile!
Unfortunately, my stylist couldn't find a poncho this time (so I've got her still looking for that for May), but she delivered on the jewelry! This is my first jewelry from StitchFix and I love it!
The necklace hangs just slightly lower than my collar bones. I should've put a coin next to it for scale, but each of the floral pieces is about the size of a quarter, maybe a half dollar or so. It's not huge, but it's noticeable. I love it! I have so many things this necklace will go with. It's got just a little bit of subtle sparkle to it, which is perfect. I have to admit, my necklaces tend to be much larger. (I go for "statement pieces," as they're called.) So it's nice having something a little smaller but still funky. This would be great with a tshirt and denim jacket or with a nice dress; again, what's my key word for my wardrobe? "Versatile!"
I also got two more tops, and they're both great.
This first one has sleeves that are slightly longer than 3/4 length, and it hangs just about mid-hip. It's not a high-lo top but the back does cover me enough that I'm comfortable wearing this top with the gray leggings shown earlier. When I first pulled this one out of the box I read the color as a gray-blue but it really is a soft gray. It's the colors in the print that make it read more blue from a distance.
And look--birds!!! I also like that the print has a vaguely Swedish embroidery feel to it, somehow. It's that boho chic vibe that I dig, man.
The fabric drapes wonderfully and it feels like it should still be cool enough to wear all summer, except on the hottest days. This will be great for vacation. I have a gray pencil skirt I bought at a consignment shop a few weeks ago ($10! Can't beat that!) that I think this would work with if I wanted to dress it up, as well as jeans, the leggings above, my white jeans or white dress pants, or my coral jeans. All sorts of wardrobe combos!
Finally, I can never have enough white/ivory sleeveless tops! And this one has some great detail. (Top picture is front, bottom picture is back.)
It's just a little bit high-lo and hangs long enough that I'd be comfortable wearing it over the gray leggings above. The front has a nice keyhole detail, and the back has a split towards the bottom that gives it nice movement. Overall, it just hangs and flows beautifully. And I love the lace! It's more boho than girlie, which is perfect for me.
This will also do well for work because the keyhole isn't too low and the shoulders are wide enough to hide bra straps. Plus, I can wear it alone or as part of my usual "uniform" with cardigans as it'll go with several that I own.
All-in-all, this Fix was a definite win. Yippee!!!
I want to say thank you to someone who subscribed to StitchFix using my referral link as you helped make this box even more affordable for me. If anyone else is interested in checking StitchFix out, here's my link. Thank you so much!