Lots of folks assume that I work full time in the bike industry but I actually have a big kid, grown up adult job in the logistics industry. Since 2008, I've worked at the corporate headquarters of a huge logistics company in downtown Seattle, which is kind of amazing since I have a degree in Women Studies. I got stupid lucky when I graduated from UW, landed at a company that believed in me, and I've worked my way up into my current position since then!
My company requires a VERY strict dress code-including shirts and ties for men, and business professional for women. While not explicitly stated, this includes covering up visible tattoos and basically looking super-dooper professional at all times.
Compared to many of my friends who work at tech start-ups, Amazon, and other more relaxed companies, it can be a little frustrating to not be able to roll into work in cute black skinny jeans and an adorable shirt or sundress.
As just about any woman who has to dress up can tell you, it also gets really expensive, really fast. A dress suit can cost anywhere from $150-400, a skirt or dress can be upwards of $80, and even a nice shirt can be $50 up. This gets pricey fast, especially in a culture that doesn't value styles that can be worn year after year.
My laziness towards my work outfits reached an ultimate peak this past year, which I just started keeping all of my clothes at work. I've been known to have 3 blazers, 6 pairs of shoes, and 4 pairs of pants in my locker at work at all times. I would just bring a different shirt to work, throw it on and be ready to go. Functional and within the dress code? Yep! Cute, eh, not so much.
That all changed recently when I discovered Gwynnie Bee. This service is stupid awesome, and I freaking love it. $99 a month for 3 items at a time. All of the items I've gotten have been adorable, perfectly suitable for work, and in really good shape. The shipping is really fast, so even though they say 3 items at a time, I had 15+ different outfits for April, and May is shaping up to be the same way.
They have a huge variety of clothing to select- from contemporary work outfits (blazers, dresses, shirts, skirts), to cocktail dresses, to super cute outfits I would wear on a date. The best thing is that ALL of the clothing fits! Their sizing runs from sizes 10-32 (for real!)- I'm a size 14 and have been able to find nearly everything I've wanted in my size.
Here's what I have lined up to be sent to me soon:
Can you tell I'm really into dresses right now?
Don't mind the goofy face in this photo- I usually only take selfies when I'm on my bike. This was my favorite dress so far, paired with my own blazer, and I got more compliments than I ever have on any outfit at work.
The other great thing is that if you *really* love something, you can keep it and your card gets charged! So simple!
So, needless to say, I'm totally hooked on it. I hate shopping, but with this, I just pick out clothes on the internet, they get shipped to me, when I'm done with them, I put them in a bag and send them back. I don't even have to do laundry. And then they send me more. So easy.
I think a few things could be improved, specifically with their ecological impact. Each garment comes shipped in a cardboard box and wrapped in purple tissue paper. I can understand the first box being packaged with way, but subsequent boxes could be shipped in the blue poly bags that they have you return items in. I understand that the cardboard boxes are recyclable, but with 7-10 shipments arriving per month, this feels pretty wasteful.
Each garment also comes with an individual cardboard hangtag that says "Wash on gentle cycle" that has been safety pinned on. With the freedom to keep each garment as long as you like, I understand why they've included these instructions, but do they really need to be on each garment? Unless you take the time to separate the safety pin, ribbon, and cardboard, this little hangtag is not going to be successfully recycled.
Gwynnie Bee does make a good faith effort to encourage bulk returns, only including 2 return envelopes for every 3 items they ship you, which I applaud them for.
Overall, I really enjoy this service and it's drastically reduced my shopping habits.
If you want to try a month for free, use this link: http://goo.gl/lT7MSD .