I’ve never tried a clothing subscription service before, but my mom has done Stitch Fix a few times and suggested we try Nordstrom Trunk Club as a fun spring break treat. Today I’m sharing a lil’ try-on of the pieces they sent me and some of my thoughts on the process! Overall, I don’t think I would use Nordstrom Trunk Club again… Keep scrolling to hear why.
About Nordstrom Trunk Club
Similar to Stich Fix, Nordstrom Trunk Club charges you a $25 styling fee to receive a box of goodies in the mail. (How cute is the ‘trunk’ packaging above?) If you end up keeping an item, the $25 goes towards your purchase, but if you don’t keep any of the pieces, you lose that money… So obviously, it makes sense to keep at least one thing from your trunk. And unlike Stitch Fix, where the items in your box are a surprise, Trunk Club gives you a trunk preview before sending you your box. Once you look through your trunk preview, you have the opportunity to either accept each item and add it to your trunk, swap the item with something similar (from a short selection they provide), or remove the item altogether. If you remove the item, you can either accept the trunk as-is or have your stylist replace the item with something different.
My Experience
I started by taking a style quiz so the stylist would know my sizes, price points, and some of my likes and dislikes. Since I’m not shopping for anything particular and because I am open to trying new styles, I purposely didn’t specify much in my profile. I wanted the pieces in my trunk to be a total surprise! However, after seeing my trunk preview, I realized I should have been much more specific, which is my own fault. The original trunk was filled with dark colors, casual pieces like t-shirts, and a pair of shoes. I am a die-hard DSW girl, so I knew I didn’t want to buy shoes at Nordstrom. I also didn’t want to spend Nordstrom prices on casual pieces like t-shirts—that’s what sales and more affordable stores are for, in my opinion! And I guess I expected my trunk to be filled with fun spring pieces… Not dark, winter items.
I ended up asking my stylist for replacements on most of the pieces. When you remove an item, you have the chance to say why and leave feedback as to why you want something different. I was much more specific this time and said that I wanted fun spring clothes, no shoes, and nothing too casual. The next day I received my new trunk preview and then it shipped! I expected to have the same ability with the second trunk preview to either accept or decline items, but I guess you are only given one opportunity to do that. Afterwards, you just get what you get!
The timing of when the trunk would be sent was also very confusing. I thought the trunk was supposed to arrive between the 22nd and 27th, as that was the date range listed on the home page after I set up my account, but it ended up arriving much sooner than that. Of course, I sent it to Las Vegas because that’s where I would be for spring break, but I was still in Denver at the time it arrived. You only have five days to try on the pieces in your trunk and make a decision, so I had to email Support and ask for an extension. They were very nice and had no problem extending my deadline to return the trunk, which I really appreciated!
Now onto the actual goodies! They ended up sending 10 items in my trunk, whereas my mom usually only receives five items in her Stitch Fix box. Of course, more pieces are more fun, in my opinion!
White Cropped T-Shirt
First up is this white cropped tee from Topshop, which was the most affordable item at $10. I actually like the versatility and plainness of it, but it was way too small and tight in the shoulders. I would link it but it seems to be sold out already! If it were a size bigger, I definitely would have kept it.
Orange Floral Skirt
Next is this pretty floral skirt. I consider this more of a fall piece, personally, but I still love the burnt orange color. It’s a true wrap style with a button on the side and a tie. As such, I wouldn’t wear this skirt when it’s windy—I almost had a Marylin Monroe moment when taking these pics! I think it’s a very cute piece, but it was just too short on me (especially in the back). Here is the darker floral version of this same skirt.
Striped Swing Top
This flowy, summery top is really cute and unique, but it wasn’t right for me. I actually have a hard time imagining it would be flattering on anyone because of the loose fit and all the extra fabric. It definitely looks like you’re trying to hide a food baby in there after eating a big dinner, and the shortness in the front doesn’t help the situation. It’s also really big in the sleeve holes, since you can see my bra. Overall, super cute top in theory, but it’s just not very flattering!
