A few years ago I had this great idea...what if there was something like a "t-shirt of the month club" that sent you a really cool, well cut, well made t-shirt monthly? I talked to a few people about it, everyone thought it could fly... then I don't know, kids, work, blogging, life got in the way and my little idea got pushed to the side. And then Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson apparently ran with it with one of their many ventures, StyleMint.
Okay, so that's not true. Apparently BeachMint founders Josh Berman and Diego Berdakin are the dream thieves here!
Regardless, when I first saw this I cried a little. Then I ignored it. Then somehow I got an email with some tank top on it that I HAD. To. Have. And? It was a StyleMint top. I wavered for a few days, not wanting to give money to the people that took my idea (*disclaimer: they didn't really, I just tell myself that to make myself feel better for not running with my fab idea) but then a 30% promo code broke me down and I went for it.
And, while it PAINS me to admit this - I'm now in LOVE with StyleMint.
So how does it work?
From the StyleMint website:
- It's FREE to look! Get a FREE StyleProfile. Never an obligation to buy!
- Start your membership with your first purchase!
- All styles start at $29.99 each!
- You only receive what you order. We'll email you at the beginning of every month with your Showroom based on your StyleProfile.
- Choose to buy or skip a month in the first 5 days at
no charge! - Shipping is always FREE!
- Returns are EASY!
So a lot of FREE and EASYs may lead you run away. But basically it's this, it's $30 a month for one credit. If you don't want to buy a credit that month, you need to go online by the 5th of the month and hit "skip this month" if not, your card gets charged $30. Most shirts are 1 credit.
When you first sign up they ask you a bunch of questions and then based on your answers your monthly "collections" are created. And while not all the shirts are a perfect match - it really only takes one a month, right? I joined about 4 months ago, and since then have purchased something 3 out of those 4 months. This month I even got a free t-shirt email offer to use when I spent my credit. All said, I now have 4 StyleMint t-shirts hanging in my closet and I can say with total affirmation that the shirts are nicely made, cute and fit very well.
My one complaint about the whole experience is that the models that they use on the website are ridiculous. They are all 6 ft tall, 90 lbs with not a boob in sight. Great for runway or couture fashion spreads, but not great for an online-only retailer trying to sell clothes to real women. And last time I checked, quite a few real women have boobs.
That said, this past month I took a chance on a plaid, button-down shirt. Now, button-downs I try on never really fit me right across the bust line, so I'm not sure what even possessed me to purchase this one. But I did, and I LOVE IT. It fits perfectly and it's a very light, thin cotton - perfect for Fall in Southern California.
What can I say? Sometimes it's the things you want to hate that you end up loving most.
Happy Shopping!