Golden Tote Review--July 2016

This is my first tote that I've ordered in a while. I do order pieces from the boutique pretty often with great luck, but the surprise items never have really worked out for me. But this month, because of the number of boutique items that I wanted to order, it was more cost effective for me to order a whole tote.

If you haven't ordered from Golden Tote before, here's the scoop.

The first Monday of every month is the launch of a new tote. You can order a small tote for $59 or a large for $149. If you order a small, you get to pick one "chosen" item with 2-3 surprises. For a large tote, you can pick two "chosen" items, and you'll get surprised with 3 other pieces. There are other options available, such as add-ons and mid-month totes, but that's the general gist of the service.

For July, I ordered a large tote with an add-on. Here's what I got:

I love this bag. It's sooo cute! If you're not familiar with Golden Tote, the bag is designed differently every month.

I said that I like bright colors and bold prints. The colors look super fun!

Summer Travels Romper | Mixed Materials Cardigan | Setting Sail Fedora

The romper and the cardigan are my chosen items and the fedora was an add-on item for me. (Belt is mine.) I'm going to the beach, and wanted some pieces to take with me. All of these pieces will be great for the beach, and the cardigan will be perfect for work also. The cardigan has an adjustable tie inside, so you can tighten or loosen it to your liking.

Back of the romper

Romper and fedora minus the cardigan

Unfortunately, the romper was a bit too low cut and loose in the neckline for me to be comfortable, and I just got another romper on Zulily that I like better, so I'm sending this piece back.

Next, on to my surprises!

Naked Zebra Adjustable Strap Cami | Potters Pot Striped Pencil Skirt

This outfit is a great summer look for work. The skirt is a stretchy pencil skirt with navy and coral stripes. The cami that came in my tote matches it perfectly. It has some sexy cut-outs at the neckline, as well as under the arms. I'm definitely keeping the skirt, but the tank is a bit too tight around the rib cage, plus I do have other tops this color to pair with the skirt, so the top is going back.

Sugar Lips Floral Shift Dress

 Again, another cute dress, but it's WAAAY too short for an (ahem!) 40-something. The back has a fun pleat detail.

Back with the pleat detailing

I added a belt to it to see how that looked:

The belt just made it even shorter. Yikes! Sadly, this one is going back also.

Overall, I think I'll continue to stick to ordering the boutique items. The surprise items usually don't work out for me, but it was fun to give it another try.

If you're interested in giving Golden Tote a try, here's my referral link. I'll get $10 in credits, if  you sign up using my link.

Have you tried Golden Tote? What did you think?

Stitch Fix #27 Reveal

I can't believe this is my 27th Fix! Although I've been doing Stitch Fix for quite some time, this is my first review on my blog. I almost feel bad that this is my first review, because I've had phenomenal success with Stitch Fix but, this one was a miss for me.

I've had the same stylist for about the last 10 Fixes, and she usually nails my style. Prior to that, I was a stylist for Stitch Fix, so my Fixes were all pretty on-point. :)

If you haven't heard of Stitch Fix, it's a service where a stylist will pick out 5 pieces of clothing for you, based on an extensive profile that you complete. You pay $20 for the service, but if you keep something, that $20 will be deducted from your bill. If you purchase all 5 pieces, you receive a 25% discount.

If you would like to give it a try, here's my referral link. If you use my link, I'll get $25 toward my next Fix.

In the Stitch Fix styling world, I'm considered an "edgy glam," but I have a side of "classic" to me. (This is determined in your style profile on what types of clothing you like and dislike.) The only style types that I don't like are "feminine" and "boho." I also mention in my profile that I like bright colors and bold prints.

For this Fix, I asked for shorts and tops that I could take to the beach. I also asked for a new beach bag. Okay...on to my Fix:

I see bright bold colors. It looks promising.

 

1. Loveappella Macallen Embroidery Detail Knit Top--$48

This top was fifty shades of unflattering on me. The color washed me out, the fabric has a very '70s vibe, and I looked so mom-like.

Verdict: Returned

2. Papermoon Deni Cross Back Knit Top--$44

 

The back of this top had a cute cross back detailing, but again, just not my style.

Verdict: Returned

3. Skies are Blue Rimaldi Cutout Detail Top--$48 

This top was too boho and the colors were just okay for me. The neon orange piping I really liked, but not enough to keep.

Verdict: Returned

4. Brixon Ivy Edan Embroidered Dress--$88

Ok, now we're getting somewhere. If I was going to keep anything, this would be it. This dress is really cute and the color was great. In the end, I decided not to keep it, because it's a bit more boho/feminine than what I typically wear, and it would probably just sit in my closet.

Verdict: Returned

5. Octavia Amya Graphic Tote--$48

 I loved the colors on this tote. It's very summery, and seemed very durable. Unfortunately, in staying with the boho theme, this Aztec print was just not my style.

Verdict: Returned

Sadly, this was my first 0/5 in quite some time. This Fix was way too boho for me. I think I've only had one other 0/5 in all the time I've been doing this service. I guess out of 27 Fixes, those aren't bad odds. I'm still looking forward to next month though.

If you've tried Stitch Fix, how did it work for you? If you're interested in trying it, and you use my referral link, I (and my wallet) thank you!

Lyon + Post Review--July 2016

UPDATE 7/18/16: L+P is running a 25% off sale sitewide! Sale price applies to all items added to your queue before the end of the sale period. Stock up! If you queue more than four items, they will honor the sale price even in later shipments.

Sale ends Thursday 7/21 at 11:59 PM PDT

 

Lyon + Post (<--contains referral link) is a fairly new subscription service...or at least fairly new for me. I've only heard of this site recently.

