Review of the Gwynnie Bee/Dia & Co Plus Size Clothing Services

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

Good morning fellow sleevers! I'm about to wrap up a one-month free trial of Gwynnie Bee, and paid month of Dia & Co, and wanted to share my experiences.

Dia & Co.:

Pros - Easy to use, filling out the style profile is pretty fun, shipping is free, shipping is really fast, can include accessories, good on-line gallery of real women wearing the outfits, someone else does the coordinating for you

Cons: (also a pro, depending on your perspective) someone else is picking the clothes for you, wear/return/exchange window is only 5 days, the clothing is meant to be purchased rather than rented, not as many budget items

Cost: $20 "Styling Fee", which is credited toward the purchase of any items you decide to keep. The items can vary in price, so if you want really low-budget items, ABSOLUTELY make sure the lowest price point is selected in your style profile.

Would I recommend it? Yes, with reservations. If you're closer to the end of your weight loss journey and your weight and size have stabilized to the point where you're ready to commit to purchasing new clothes, this could be a really fun way to do it. If you're still changing size pretty frequently or want more room to experiment with what styles and shapes fit your new body, I would skip it/wait.

My first Dia Box was, to be frank, a disaster. I received 5 items: a dress, pants, tank top, cardigan, and necklace. I didn't like any of them. I felt like they didn't fit my style at all, nor the way I said I like to dress. For example, I really hate to layer clothing. I don't wear tank tops with blazers or cardigans - I prefer just a top. With sleeves. I also put in my style profile that I like solids, neutrals - very clean, simple, classic looks. I noted that my fashion inspirations were Kate Middleton, Angelina Jolie, and Jackie Kennedy (dream big, right?) I got colored denim, tribal prints, and hi-lo cuts...very young, very trendy. Very not me. I sent everything back in the pre-paid envelope and then rated all my items because they say that "every review helps us make your next Dia box better".

Gwynnie Bee:

Pros - Easy to use, you pick out your own clothes to try, the available options are updated all the time, shipping is really fast, one month free trial (discount code for the free month here), you can buy the items you receive if you decide you want to keep them and its a reduced price, you don't need to wash the items before you return them so it saves laundry time, shipping is free, keep the items as long as you want, rental means no commitment, has an app and a size recommender

Cons - No accessories, sometimes items can go out-of-stock so you can't add them to your closet, not many pants options for women with longer inseams, quantity of choices can be a little overwhelming, website doesn't organize clothing by style well so finding pieces you like can be trickier if you have a very strong sense of style, a lot of the items lean trendy and youthful, if you don't "prioritize" your selections you can get inconvenient stuff (for example, my last box had really great Fall dresses - but we just had a week-long 90 degree heatwave, which meant I was sweating profusely... I should have asked for the summer dresses first), since items are rentals you need to be gentle with them

Cost: 1-month free trial (link to a code above), then prices vary based on how many items you want to be able to rent at a time. The lowest level is $65 per month for 2 items at a time. So it can be pricey.

Would I recommend it? Yes. If your body is still changing and you seem to wear a different size from the beginning of the month to the end, this is a good way to get clothes that fit without spending too much money on it. I would definitely do a trial first to make sure it's right for you just because the styles seem to be aimed at women in their 20s and 30s. Its also great if you're just trying to figure out what your style is. While I know whose styles I really admire, that really didn't match up with the clothes I've actually worn my whole life. This has been good to experiment.

Overall, I've been really happy with Gwynnie Bee. I do get a little over anxious about accidentally spilling something on the clothes or ruining them somehow, because no matter how hard I try I'm a messy eater, but if something like that happened I would just bite the bullet and buy the item. So far I haven't received anything that I wouldn't be able to afford but the paranoia is a legit concern. BUT I plan to keep using it until my weight stabilizes, then I'll probably give another one of the styled-for-you services another go. I like the idea of someone who knows more about fashion than me making the decisions - I know its really inaccurate, but I like to imagine there's an office full of Tim Gunns just reading the style profiles people submit

[Tiamka 34]

1 hour ago, darnlochnessmonster said:

My first Dia Box was, to be frank, a disaster. I received 5 items: a dress, pants, tank top, cardigan, and necklace. I didn't like any of them. I felt like they didn't fit my style at all, nor the way I said I like to dress. For example, I really hate to layer clothing. I don't wear tank tops with blazers or cardigans - I prefer just a top. With sleeves. I also put in my style profile that I like solids, neutrals - very clean, simple, classic looks. I noted that my fashion inspirations were Kate Middleton, Angelina Jolie, and Jackie Kennedy (dream big, right?) I got colored denim, tribal prints, and hi-lo cuts...very young, very trendy. Very not me. I sent everything back in the pre-paid envelope and then rated all my items because they say that "every review helps us make your next Dia box better".

I had a similar experience with Dia&Co. Although I enjoyed a few items in the first couple of boxes, they started sending me clothes that I couldn't use and that I had specifically mentioned to avoid in my profile. Frilly blouses, for example. I can't wear them at work, they're against the dress code since they are very loose and might get caught in machinery if I have to go out onto the floor, therefore, a safety violation. They also started to send me clothes that were the same as in previous boxes that I had rejected, but a different color or worse, pattern. I too would exercise caution when trying out Dia&Co. While it's a treat to have someone style things for you, they don't seem to listen much to your input.

Thank you for the information on Gwynnie Bee. I have been considering them and now I might give them a try. My size keeps changing and it's starting to become comical... Walking around work in pants that are two sizes too big, held up with a canvas belt that I swiped from my boyfriend is starting to illicit remarks from co-workers. I look like a youngest-kid in hand-me-downs.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Tiamka
grammer

[ANewLife4_Me 16]

Not sure what you think about 'used', but I've been eyeing ThredUp. Mainly due to prices and having to buy new, smaller clothes more often.. (yay!...but it gets expensive)

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

11 minutes ago, ANewLife4_Me said:

Not sure what you think about 'used', but I've been eyeing ThredUp. Mainly due to prices and having to buy new, smaller clothes more often.. (yay!...but it gets expensive)

I'd heard about ThredUp but hadn't looked into it yet. These places seem to be popping up left and right I also found Stitch Fix, LeTote, and a brick and mortar place called Plato's Closet. I'm totally open to used, I think after my Dia experience I'm going to stick with rentals only for now.

[Sullie06 1,013]

I've heard some bad things about Gwynnies billing practices that turned me off. The reviews I read people had issues with canceling and actually getting them to stop charging your card and also people getting contacted by bill collectors months later with charges from them supposedly not returning the clothing. One girl actually still had the tracking on the returns 7 months later and Gwynnies customer service rep said "oops our mistake". I wonder if it's part of the racket.

I have a friend who uses Stitch Fix and LOVES it, though the clothing is priced a bit high so if you don't want to spend a lot I would wait until you are maintaining to use these monthly box subscriptions.

Platos Closet though is great and they are very picky about the clothing they take.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Honestly if you are still in the losing phase you need to try everything on. Sizes change rapidly. plus womens clothing sizes have no standardization.

I like the idea of people picking out clothes for you, it helps you step out your comfort zone. You can do it in person though at almost any good quality store and catch sales. Sales people love to personal shop for you. I have a couple people that call me when things come in that they know I like.

Gwynnie, with the having clothes and returning them has always seemed like a nightmare. The clothes have never been my style. I hear a lot of issues with their billing and the returns.

Thanks for posting you experiences!