STYLE | The New Uniform

We love a good uniform. The grown-up kind. Not to be confused with the one you may have worn in Catholic school, although similar in the sense that both make the “what should I wear” decision very easy. Well that early morning question may be easy to answer once again. There's currently a movement that applies minimalist principals to dressing called “capsule wardrobing.” A capsule wardrobe is, “a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don't go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces,” according to Susie Faux, a London boutique owner, who coined the phrase.

And what’s even better, capsule wardrobing now comes in a box and is delivered to our door. Enter the style-in-a-box: services that pull together outfits based on preferences, body shapes, and lifestyles, boxes them up and ships them to you. There's quite a few of these out there, but we’ve done the research for you and picked the three we think provide the best value and make the most sense.

MM.LaFleur

A non-subscription based wardrobing service founded in 2013 catering to time-crunched, high-powered career women #WithBetterThingsToDo than shop. And their ethos: to make the purposeful woman look and feel beautiful, without having to work too hard at it, speaks for itself. Customers simply fill out a style and body type questionnaire. A “Bento Box” of 5 personally curated items will arrive within a week.

Trunk Club

Formerly known as Trunk Club Men’s Outfitters, this company was founded in 2009 as a brick and mortar men's clothier based in Chicago. In 2104 they caught the attention of Nordstrom and a partnership was formed. The words “Men’s Outfitter” was dropped from the name and Trunk Club expanded its offering to women's wear. Today, Trunk Club offers online personal styling for all occasions including formalwear. Customers are assigned a personal stylist who will communicate in real time. They create a look for you for a small fee of $25, which can be applied to your purchase. They’ll send digital images of their picks selected for the client and once approved, they’ll pack it up and your personal trunk will be on its way to your front door. Attention Nordstrom Shoppers, when shopping here, you can still earn reward points toward Nordstrom Notes. Yaaasss!!

Stitch Fix

The e-commerce subscription-based personal shopping service, Stitch Fix was launched in 2011 out of the apartment of HBS graduate student, Katrina Lake. At Stitch Fix, clients fill out an online questionnaire and with the help of data science and a personal stylist (and a $20 styling fee), five personally curated garments or ‘fixes” will be delivered directly to the client’s doorstep. Garments are sourced from wholesale clothing brands and from the company’s exclusive clothing line along with shoes, handbags and accessories.

#style