Thanks for visiting! The blog has moved to a slightly less confusing domain name:
http://curlyhairwithglasses.blogspot.com/
(That didn't take very long, did it?)
Hope to see you there!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Friday, March 13, 2015
Intro to Stitch Fix
If you know me in real life, odds are you have heard me wax poetic about Stitch Fix. My older sister talked to me about it for months before I bit the bullet and tried it, and now I've been converted and am bringing others along with me (including my mom!)
What is it, you say? Great question!
Stitch Fix is a personal styling service. It's basically a remote personal shopper. Here's how it works:
1. You sign up for the service and fill out a style profile. Basically, you tell them about your body type, your likes and dislikes, and the genres of clothing you would like to receive. You can also give them a price range of what you would like to spend for different types of items. For those of you who follow modesty standards, this is the place to include those as well. (For example, I told them no short sleeves or sleeveless, no shorts, nothing super tight, and all skirts should be at least to the knee.) You can also link to a Pintrest board to give them a better/ more extensive survey of what you're into. You can see mine here. (In case you couldn't tell, fashion-wise, I still sort of wish it was 1957.)
2. Whenever you're ready, you sign up to order a fix. You can get them automatically every month or every other month, or you can order one whenever you feel like your wardrobe could use a little freshening up. Shipping is free both ways!
3. A stylist views your profile and picks out five items especially for you! You are not charged for the items when they are shipped. Instead, you are charged a $20 styling fee for the service. However, that $20 goes towards any items that you keep, so the service only costs money if you don't keep anything. Additionally, they send style cards for each item, suggesting two ways to wear it-- one for more causal occasions, and one if you want to be a bit more formal. This can be especially helpful if you are sometimes stumped about how to wear certain items.
4. Once the package arrives, you have 3 business days to try everything on and decide what you like. You then check out online, telling them which items you want to keep and which ones you are returning. In addition to commenting on fit, quality and price, there is also a box to leave feedback. (In this part, it is important to be VERY specific! Don't be afraid of hurting their feelings-- feedback is important!) If you are returning things, you put them in the enclosed pre-addressed envelope and drop them off at the post office. And if you are in love with your whole fix, you get a 25% discount off the box!
A few things to know:
1. Try everything on! Trust me. Sometimes you see something you think you'll hate or would never wear, and then try it on and it looks amazing and awesome. This is a good way to push your style boundaries a little. Take advantage!
2. If you usually shop at places like Target and Old Navy, this is going to cost you more than you are used to spending. In my opinion, it's worth the extra money to have things that are higher quality and for the convenience of having them sent to your house, but be prepared to pay more. However, once you order your first fix, you get a referral code you can use to get your friends to sign up. Any time someone orders their first fix using your link, you get $25 of credit! So if you're willing to spread the word, it can really help mitigate the cost.
3. They have recently added lines for petites and maternity! So if you are short, or expecting, or short and expecting, they have you covered! Unfortunately, at the moment, Stitch Fix only offers up to size 14, but they say they are working on expanding their offerings, so hopefully that will happen soon.
4. For those of you looking for modest clothing, I've had pretty good luck with them. In my first box, 4/5 things followed the parameters I had outlined for them, and when I pointed out the item that didn't, they adjusted for my second box. Again, the trick is to be specific!
5. It's super fun! It's like getting a present every time, albeit one you have to pay for. Additionally, it's a good way to try styles you might never have considered for yourself otherwise. And everyone says, the more times you do it, the better sense they get of your style, so the boxes get more accurate.
So that's Stitch Fix! I'll post pictures of what I kept from my past fixes soon. Also, my next fix is coming next week. I'm excited, and hope all of you will help me decide what to keep!
What is it, you say? Great question!
Stitch Fix is a personal styling service. It's basically a remote personal shopper. Here's how it works:
1. You sign up for the service and fill out a style profile. Basically, you tell them about your body type, your likes and dislikes, and the genres of clothing you would like to receive. You can also give them a price range of what you would like to spend for different types of items. For those of you who follow modesty standards, this is the place to include those as well. (For example, I told them no short sleeves or sleeveless, no shorts, nothing super tight, and all skirts should be at least to the knee.) You can also link to a Pintrest board to give them a better/ more extensive survey of what you're into. You can see mine here. (In case you couldn't tell, fashion-wise, I still sort of wish it was 1957.)
2. Whenever you're ready, you sign up to order a fix. You can get them automatically every month or every other month, or you can order one whenever you feel like your wardrobe could use a little freshening up. Shipping is free both ways!
3. A stylist views your profile and picks out five items especially for you! You are not charged for the items when they are shipped. Instead, you are charged a $20 styling fee for the service. However, that $20 goes towards any items that you keep, so the service only costs money if you don't keep anything. Additionally, they send style cards for each item, suggesting two ways to wear it-- one for more causal occasions, and one if you want to be a bit more formal. This can be especially helpful if you are sometimes stumped about how to wear certain items.
4. Once the package arrives, you have 3 business days to try everything on and decide what you like. You then check out online, telling them which items you want to keep and which ones you are returning. In addition to commenting on fit, quality and price, there is also a box to leave feedback. (In this part, it is important to be VERY specific! Don't be afraid of hurting their feelings-- feedback is important!) If you are returning things, you put them in the enclosed pre-addressed envelope and drop them off at the post office. And if you are in love with your whole fix, you get a 25% discount off the box!