The concept of this service is that you add clothing to your "Queue," from the closet of items that they have on their site, and the top 4 pieces in your queue will get sent to you. You have a week to try them on, and decide what you want to keep, then just ship the rest back in the prepaid envelope. After they receive your return, you are charged for what you keep, then the next 4 items in your queue are sent to you.

You can filter the closet by size, price, type of clothing, brand, etc. The prices of the clothing range from less than $50 all the way up to $350+. I limit my range to under $200, because I don't want to see things that I know I can't afford, and that I'll (of course) love.

I've done about 10 of these boxes already, and usually find at least one piece that I like. Check out the latest pieces that I received below.

It comes in this cute box with a hand-written note from a stylist.

1. Ella Moss Isabella Top--$111 (on sale)

Ella Moss top | Milly trouser | Necklace from BaubleBar | D&G sunglasses from The RealReal

Off-the-shoulder tops are so on-trend right now, so I thought I would give it a try. This one was not for me though. You may be able to see in the photo there are small straps that are supposed to go over your shoulders, but they kept falling down. For the price, this isn't worth keeping.

Verdict: Returning

2. Sundry Muscle Tee--$75

Sundry Muscle Tee

 I realized after I took the photo that I have a goofy smile on my face. Probably because I'm thinking, "this is a tank top, and it's $75." Granted it's a cute tee, and great for the beach, but did I mention, it's $75.

Verdict: Returning

3. Milly Denim Linen Trapunto Trouser--$197.50 (on sale)

Milly trouser | Ella Moss top

 I wanted to try these pants, because they had a very 1940s vibe to them with the wide-leg. Unfortunately, they are just WAAAAY too long. I'm over 5'6", and I'm wearing about 3.5" heels in this photo, so I'm about 5'9" to 5'10" in this photo, and the pants are still about 2" too long. And they are linen, so they're wrinkly. And they are $200.

Close-up of the length. Yes, I'm wearing heels in this photo.

Verdict: Returning

4. Raoul Betty Panelled Skirt--$96.25 (on sale)

Raoul skirt | Willie Smith tank from TJ Maxx

 I wanted to try this skirt, because the large dots looked fun. The fabric though is a shiny acetate/polyester, and seemed a bit too formal for everyday wear.

Verdict: Returning

I've had pretty good luck with this service, but unfortunately, this box was a bust. I think the problem was that my top picks in my queue were waitlisted, so the pieces that were sent to me were pretty far down on my list. Overall, I think this is a great low-risk way to try fun trends to see if they are for you, as well as to see if $200 linen pants will work for you (definitely, not).

If you're interested in giving Lyon+Post a try, here's my link. If you use this link, you'll get a $30 credit, and I'll get $30 for a future box as well. Enjoy!

Le Tote Review--July 2016

I've been wanting to start a blog for quite some time, but never got up the motivation to start. Welp, today was the day that I decided I would sit down and start. I LOVE fashion and have a slight extreme addiction to subscription boxes. I've been sharing my box reveals on several social media and Pinterest pages, but thought I'd start consolidating them all in one place.

Although my blog design is still under construction, I just thought I'd jump in with my first subscription box review...Le Tote (<--includes referral link).

Le Tote Review

I've been doing Stitch Fix (referral link) for a while, but wanted to try something new too. Le Tote is a clothing rental service. Pick clothing and accessories to add to your "closet." A stylist then picks 3 clothing items and 2 accessories to send to you. If you don't like what's been picked for you, you do have the ability to swap (I think it's 24 or 48 hours). The service costs $59/month, and you can get as many boxes as you can fit into one month. This is my second box, and the time between the two was almost seamless. Once my first tote was scanned by the post office that it was on its way back, my new one was shipped. You can also purchase any of the items in your tote for a discounted price.

I'm going to the beach in a few weeks, so I was looking for beachy type pieces. Here's what I got:

1. Eight Sixty Palm Print Tank--$58

Eight Sixty tank | LOFT shorts | Camilla necklace

This is a cute tank, and will be great for the beach. It's well-made and flattering, and is lined, so it's not too see-through. I see myself not purchasing it though. I don't think I'd get enough wear out of it to justify keeping it.

2.  Philosophy Tropical Printed Shorts--$38

Philosophy shorts | Naked Zebra top  (from Golden Tote)

Gah! I have some white legs! It's definitely time to go to the beach. These shorts are also super cute. They are a fun, tropical print and have a pull-on elastic waist, and aren't tight on my thighs, which I hate. These will also be great for the beach, but living in Pennsylvania, I don't think I'll get much wear out of them to justify buying.

3. Octavia Ruffle Sleeve Blouse--$52

Octavia blouse | The Limited pants | BaubleBar necklace (no longer in stock)

I'm not a ruffle person, so I thought this was a low-risk way for me to give it a try. I do like this blouse, and it's something I'll most likely wear to work, but again, not something that I love enough to keep.

4. Camilla Floating Coral Necklace--$17 (on sale)

Camilla necklace

This necklace is going to be really cute for the beach! It has a fun, coral look to it, but still looks elegant. It's really lightweight, and for $17, I considered keeping it. But again, not too many options to wear coral in PA.

5. kate spade new york Palm Tree Studs--$38

kate spade studs

I could not get a good photo of these on my ears, so here they are in the holder. These are fun, little earrings and perfect for summer. I already have a pair of Kate Spade pineapple earrings, so I'll probably pass on these as well.

I've only done 2 totes, but so far, I've been pleased. I'll most likely take the majority of these pieces to the beach, then send them back. I think I'm still too new to the service to give it a full-detailed review, but I'll keep you posted.

Have you done Le Tote? If so, what are your thoughts.