Subscription boxes make shopping and finding new items to love so easy! You simply wait for a box to show up on your doorstep, try out the product, and move forward with your favorites. Most clothing subscription boxes require a monthly subscription to sign up, and/or they have a styling fee. If you’re like me, you often forget about the subscriptions you have until you see it come out of your bank account each month. If you want to avoid the subscription hassle, boy do I have two clothing boxes for you to look into!
Stitch Fix and Thread are two clothing box companies that don’t require a subscription for service. The mission of both companies is to make style and clothing more accessible and less of a headache. Both of these companies have options for men and women (Thread is more limited). The main difference between Stitch Fix and Thread is that one has you purchase the clothes before you receive them, and the other sends you curated items and you can decide what to purchase from the comfort of your own home. Let’s dive in!
How Do They Work
Both of these clothing services are simple and straightforward to use.
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix is a clothing box service for men, women and children. No subscription is required to get a “fix” of clothing.
Chances are you’ve heard of Stitch Fix before. They’re a clothing subscription service that sends you a curated box of clothing for you to try and then pay for what you want to keep, and send back what you don’t. Getting started is super easy!
First, you’ll complete a comprehensive style quiz to sign up. This quiz will go over everything including: preferred sizing, style preferences, favorite colors or colors to steer clear of and your lifestyle habits. The more detailed you are when answering the question, the better, because it helps your personal stylist curate your box. It’s a very quick and easy quiz to take, and honestly, kind of fun. One really cool feature of Stitch Fix is that you don’t need to sign up for a subscription! You can order one “fix” (aka box), or you can sign up for a subscription to receive a box weekly, monthly, etc. Whatever you think is best for you. Stitch Fix also does not have a subscription fee, but instead charges a “styling fee” that can go toward any piece of clothing you decide to purchase and keep.
But wait!
Before your box even gets sent out to you, you’ll receive an email preview of what’s inside for you to approve or reject. Sometimes it can take a couple of tries for your stylist and you to get into a groove, which is why all the feedback you can give is so important. Anything you reject in your box will be replaced, and then it will be sent on its merry little way to your doorstep. Once you receive your box, you will have 3 days to try on all the clothing and decide what, if anything, you want to keep and what you would like to send back. If the 3 day timeline seems too aggressive for your busy schedule, you can request an extension on your profile.
*** If you like the whole box and decide to keep everything, Stitch Fix will give you a discount!
Thread
Thread is another clothing service for men and women (limited) based in the UK. No subscription is required to get started with Thread, and there is no styling fee for a personal stylist.
Since 2012, Thread has been helping customers find clothing they might actually want through the collaboration algorithms and personal stylists. Instead of taking hours roaming websites or stores trying to find clothes you want, Thread takes this pain point away and gives you your time back by making a smarter shopping experience.
Getting started with Thread is simple. First, you’ll head to their website and complete a brief style questionnaire. Currently Thread works with men from the UK and the US, and only works with women in the UK (although hoping to expand to the US market soon). Once you have completed your style quiz, Thread will match you with a personal stylist who will take some time to curate looks for you to shop from. I was honestly very impressed with the quantity of style knowledge they gave me right off the bat in my style summary. Then my stylist’s suggestions were spot on, with a few minor tweaks and feedback. Thread is also budget conscious and sticks to your preferred budget well when recommending clothing. Standard shipping is 3 to 8 days through Thread, and all returns are free within 100 days.
Pros/Cons
Stitch Fix and Thread are both flush with “pros” but have some cons that may be a deal-breaker for you. Check them out!
Stitch Fix
Pro:
- No subscription required to get a “fix.”
- A personal stylist will curate your box according to your style quiz answers.
- You can accept and reject items before your box is shipped.
- Options for men, women, children and maternity.
Con:
- The quality of clothing you receive can be inconsistent.
- Your stylist may not pick out anything you like at first. It may take a couple of tries before they nail it on the head.
Thread
Pros:
- No subscription required.
- An algorithm and your own personal stylist give you shopping recommendations based on your quiz answers and budget.
- Returns are free.
- Thread takes care of all customs fees for you.
Cons:
- Shipping is only free on orders over $100 and is $12.99 on orders under $100.
- Returns can take a while to process.
How Much Do They Cost
As far as shopping for clothing goes, these are both cost-conscious ways to build your wardrobe in the ease of your own home.
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix does not require you to sign up for a monthly subscription, but they do have a $20 styling fee whenever you order a “fix.” When you receive your box, you’ll try on the clothing and decide what you would like to purchase and keep. The $20 styling fee will be applied toward anything you purchase which is nice, and if you decide to buy everything in the box you’ll also receive a 25% discount. The clothing items will range in price, but your stylist will select pieces to send you that are in the budget range you specified in your style quiz. Pretty straightforward!
Thread
Thread also doesn’t require a subscription for service, AND they don’t have a styling fee either. It’s free to use their styling services as their goal is to help you find the clothing that you love with ease. Thread is based in the UK, so that’s where they ship from, but they pay the customs duty though, so no worries there. You will, however, be responsible for paying $12.99 for shipping on orders under $100, and orders over $100 are free. Thread has you take a quick style quiz where you can specify your budget range in general, and on certain items of clothing. Another really neat thing about Thread is that they’ll match the lower prices on the same piece of clothing from other sites (with some exceptions). Returns are free within a 100 day period of the day you receive your clothing.
What Style Of Clothes Do You Get?
You’ll recognize many well-known and loved brands in both of these services.
Stitch Fix
You’ll recognize many popular brands that Stitch Fix collaborates with, including: TOMS, Cole Haan, Sperry, etc.
The sizing for men’s clothing is standard according to the specific retailer, and men have size options of XS-3XL. For women sizing is also standard, ranging from size 0 to 24W. There are also plus size options and maternity options available through stitch fix, and children sizes start at 2T and go up to a size 14.
Thread
Thread also carries well known and loved brands such as Nike and Burberry, but also collaborates with small brands like Stepney Workers Club and Fold. There are more than 700 brands working with Thread, so there’s guaranteed to be one you love. Sizing is standard according to the brand.
Final Thoughts
Both of these services are great, and we love that neither of them require you to have a subscription! After comparing these two clothing boxes, we have decided that although very equal and similar, Stitch Fix came out on top. There are more options for men, women and children and they collaborate with great brands. You can set a preferred budget to stick to in your style quiz, and anything you receive that doesn’t quite suit your taste, you can send back and be done with.
Easy!
Thread has so many great qualities about it too and is also a great clothing service. We say give them both a try! Have you tried either Thread or Stitch Fix? What did you think?
