Personal styling services are designed to give customers a chance to comfortably experiment with style. These two styling services send out personalized boxes to customers, so you can try clothes on before buying them. Trendsend specializes in bold designer pieces that are still comfortable enough for busy parents. Stitch Fix, on the other hand, tends to carry pieces that are trendy but still wearable, and from fewer recognizable brands. Which one is right for you?
Trendsend is targeted at moms, but their fun, trendy clothes can appeal to anyone. Their clothes can be pricey, but their styling accurately reflects customer interests and creates great outfits for customers to try. Stitch Fix is one of the most popular styling services out there, and the company has over a thousand brands to work with. They have more affordable prices, but Trendsend takes its styling more seriously and has higher quality clothes.
How Do They Work
Both of these services focus on personal styling, and they ask users to fill out surveys on their style preferences and clothing sizes. Since all this styling is done digitally, these surveys tell their stylists what kind of clothes you’re interested in.
Trendsend
Trendsend is unique among online styling services because they avoid using algorithms and instead have their in-store stylists assemble boxes for customers. Each stylist is working with clothes in a particular physical store.
The Trendsend approach to styling is to create outfits for customers, rather than to send individual pieces. The approach has its advantages, and it might be part of what makes their styling so effective.
After you place an order, you can expect your box in about a week. Once you get it in the mail, you have 5 days to try on outfits and decide what to keep. Each box includes a free return shipping label, making returns easy.
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix’s styling survey asks about your lifestyle, color preferences, fit preferences, and so on. They even ask if you have pierced ears, so they know whether or not to include earrings in your boxes.
After you finish your survey, it’ll take them a few days to put together a box of 5 items for you. You can’t preview your box before it ships, but if you check your account after it has shipped, you can see the items coming your way.
Once your Fix arrives, you have 5 days to try everything on. At the end of those 5 days, you need to check out online and let Stitch Fix know what you’ll be buying and what you plan to send back. Every Fix comes with a prepaid return envelope, and you can even schedule a pickup from your home with USPS to save yourself a trip to the post office.
Pros/Cons
Trendsend has a unique personal touch and great clothes, but their prices might be out of some people’s budgets. Stitch Fix has more affordable prices, but their styling isn’t always accurate, and their algorithms sometimes misunderstand customer requests.
Trendsend
Pros:
- Great styling without algorithms
- Trendy styles
- Fun themed boxes
Trendsend’s stylists will do their best to capture the style you express in their style survey, or the style you mention in the comments box. I wasn’t sure if my answers gave the best example of my personal style, so I added a note to explain that I love vintage, glam-inspired looks. My stylist included notes on how each piece could work to fit that specific aesthetic. Trendsend styles its boxes around outfits, and each customer gets 2-3 outfits to work with.
Trendsend’s clothes all come from Evereve stores, which are designed to keep moms in stylish, functional clothes. Most women can appreciate clothes that look great and are still comfortable enough for daily wear, though. They include trends like coated denim, boiler suits, and tie dye.
Every month, Trendsend puts out new themed boxes. Some of them are based around astrological signs, while others are seasonal, and they even have a “Not Going Out(fit) Box” full of comfortable, stylish pieces for staying in.
Cons:
- Higher prices
- Smaller selection
Trendsend’s items start at $60, and that’s for the cheapest items, like t-shirts. Jeans start at around $100, and I received a pair of $195 jeans. The prices seem to correspond to quality, but not everyone can fit these prices into their clothing budgets.
Each Trendsend box comes from the stock at a specific Evereve store location. This means your stylist isn’t working with hundreds of brands, and instead has a smaller selection to work with. Because of this, you can expect to always get current, trendy pieces.
Stitch Fix
Pros:
- Over 1000 brands
- Affordable prices
- Cohesive boxes
Stitch Fix has a huge selection of over 1000 brands, including some of their own original clothing lines. If you’re looking for variety, Stitch Fix is the way to go.
Stitch Fix includes items as low as $20, though those are usually accessories. If you choose a low budget in your style quiz, the company aims to include clothes around its average price of $55. Their prices are pretty standard compared to similar items from a mall or department store.
Each box is set up to include items that roughly go together. You can request outfits from them, but even if you don’t make that request, they’ll probably send items that fit a similar theme. This makes it more likely that subscribers can take advantage of the 25% off discount that applies if you buy all 5 items from a box.
Cons:
- Weak styling
- Inconsistent clothing quality
Stitch Fix is known to use algorithms heavily when it comes to styling, and sometimes this backfires. Algorithms can misunderstand people’s comments and send more of an item when the customer is actually requesting less, for example. When I tried Stitch Fix, I felt like my style preferences were mostly ignored.
Stitch Fix includes lower priced clothing, but they also have lower quality pieces. Sometimes you’ll find messy stitching or flimsy fabrics in your Fix box.
How Much Do They Cost?
Styling services are all about convenience and filling out your closet. You can explore your style with them etc. They aren’t known as a place to find bargains, though.
Trendsend
The clothes in Trendsend boxes start at $60 for the cheapest items, and get up into the hundreds for high-end jeans and coats.
Trendsend features a lot of current designers, so they have higher prices than what you’d find at most clothing stores. This can translate into surprising prices like $178 for a very normal-looking pullover, however. This service won’t fit into everyone’s budget, so check them out before you sign up.
Stitch Fix
If you’re looking for cheaper pieces, Stitch Fix is more likely to deliver. Their items average at $55, but they start at $20 and can cost as much as $500. The difference is that Stitch Fix has more price variation. They carry affordable pieces alongside recognizable designers and mid-range brands.
What Style Of Clothes Do You Get?
Stitch Fix focuses on current, trendy items, and Trendsend has a similar focus. The pieces at Trendsend are arguably more curated, though. The company uses items from Evereve, which targets moms who want comfortable, functional clothes.
Trendsend
Trendsend carries lots of recognizable brands like Joie, Cupcakes and Cashmere, and Blank NYC. They’re connected to Evereve, a clothing retailer that is aimed at moms who want to remain stylish. Their selection includes plenty of bold, fun clothing that’s still comfortable. Many of their items can appeal to women who aren’t moms, too.
This service doesn’t include accessories or shoes. They only carry clothes like jackets, tops, bottoms, and dresses.
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix proudly carries over 1,000 brands. Their huge selection means they can accommodate more styles than Trendsend. However, their lackluster styling sometimes gets in the way of this advantage.
They carry classics like Levi’s and Citizens of Humanity, along with lesser-known brands. Stitch Fix even has a few of its own in-house clothing brands, and they tend to feature these in a lot of their Fix boxes.
Final Thoughts
Trendsend has better styling than Stitch Fix, but the higher price points are bound to be a dealbreaker for some customers. Even though they have a more limited selection, their products are very well curated. I recommend Trendsend over Stitch Fix if you can fit it into your budget, but I understand that not everyone wants to spend that kind of money on clothes. I usually don’t, either!
Stitch Fix doesn’t excel in styling, and their clothes can be hit or miss in terms of quality. Some people love the lower price and trendy, wearable styles available here, though. They have a huge selection, so if you’re willing to troubleshoot with your stylist, you can find some great pieces at affordable prices.
