Friday, April 22, 2016

Stitch Fix #13 - April 2016

Since I have now been getting fixes for over a year, I thought it would be fun to look back at the items I have added to my closet!  Here's a list of my keepers so far:

9 shirts
8 dresses
1 maxi dress
2 skirts
6 sleeveless tops
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of jeans
2 pairs of pants
3 sweaters
4 cardigans
1 bracelet

That's 38 new items of clothing in a year!  No wonder I need to purge some items from my closet.  If you're wondering what Stitch Fix is all about, here's a quick rundown.

Stitch Fix is a service that will send you five articles of clothing (or purses, scarves, jewelry, and now shoes) picked by a stylist at whatever interval you choose based on a style profile you fill out about yourself.  You pay a $20 styling fee for each box, but that money goes toward anything you keep.  So as long as at least one item works for you, there's nothing to lose.  And if you keep all five items, you get a 25% discount.

You don't have to sign up for a certain time period between fixes.  You could try it one time and never get another fix or get another one 2 years later!  There's no cost commitment until you schedule a fix.  When the box ships, that's when you are charged the $20 styling fee.

You can create a Pinterest board dedicated to your style and put the link in your style profile so that your stylist can see what items you like and why.  I love when I receive something I actually pinned or something very similar to a pin on my board!

For my 13th Fix, I sent the following note to my stylist:
Ashley or Anne please! I need a "garden wedding attire" dress for a wedding at the end of the month. I'm also headed to the beach in May and hosting a baby shower!

Here are the items that came in my Fix:

(1) Diba Layna Metal Embellished Sandals $40

I was not really thrilled by the black or the gold metal on this sandal.  They are a little narrow for my wide feet, but after wearing them a while, they were pretty comfortable.  I think they look ok on but are just not my style.


(2) Dear John Finnegan Roll Cuff Chino Short $58

I received these shorts in denim in Fix #3, and they have become a staple in the warmer months.  I love the color and pattern of these.  Here's a close up:

I tried them on with the Pixley tank from Fix #4 and the RD Style sweater from Fix #11.  I think they are cute and will be coming with me to the beach next month!



(3) Skies are Blue Charlone Halter Blouse $44


My stylist Anne suggested that I try this blouse with the shoes and shorts (items 1 and 2).  I really like the pattern of this blouse.  The halter is cute, and I'm a sucker for tank tops!
I also tried it on with my Just Black jeans from Fix #7 and a gray skirt to see the versatility of the blouse.

I don't pull off skirts very well, but it looks great with jeans and shorts, so I think this top is also a keeper!

(4) Adrianna Papell Edyth Dress $118

I wasn't thrilled by the look of this dress even when I pulled it out of the box.  When I tried it on, I felt like it was too shapeless.  I believe I had pinned this dress, but I am not a fan, especially when it costs over $100.  Anne suggested I wear it for my sister's baby shower, but at least I have other options already in my closet.  I'm sure one of those 8 dresses from previous fixes will work for me!

I even tried wearing a fitted blazer over it, but I still do not plan on keeping this dress.

(5) Brixon Ivy Lex Textured Knit Dress $74


I LOVE the color of this dress.  It does remind me a little bit of curtains, but it is so pretty!  Here's a close up of the fabric:




Now the one tiny issue with this dress...I feel like I can't breathe when I have it on.  I was able to zip it (after struggling for about 20 minutes), but I feel like it's bunching up in the back.  Here are some pictures of it on me.


I tried it with my denim jacket to dress it down and also with a belt.  I think I also need a little bit more of a tan, but I so want to wear this dress to the wedding next weekend!  Does anyone know about exchanges?  I emailed Stitch Fix to see if I could try a medium, but do you get to have both sizes at the same time?  I hope they write me back soon because I don't know what to do!

I'll have to take the next few days to think it over and decide what to keep.  I get three business days to decide what to keep and what to send back.  I fill out a checkout survey to give specific feedback on each item so that my next fix can be even better.  Then I put the rejects in a prepaid envelope and drop it off at the post office.

Click here to sign up using my code!  I get a referral credit, and you get to join in on the fun!  Playing dress up has never been so easy!  Thanks for reading!

Visit Maria at Crazy Together to see her fix and others from bloggers who have linked to her page as well!





Wednesday, April 13, 2016

My Triathlon Journey: Part 2

I have now attended four out of eight of my adult swim classes.  I signed up at a local college and swim in their indoor pool once a week on Tuesday evenings.  Here's my "gear" that I bought.

I bought Speedo Women's Vanquisher goggles.  They are mirrored, and so far I like them.  They do fog up a little bit, but they fit well and don't leak.  They come with 3 different nose pieces so that you can adjust them better to fit your face. 

I bought the Speedo Women's Quark Splice Pulseback Endurance Lite swimsuit.  I'm not sure how many of those words matter, but it is quite a mouthfull!  I had no idea what size I would be, so I made sure to order one from Amazon that offered free returns.  The first suit was purple and black, but it seemed tight in the rear, so I ordered a size bigger in yellow and black.  It also seems to work well for me in the water. 

The first class was basically learning the forward crawl.  (I learned that freestyle is actually not the right term!)  I decided that I was going to breathe just on one side, but my instructor said that my hand was doing something funky as a result.  I also had to learn to keep my head down and look at the line on the bottom instead of trying to look ahead. 

The second class, I worked on trying swim from one side of the pool to the other and then back again.  I was still having trouble with my breathing...I was trying to hold my head up before turning to the side and going back under.  I practiced perfecting my stroke and also learned how to push off from the side and glide so that I can save some energy.  I'm so glad my first triathlon is in a pool.  Open water is a whole different subject that I might try to tackle later.

My third class goal was to do 4 lengths of the pool.  For my 200 yards, I will need to build up to 8 lengths, so I wanted to be halfway by the halfway point of the class.  I did it, and by the end of the class, my instructor asked me to race her 2 lengths, and she didn't finish much farther ahead of me!

Originally I was going to work up to 6 lengths by class four, but I pushed myself and did 8 lengths instead.  It was a great feeling to know that I can actually do this swimming thing, and I still have four more classes to practice!  I think my main issues are making sure I'm not waiting too long to breathe and taking it slow and steady. 

On the bike side of things, I researched and decided to buy a Yakima Sparetime bike rack.

I didn't want to have to climb my car to put my bike up top, and I didn't want a rear carrier that would block access to the back.  This one has a plate that you install under the spare tire and can hold two bikes.  I had my husband help me install it so that I can take my bike down to my parents' house in a few weeks.  I'm also ready to bring it on vacation and maybe to some nearby parks!  Here's what my bike looks like on the rack:

And my favorite feature...

It has two bottle openers on the end of the arms!!  My husband was wondering when we would use them, but I told him for tailgating of course!  Now after triathlon season, we can still use the rack for football season.  Go Falcons!

And lastly, on the running front.  I had a horrible run at the gym a few weeks ago.  I hadn't run since I was terribly sick at the Hot Chocolate 5K in January, so I tried for just a couple of miles on the treadmill.  I was going to lower my pace and hit the emergency stop instead, so I decided to call it a day.  A few of my coworkers and I signed up for a 5K on Sunday, so I made myself run 3 miles at the gym today.  I dropped my pace just a tad and did great.  I also bought some new Saucony Guide 8s to entice myself to run more.  And since I have a Peachtree number, I will have to run up until and after my triathlon in June.

That's all for now!  I'll update more about my progress soon!