A few things to know:
1. Try everything on! Trust me. Sometimes you see something you think you'll hate or would never wear, and then try it on and it looks amazing and awesome. This is a good way to push your style boundaries a little. Take advantage!
2. If you usually shop at places like Target and Old Navy, this is going to cost you more than you are used to spending. In my opinion, it's worth the extra money to have things that are higher quality and for the convenience of having them sent to your house, but be prepared to pay more. However, once you order your first fix, you get a referral code you can use to get your friends to sign up. Any time someone orders their first fix using your link, you get $25 of credit! So if you're willing to spread the word, it can really help mitigate the cost.
3. They have recently added lines for petites and maternity! So if you are short, or expecting, or short and expecting, they have you covered! Unfortunately, at the moment, Stitch Fix only offers up to size 14, but they say they are working on expanding their offerings, so hopefully that will happen soon.
4. For those of you looking for modest clothing, I've had pretty good luck with them. In my first box, 4/5 things followed the parameters I had outlined for them, and when I pointed out the item that didn't, they adjusted for my second box. Again, the trick is to be specific!
5. It's super fun! It's like getting a present every time, albeit one you have to pay for. Additionally, it's a good way to try styles you might never have considered for yourself otherwise. And everyone says, the more times you do it, the better sense they get of your style, so the boxes get more accurate.
So that's Stitch Fix! I'll post pictures of what I kept from my past fixes soon. Also, my next fix is coming next week. I'm excited, and hope all of you will help me decide what to keep!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Welcome!
Hi there! Welcome to my blog! My name is Rachel. I’m a
graduate student in New York, working on a PhD in Rabbinic literature. (That
basically means I study Jewish texts from about 200-700 CE.) Additionally, I
teach Talmud in a number of places, which mostly keeps me busy and out of
trouble. Other than school and work, I also am a devoted aunt to my two nephews
and one niece, an avid baker, and a big fan of Parks and Rec. Also, I own way
too many books and way too many pairs of shoes.
Also, in case the title of the blog didn’t make it clear, I
have curly hair and glasses. Once, after I had gotten a post-haircut blowout,
someone commented to me that I looked amazing with straight hair and no
glasses. At the time I was offended—they were basically saying I looked best
when I didn’t look like me! However, now, I have some to embrace my mediocre
vision and sometimes-frizzy hair as a part of who I am. Perhaps they are
unconventional, but they are awesome. And I like to think of myself the same
way!
While I’ve written elsewhere about my work and perspectives
on a number of Jewish issues, I created this blog for fun, to do something a
little bit different. Although this blog won’t be connected to my work, at
least directly, it is certainly related to my thoughts on what it means to be
an engaged and thoughtful observant Jewish woman in the modern world. So while
its main focus will be modest fashion, I hope to also explore deeper issues
related to modesty, gender and the intersection of modernity and tradition as
they come up. Mostly fun, hopefully, but with occasional serious moments.
To explain a bit about what drove me to start this
blog—before I went to graduate school, I spent four years learning Talmud and
Jewish law in an institution devoted to providing opportunities for advanced
Jewish learning for women. Both when I was there, and now when I am working on
my PhD, I have found myself towing a thin line of not wanting to be defined by
my gender on one hand, and being forced to acknowledge it on the other. For
hundreds of years, Talmud was learned exclusively by men. Even as many
communities have opened up opportunities for more rigorous learning for women,
I am still aware of the degree to which I am often seen as a female student and teacher of Talmud. It
is not unusual for me to be the only woman in the room, or for people to
comment on my appearance before they comment on my teaching. So while I don’t
usually feel like a trailblazer, I also have to admit that what I do is still
not exactly conventional.
So why, you might wonder, would I write a blog about
clothing and fashion if I want people to stop paying attention to how I look?
This is an excellent question! Here are three answers:
1. Modesty is a core Jewish value, but it often defined solely
in terms of clothing, and only applied to women. However, this construction is
out of line with Jewish tradition. A survey of the texts points to the degree
that modesty is a state of mind, reflective of the ideals of humility, and an
acknowledgment of powers greater than ourselves. It applies equally to men and
to women. Through this lens, it is possible to reimagine what it means to be
modest, creating a space for both respect of the tradition and individual
exploration and tradition.
2. As much as we might like to pretend it isn’t so, how we look
matters. We all make assumptions based on people’s appearances, for better or
for worse. Because of that reality, I think about how I look, because I want to
think about the image I am projecting to the world. As an example—I once had a
high school student who, every time she saw me, would say to the people around
her, “Doesn’t Rachel have the BEST outfits?” I wasn’t especially comfortable
with her focus on my appearance, until I realized that it became a starting
point for us to engage. The conversations about my clothes evolved into
conversations about more important things, allowing me to dig beneath the
surface and better understand her as a student and as a person. Sometimes the
shallow is a good entry point to reach a deeper level.
3. I like fashion! I think it’s fun to develop a style, and
then to subvert those expectations. I like the way what I put on can reflect
the mood I’m in that day, or even change that mood. While, in certain ways, I am
not a girly girl (you should hear me whine if I have to put on makeup or wear
heels), in other ways, I have inherited a love of pretty dresses and funky
scarves. Clothing is another way for me to express my values, my taste, and myself—and
to have a little bit of fun when I wake up every morning.
So that’s my story. I hope you’ll follow along and share
your own thoughts and ideas as well! I’d love to use this platform to start a
conversation, and to get to (virtually) get to know you. Hope to see you back
here soon!
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