New Stitch Fix Alternative – Natalie Attired

So this isn’t directly fitness or faith-based necessarily, but I do feel that what we wear is under-the-surface, deeply rooted in how we feel about our bodies and what we think about our role as Christ-followers. So just go with me…

Consider this…

Are you stressed when clothes don’t fit?  And that causes you to want to work out a little more…

Do you wonder if you are modestly presentable, reflecting a positive, confident representative of Jesus?

See where I’m going? Clothes shopping really does have to do with faith and fitness!

Now, I understand that stereotypically, “women love shopping” – but, honestly, I really don’t. As I mentioned in an earlier post about whether your wardrobe was weighing you down, I’m all about function over fashion. Of course, I want to look cute, but it’s got to be comfortable.

And, it definitely can’t be expensive. I know there are benefits to buying quality pieces that will last longer than the typical disposable fashions of my usual discount stores, but I guess I’d rather just spend my money elsewhere.

 

I’ve been considering trying Stitch Fix for sometime now (like over a year!), but just haven’t pulled the trigger for some reason…

 

And now, I think I know why… Natalie Attired!

From their site:

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Natalie Attired is a personalized, convenient, and fun “try before you buy” clothes shopping experience for women of all ages.  Based on your unique style profile, we’ll send you a collection of five coordinates from our exclusive labels — that are ready to go into production — matched with other contemporary quality brands to create the “looks” you’ll love.

WHO IS THE NATALIE ATTIRED CUSTOMER?

Natalie Attired is for women who…are size 2 to 22…are too busy to shop…don’t have a lot of shopping options nearby…are sometimes “hard to fit”…can’t seem to find the right color or style…don’t want to spend their time in front of a computer screen searching for clothes online.

Natalie Attired is for women who…love surprises…want to be on-trend without being trendy…want the freedom to do other things they love while someone else does their clothes shopping for them!

Each Natalie Attired box will be filled with five coordinated items handpicked from an array of labels based on YOU. The items we choose for each box will complement each other and can be combined to create countless outfits that fit and flatter.

HOW WILL WE DO IT? 

By listening to YOU. When you fill out your online Natalie Attired style profile survey, we’ll learn about YOU. Shari Braendel’s proven and proprietary methods will help us determine your coloring, body type and, as importantly, your fashion type – whether you’re Classic Modern, Style Fashionista, Pure Natural, or Creative Original.

WHAT’S THE COST OF A BOX?

There is no set price for the box or the individual items in a box.  However, you will be able to tell us what your budget is when you fill out your style survey.  We will work hard to get you the best items for your fashion dollar.

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My Connection

(Sounds a lot like Stitch Fix to me, right?)

But here’s a little personal history:

I first met Shari Braendel online (in a random web-search about fashionable Christian women several years ago). In considering 1 Peter 3:3, I wanted to understand the place for fashion from a Christian perspective.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.”

 

She immediately sent me a {FREE!} copy of her book, “Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad,” (now retitled, “Help Me Jesus! I Have Nothing to Wear!)  {I love it when I get things for free!}

 

From the initial “What’s So Christian about Looking Good?,” I was convinced that indeed, how we dress should be a reflection of our desire to be encouraging, loving God-fearing women who share Jesus in a positive light. If what we are wearing distracts from that in anyway (either from frumpy/sloppiness or immodesty), we are not presenting our best selves that God created.

 

A year or so later, I got the chance to meet her in person as well when she spoke at my all-time favorite conference, Hearts at Home. It was fun to hear her speak and actually SEE her explanations from the book come to life with real people.

And, I was “relieved” to hear her say while I am a “Soft,” I could be a borderline “Clear” too, which meant wearing black was indeed ok after all (which apparently is not the case for Softs… who knew?)

If that sentence was beyond confusing, you can take the quick color analysis here and see where you fall.

 

And, well, she’s from North Carolina, too, so that makes me love her just a bit more as well.

 

Start-Up

The disappointing news is that Natalie Attired isn’t officially up and running yet. They’ve started an indiegogo account though, and if there is enough interest in this first month’s window, they’ll be sending out their first boxes estimated for January shipments.

There are different levels of involvement, but it’s basically like prepaying for your first box. It’s a risk-free opportunity to get involved – (If they don’t reach their goal, your money is refunded).

{And I get nothing from this — I’m just excited to share something I’m pretty sure I’m going to love!}

 

If you love shopping yourself, this obviously wouldn’t be a good fit for you. But I simply don’t want to invest the time and energy it takes to physically get to a store (typically with two boys in tow!), nor do I have the confidence or knowledge to really know what looks good either.

So here’s hoping Natalie Attired can do my shopping so that I can spend more time on those faith and fitness things that are much more important to me!

 

Anybody else in? Any concerns about the project? Would love to hear what you think!