Burnt Orange T-Shirt
Bleh! That’s all I can say about this t-shirt. Not only would I never wear this, but I would absolutely never pay $58 for it. This top has that oversized, distressed vibe, which to me just looks sloppy. I don’t mind the rust color, but that’s about all I like about this shirt. My dad thought it was inside-out and a size large! (Even though it is actually a small.)
Denim Shorts
Next up are these denim shorts. After I rejected a lot of the items in my trunk following the first trunk preview, I told my stylist that I wanted some high-waisted, 4-inch inseam denim shorts. The length of these shorts is absolutely perfect for me, but they’re too big in the waist! There is sadly a lot of gapping in the back. They aren’t high-waisted, either, but they are very cute shorts! I wish they had fit properly, and you can check them out here.
Blue Bodysuit
I absolutely love this blue bodysuit! It looked so bland in the trunk preview, but it ended up being my favorite item. It is ribbed and has snaps in the crotch. Usually bodysuits are too short for my torso, but this one is comfortably long enough and has a cute T-strap detail in the back. Even though this bodysuit is more than I would usually pay for an item ($55), I really like it and decided to keep it. I would link it but can’t seem to find it anywhere online now, so I assume it is sold out. But here’s the link to my favorite sticky bra from Target that I’m wearing underneath. I love this bra and think it’s so perfect for all those skimpy summer tops (but I can’t speak for how well it works for bigger boobs—probably not well at all).
Abstract Skirt
They also sent this beautiful abstract Free People skirt. It’s so flowy and cute for spring! I decided not to keep it, however, because it’s $78 and is a little loose in the waist. Had it only cost 20 bucks, I’d be all over it! It also comes in a really pretty yellow pattern, and you can shop both colors here.
Black Denim Jacket + More
The last clothing item they sent is this black denim jacket (worn below), which I decided to keep! It’s super cute and fits perfectly. They sent me earrings as well, which is ironic because I don’t even have my ears pierced. I think that should have been a question in the original style survey. I was also sent a black ring belt, which I requested, but it didn’t end up fitting.
Overall Thoughts on Nordstrom Trunk Club:
- It’s confusing! Throughout the process, I didn’t totally understand what was happening or how things worked. The website was not very user-friendly, in my opinion, and I wish it had those little information pop-ups to explain different aspects of the process.
- I prefer surprises, so I think I might have liked Stich Fix more because you don’t get the preview. The preview would be nice for people who maybe need a little more help with their style or are picky, but since this was just for fun for me, I wish the items inside would have been a true surprise.
- It’s pricey. I almost exclusively shop sales and never purchase from Nordstrom because of the prices, so I knew it would be expensive going in. But it’s still something to keep in mind because while fun, I would never do a subscription box regularly.
- They don’t always give you the right size or stay within your budget. For example, I specified that I wear a size 7 in shoes, yet the shoes that were in my original trunk preview were a 7.5. Also, when deciding whether to swap the items after seeing my preview, the swap options were all more expensive than my price range, which I think is kind of dumb.
- The customer service was great, and I really liked how they provide outfit ideas and pick items that go together. The orange skirt/white tee/denim jacket look and the blue bodysuit/floral skirt look are both really cute outfits!
I linked as many of the items as I could find in the widget above. Overall, it was a fun experience trying my first subscription clothing service, but as a self-proclaimed fashionista, I think it is more efficient to pick items out for myself. With that said, if you struggle with your style or wish you had help putting outfits together, a service like this might be really beneficial to you. It’s at least worth the try; I mean, who doesn’t like receiving a box of goodies in the mail?!
Sheesh, this post is so long, so thanks for sticking around! Last but not least, here is this week’s linkup, since I missed it last week.
Have you ever tried Nordstrom Trunk Club or something similar? Let me know in the comments, and feel free to ask questions about the service if you have any! Maybe I’ll be able to answer them…
Miles of smiles,
Grace