I get it. You’re busy!
And you’re looking for a way to amp up your summer wardrobe without having to spend a ton of time, that you don’t have, at the store shopping. Maybe your wardrobe is even suffering a bit because you have not purchased a new piece of clothing in years. If this sounds like you, I have a possible remedy: a clothing subscription box!
There are so many different types though, so how do you pick the one that is right for you? Some of them you can have an extended wardrobe and rent clothing to always stay on trend without the price tag. Others work with a personal stylist to send you pieces that they think you’ll love and you can purchase them.
Today we’ll be comparing Stitch Fix vs Nuuly to help you narrow down what clothing subscription box is right for you and your busy schedule. The main difference between the two is that one is a clothing rental service and the other is a personal styling service. So let’s dive in and see which box fits your busy schedule and lifestyle!
tl;dr: We like Stitch Fix
How Do They Work
Stitch Fix doesn’t require a subscription, whereas Nuuly does. One offers rentals and a thrift store option, and the other sends you curated picks for purchase. Both of them offer ease in shopping and updating your wardrobe.
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix is a personal styling service that caters to men, women, and children. To get started with Stitch Fix, you’ll first take the style quiz on their website. In the style quiz you’ll answer questions about your preferred style and sizing, among other things. This quiz helps your personal stylist pick pieces that they think would best align with what you’re looking for in your wardrobe. It’s very fun to take and super quick!
Once your style quiz is complete, you’ll then be asked how often you’d like to receive a “fix” (aka box in case you were worried). You can choose weekly, monthly, or just order a box whenever you feel like getting new clothes. That’s a great thing about Stitch Fix: you do not have to have a subscription to get a fix.
Before your box ships out to you, your stylist will send you an email with a preview of the items inside. There will be 5 pieces of clothing, and if you don’t like something you can certainly reject it for a replacement! When your box does show up at your doorstep, you’ll have 3 days to try on your items and send anything that you don’t want to keep back. If 3 days is too aggressive of a timeline for you, you can ask for an extension on your profile without a problem.
Nuuly
Nuuly has two different services available to you: Nuuly Rent and Nuuly Thrift.
Nuuly Rent is a clothing rental subscription service. To start renting you’ll first sign up and create a profile. You can add clothing that catches your eye to your “personal closet,” which will be where Nuuly pulls your rentals from. Nuuly recommends adding lots of items to your closet for more options every time you rent. You’ll receive 6 rentals in the mail monthly, assuming you return your previous rentals before the next box. You can wear these items as many times as you want before you send them back. Anything you’d like to keep is available for you to purchase from Nuuly for less than retail price.
When you’re ready to send your rentals back you’ll place them in the reusable Nuuly bag that came with your rentals, place the prepaid return postage on the bag, and send it back! Easy as pie. Once your items have been received by UPS and you’ve already paid for your next month’s subscription, you’ll be able to receive a new shipment of rentals.
Nuuly Thrift is a resale marketplace where you can sell your clothing and accessories as well as thrift gently used items and accessories from other users. Talk about sustainable fashion! This service is available for men, women and children. When you sell on Nuuly, you can either cash out, or you can receive what’s called Nuuly Cash. Nuuly Cash makes your earnings worth more than if you cash out, and can go toward anything you decide to purchase from Nuuly Thrift. A cool perk is that you can also use your Nuuly Cash at any of the URBN stores: Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, BHLDN or Urban Outfitters. I can get on board with that!
Pros/Cons
These are both great services whose pros outweigh the cons.
Stitch Fix
Pros:
- Have a personal stylist pick out clothing items for you.
- Don’t need a subscription to get a fix.
- Clothing available for men, women, children as well as maternity.
- Work with sustainable clothing brands.
Cons:
- Quality of clothing can be inconsistent.
- It may take a couple of fixes for your curated box to be a hit!
Nuuly
Pros:
- They offer free shipping and returns
- Use Nuuly Thrift as a way to earn a small amount of money for your gently used clothes.
- No damage or repair fees on rental clothing.
- Pause or cancel your subscription easily.
- Maternity, petite and plus options available.
Cons:
- Doesn’t ship outside of the US.
- Only rents womens clothing.
How Much Do They Cost
When compared to the time and money spent physically going out shopping, getting a subscription box may be very cost effective for your wardrobe.
Stitch Fix
Stitch fix is a very affordable way to shop for your closet. There is a $20 stylist fee per box, but that fee can be credited toward anything you purchase from your box. The items that your stylist will send you range in price, but when you take your style quiz you can set a budget that you’re comfortable with spending on specific pieces of clothing. If your stylist nailed it on the head, and you decide you want to purchase every item in your box, you get 25% off your whole order. This is a win win!
Nuuly
Nuuly Rent only has one plan and it costs $88 per month. In this plan you’ll receive 6 items that come from your virtual closet. You’ll also have access to free shipping and returns, and if you really love something and want to keep it, you can purchase it at a discounted price. If a piece of clothing you rent gets damaged or needs to be cleaned, no worries! Nuuly takes care of all the dry cleaning once you return something and doesn’t charge you for damages. If you want to add a couple more items to your box for more variation, you can add up to two other bonus items for $18 a piece to rent.
Nuuly Thrift doesn’t cost you anything, well… except for what you buy. But, you can MAKE money by selling your gently used items. If you decide to get Nuuly Cash from your earnings instead of cashing out, you can use that Cash at any of the URBN stores such as Urban Outfitters, Free People and Anthropologie. Nuuly Cash is worth more than if you transferred your earnings to the bank. Such a cool perk!
What Style Of Clothes Do You Get?
Both subscriptions have a wide variety of brands, styles, and sizing options available. If you’re looking for plus size or maternity, both of these boxes would work for you.
Stitch Fix
Sizing for Stitch Fix is standard. For women, it ranges from 0 – 24W. Stitch Fix also has a plus-size option and a maternity option. Children’s sizing starts at 2T and goes up to size 14. For men it is XS – 3XL.
Stitch Fix carries popular brands that you’ve heard of such as TOMS, Dolce Vita, Cole Haan, Sperry, and more!
Nuuly
The brand’s Nuuly Rent offers are BOMB! You can rent items from Free People, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People. Nuuly is under the same parent company (URBN) as these other stores which is why you get a great selection to rent. You have the option to rent a variety of items from tops, to pants, to dresses. They even have maternity, petite, and plus sizes available. Shoes and accessories are not available to rent.
Nuuly offers standard sizing for women (XXS-XXL) with options available for Maternity, Plus, and Petite sizes as well.
Final Thoughts
Wow. That was a lot of information, and honestly? I’m crazy about BOTH of these boxes. It all depends on what you’re looking for in your wardrobe. If you want to feel like you have an extended closet, but don’t have the storage space, Nuuly is a great rental subscription service to give a go! If you want the ease of working with a personal stylist and having someone else give you things to buy based on your style quiz, then it’s Stitch Fix all the way! Have you tried either of these boxes? What were your thoughts?
