What is it? If you have ever heard of Stitch Fix, this is similar! Nadine West is a bi-monthly/monthly clothing subscription box. You pay for shipping, they send items to you to try on based on the answers to your style quiz, and if you like the items, you can purchase them. If you do not like the items, just send them back with the included label.
Where can I try it? www.nadinewest.com
What is the price? $9.78 per box for shipping, plus the cost of the individual item price that you decide to keep. If you choose to buy an item, that $9.78 is credited to that item. If you choose not to buy any items, you are out of the shipping cost. (They will do a one-time rollover to the next box, but you’ll have to make a case to customer care.)
To be specific, if I received a box and the only item I wanted was a $15 necklace, I would get that $9.78 credited toward that one item and would only be charged an additional $5.22 to keep that item.
Bonus: If you leave a review on Facebook, invite a friend to try it, or are chosen as that month’s “cover girl” on Nadine West’s Facebook, you will get product credit! Plus, I got to try my first box for free, so watch out for that deal as well.
My Review:
I will admit: Facebook ads got me with this subscription box. Well, technically it comes in this cute hot pink envelope package (marketed as Pink Packages). You wouldn’t think they could get that many clothing items in there, but man, they are ninja packers.
Anyway, I love shopping — maybe a little too much! — and I also find surprises to be fun, so this box was right up my alley. I had always wanted to try Stitch Fix but didn’t like the price tags. I am a clearance rack kind of shopper. I live for the thrill of finding a good deal on a quality outfit. So Nadine West’s max item cost of 30ish dollars appealed to me. In total, I received 7 surprise “Pink Packages” during my time with Nadine West. Below are reviews and pictures of my first two packages.
Pink Package #1
To get started, take a style quiz. I tend to be more business casual for work and trendy everywhere else, so I chose the categories that I thought fit me best. You can then add a note to your stylist. I am tall, so finding dresses and pants long enough for comfort was a must. Plus, I look really young, so I needed outfits and accessories that were mature.
Once the package arrives, you’ll find nicely wrapped bundles of clothing and accessories. Included is a product list with prices and a return label.
I’ll be honest — I was not thrilled with my first box. I received 5 items and did not keep any of them. I felt they didn’t even look at my style quiz. Especially because I had noted I wanted mature jewelry, the smiley face bracelet seemed to be a complete contradiction to that request. But, I did find it fun, so I returned all items and detailed my dislikes with the first package in the notes section and rated the items accordingly on the shipment page. This feedback helps your stylist figure out your style and what you want to see in your next box. Check out all of the items I received (and returned!) in my package in the gallery below.
Pink Package 2:
Okay, box 2 was WAY better. I ended up keeping 2 items, but considered keeping more! I loved the olive sweater dress and the black high neck top for work. Both were amazing in quality. I almost bought the cheetah necklace too but wasn’t a fan of its $30 price tag. I would have bought the cheetah top and pencil skirt too but would have liked a size up in those items. (I just don’t enjoy tight-fitting clothes.) Check out some of the 12 items I received in box 2 below!
My Likes:
- Amazing customer service. Every time I needed something, the Nadine West team was very prompt and more than kind!
- No commitment and easy to cancel. Not only was it easy to cancel, it was also easy to take a break for a few months!
- SUPER affordable! The most expensive item I ever saw was $35.
My Dislikes:
- Quality is all over the place. Maybe I am hard to please when it comes to fabrics, but some items were so thin and to me, it wasn’t worth the cost. One pair of earrings I bought made my ears sore within a few hours and I had to take them off. Don’t get me wrong, some of the items are fantastic (like my olive dress!), but some are just not optimal quality. But hey, you get what you pay for, and if you are not picky about fabrics, there are many, many adorable items!
- Similar items cost less elsewhere. I found a few items from other shops that were cheaper. When I saw the popular brand ZENANA, I knew I could find a product on my Fashion Ten Online app for $10, whereas Nadine West was charging $20. I also found a pair of joggers on Amazon for $15, and Nadine West was charging $25. Does this research action defeat the purpose of the items coming to my door versus shopping around? Yes… But what can I say? I’m a deal-finder!
- Shipping is a little iffy. Nadine West is based out of Austin, Texas They let you know your expected shipment arrival, your last day to mail items back, and your final charge date. However, sometimes the shipping takes longer than anticipated to arrive at your door or to ship back to Nadine West. I always had a fear that my returned items would get lost in the mail and I would be charged the total for the entire package. (This never happened, btw.) So, I was as vigilant as a hawk when tracking the return shipment. The problem is, after you mail it off at USPS, it is transferred to Pitney Bowes, and during that exchange, my tracking number (found on the front of my return label) no longer worked.
An easy fix is to email their amazing customer support and ask them if the package arrived or for a tracking code. Pitney Bowes takes foreevverrr to ship, so sometimes it won’t arrive by your last return date. But have no fear! Nadine West seems to be on top of that and will bump your dates back when they see there is a shipping delay.
Would I try this box again? YES. This service is fun. After several boxes of keeping only one or two items, I decided to use my $9.78 elsewhere and pause my subscription for a few months before I eventually canceled. I think I am too picky about fabrics, fit, and budget that this wouldn’t be my main mode of shopping. Sometimes I see adorable outfits on their Facebook that others got in their boxes and I am a little jealous of their cute items. I wish they had an online store too! I enjoy surprises but realized I liked to pick out my own items more than I thought. Still, the items I did keep I wear often. My favorite: a buttery soft burgundy maxi skirt! I think in the future I will give it another go, but for now, I will stick to your basic, old-fashioned pick-it-yourself shopping.
Read more fashion budget tips here!
Read my original blog post, Are Subscription Boxes Worth It?, as well as my other subscription box reviews:
What do you think?