Gwynnie Bee by natylite78 on Polyvore
Gwynnie Bee is a clothing subscription service geared towards women size 10 and over. For a monthly fee, you can rent clothing at various levels (1 at a time, 3 at a time, etc). I read about Gwynnie Bee on one of my favorite wardrobe blogs, Wardrobe Oxygen. She partnered with Gywnnie Bee to offer her readers a 30 day free trial. The idea intrigued me, so I requested an invitation to the site (it is currently invitation only). I selected a 3 item membership, which is $79/month plus tax.
The website is very user friendly. The major categories are shirts/blouses, dresses/skirts. cardigans and blazers. You select 8 items that you are interested in trying. Gwynnie Bee will send you three from the list.
I had a hard time picking out 8 items for my closet. For a style standpoint, I only saw a handful of things that I was interested in. However I decided to push myself and pick some items that I would not normally try. As well, this would be a great opportunity to try out brands that I was unfamiliar with, so I could see how the sizing ran. I normally wear a 12/14 (Yes, I just put my size out there for the whole world--eeep). I do not have any experience with shopping women's sizing, so I was curious. Within a day or so, I saw that my closet had been updated to show three items were on their way to me (pictured above).
I had a hard time picking out 8 items for my closet. For a style standpoint, I only saw a handful of things that I was interested in. However I decided to push myself and pick some items that I would not normally try. As well, this would be a great opportunity to try out brands that I was unfamiliar with, so I could see how the sizing ran. I normally wear a 12/14 (Yes, I just put my size out there for the whole world--eeep). I do not have any experience with shopping women's sizing, so I was curious. Within a day or so, I saw that my closet had been updated to show three items were on their way to me (pictured above).
The items are shipped via USPS. The packaging is terrific. Each item was wrapped in tissue paper and sealed with a customized sticker. Attached to each garment are two tags, one for comments and one with care instructions. There was a handwritten note welcoming me to Gwynnie Bee. Also enclosed were two return bags with prepaid UPS labels.
The clothing received were all of great quality. Fabrics were nice and the clothes were well constructed. However, the sizing was really off. I wasn't completely surprised as I picked items from brands I wasn't familiar with. Here is a summary of my thoughts on each:
(1) Tunic Dress from Alfani - Fabric was great. Length was good. I ordered a 0X. It was way too wide. A shame as even a belt wouldn't help it. I really liked it otherwise!
(2) Tweed Jacket from Coldwater Creek - I was hesitant about this one as I look at CC as beyond my age range. However, I wanted to give it a chance. I normally wear a size up in jackets because of my shoulders, so I ordered a 16. Big mistake! The jacket was swimming on me! Best line regarding this jacket came from J - "It looks like something my mom wore once.". Enough said :) I will say the fabric was terrific though! Great quality.
(3) Cheetah skirt from Karen Kane - I ordered this in a 0X. I liked the elastic band as it was wide and flattened my stomach. It was a tad wide in the hips, but I liked the room. It was a hair long on me but otherwise, a great skirt!
Below is the comment card I filled out for the jacket.
I sent everything back, which was really the easiest process ever! The large return bag was perfect for sending three items. Even better was I was able to give it to our UPS guy with no hassle! Then I updated the status of the items on the GB website as shipped back.
I checked today and three more items are on their way- Two tunics and a dress. I'm excited to try them out.
I haven't decided if I'm going to continue the subscription after my 1 month is up. It appears that for some of the brands, the women's sizing is too big on me. I'm not sure if I could find enough in my normal size to keep my closet "full". However, I keep checking the website to see what I can add. I'll be sure to update again after I receive my next shipment!
I'll admit it's hard to find things that fit when you're on the lower end of the cusp. My fave things lately were the Lands End skirt and the Simply Be printed tee shirt dress (both I am considering buying after my experience). What's cool is I have seen that with Gwynnie Bee they honestly listen to your feedback on the site and those little cards. They have pulled pieces out of rotation that get poor reviews, choose new arrivals based upon what members say is lacking or they want more of, and are constantly refining. Keep checking, something that may not be available in your size may be a week later when returned from another. And yep, most of these are plus size brands so a 14 is more like a 14W which is more like a 16, so I have even ordered 10s from GB and had success. Enjoy, and thanks for sending this my way Natalie! :)
ReplyDeleteMore expensive clothes are cut true to size. You should also check out the sizing guide. ASOS clothing runs big because it's a British company (more generous with fabric than the crap that comes out of American stores). Gwynnie Bee tends to be a bit more fashion forward and trendy rather than classic, which is what your style seems to be. I'm a huge fan of Gwynnie Bee.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment! Even though I didn't subscribe, my experience was great!
Delete