I get a headache every morning just thinking of what to wear, which may sound ironic once you see my bursting wardrobe.
But I hate the idea of repeating outfits so instead of splurging on new clothes, I tend to go back to basics (which never fails) these days.
That is, until Style Theory entered my life.
I first wrote about them in November last year. For those unacquainted, Style Theory is a fashion-based subscription startup in Singapore that lets you rent unlimited designer clothing at $129 a month.
New users get to enjoy a special rate of only $99 for the first month. But thanks to Style Theory, they gave me the opportunity to try the first box for free!
Pick And Choose Any 3 Apparels
The subscription process was rather seamless.
I first had to create a Style Theory profile — this includes keying in my measurements so they can recommend clothes that fit me best, and answer a few style-related questions.
For instance, do I prefer to flaunt or cover up? What’s my personal and preferred style? Do I wear the hijab?
All these will help the virtual stylist to personalise my closet to suit my taste.
Once my profile is created, I was free to choose any three items from their infinite wardrobe.
It was pretty liberating to be able to freely pick and choose any item I want without worrying about the price tag.
Moreover, the retail price for each item retails between $300 and $600, so you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth.
Beyond that, you can also be guaranteed of the quality and workmanship because Style Theory strictly curates the brands and products they bring in.
They Promise An “Infinite Wardrobe”
I was overwhelmed by the vast array of choices, as Style Theory carries over 20,000 pieces of apparel from over 200 labels, such as Keepsake, Aijek, For Love & Lemons, Massimo Dutti, and Zac Posen.
So the best way to browse is to actually filter the apparels according to the category (jumpsuits, skirts, pants etc), body type, what’s trending now, styles, occasions, collections, or designers.
You can further filter them by size, colour, preferred length, sleeve, neckline and frame type.
Style Theory regularly updates the wardrobe, bringing in about 300 new items to the ‘wardrobe’ a week.
While they carry a wide variety of selection, I seem to have a hard time finding something that really hits the mark for me.
Maybe it’s because my usual wardrobe is too ‘basic’ (I’m a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl), so the flared skirts and ruffled or lacy dresses — which is the bulk of their collection — don’t tickle my fancy.
But of course, there are still decent options that cater to my style, which leans more towards the casual chic and modern minimalist vibe.
The everyday options however, are personally quite limited for me, which is ironic considering their promise of an “infinite wardrobe”.
But the good thing is that it pushes you out of your comfort zone so you can experiment with different styles, which also lets you discover what would work best on you.
Moreover, there is no commitment and you can return the pieces anytime, so there’s no reason to be afraid to try something new.
Curating My First Box
Choosing what clothes will go into my first box was a breeze; I put together a good mix of a dress, skirt and pants.
Other items that I was keen on, I simply placed them in my ‘wishlist’ so I could add them to my next box.
Typically, the biggest problem about online shopping is figuring out if it will fit you well without physically trying it on.
Style Theory’s size recommendation tool was incredibly useful as it helps suggest the best size for me, according to my measurements.
Besides that, the reviews by fellow subscribers were also very helpful because it gave me a true insight of the apparel’s fit and how it actually wears.
Items will take 2 working days to reach, and you can opt for either courier delivery with a preferred time slot, or self-collection at Style Theory’s office at Pasir Panjang or the nearest POPStation.
Just a tip: it’s best to avoid booking a delivery near or over the weekends, because you’d then have to wait longer for the items to reach you.
When I finally got my hands on the first box, I was stunned to find that the box is huge. I was so excited unboxing it because it somehow feels like a present, to myself.
The best part is that the outfits come in ready-to-wear condition, perfectly pressed and dry-cleaned, so you don’t have to be concerned about hygiene and maintenance.
I promptly started wearing them to work the following day, and I was pleasantly surprised to find my colleagues singing praises of my outfit. Maybe it’s not a bad thing to put in effort and dress up a little bit more to work after all…
You Can Return The Clothes In Used Condition
You can wear the clothes for as long as you like, and when you’re ready to pick the next three styles, you can select a return time slot on their mobile app to schedule a pick-up.
Returning the clothes itself is practically zero effort on my part.
There wasn’t any need for me to wash the clothes beforehand — I can simply return them in used condition. After wearing, I usually haphazardly fold the clothes and dump them back into the box.
You also don’t have to worry about minor stains and damages because they have a team of seamstresses and spotters on hand to handle such wear and tear.
However, for significantly damaged and lost items, you will be charged the retail price of the items so just be careful with that!
Once returned, you can pick and choose another three items and do this as many times as you like within the month. In other words, you can rent unlimited boxes for a month.
Do note that Style Theory takes about 2 days to process the return, and you can only put together your next box after they have received your box.
Second Box Was A Flop, But Third Time’s The Charm
Assembling the subsequent boxes was a bit frustrating for me, however.
I couldn’t add my ‘wishlisted’ items to my box because they are always rented out, being dry-cleaned, or simply unavailable in my size.
Even at the end of my month-long subscription, I still didn’t have the opportunity to wear the items that I had really wanted!
On the bright side, when the item you want is unavailable, Style Theory will recommend similar items to you as an alternative.
I arbitrarily chose the items for my second box and to add fuel to the fire, two of them didn’t fit me and another just didn’t suit me at all.
It’s not that the sizing recommendation tool completely failed me per se. I could wear the clothes, but it was so tight and snug that I ended up feeling uncomfortable in them.
It was regretful to say the least, but I couldn’t do any partial returns and swap for a bigger size, so I ended up returning all three items.
The third (and final) box, was fortunately much better because all three items fitted me perfectly and I genuinely loved the pieces!
Style Theory has recently launched a ‘Forever-Yours’ feature, which allows subscribers to purchase the rented pieces at a discount off the retail price.
But honestly, with each item costing up to $600, I don’t think the discount would make it any more affordable to justify it as a practical purchase.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a lazy or busy girl who hates trawling through malls to find the perfect outfit, then this fashion subscription box will definitely be up your alley.
You pay a fixed price of $129, and you can literally rent as many apparels as you like for a month.
You don’t even have to step out of the house because all the ‘shopping’ is done on the mobile app.
For me, I managed to rent a total of 9 apparels worth S$1,820 for a monthly subscription of S$99.
If you do the math, I’m literally paying only $11 to rent one designer outfit.
Beyond clothes, you can also rent sunglasses, jewellery and bags but I personally don’t think that they make very worthy additions to the wardrobe.
Sure, accessorising can make or break your outfit, but I for one, hate repeating my clothes so I prefer to stick to renting apparels.
Some might argue that bags are big-ticket items, so it should be a bang for your buck.
However, the last I checked, they only had 19 bags listed, from only four brands, namely Michael Kors, Loeffler Randall, Vivienne Westwood, Zac Posen.
If you are disheartened by the limited collection, Style Theory is actually launching Singapore’s first designer bag subscription. Brands include Balenciaga, Céline, Fendi, Gucci, Saint Laurent, and more.
While the rental process is similar, subscribers will only be entitled to one swap per month.
At the end of the day, renting does allow you to afford an unlimited wardrobe without bearing the full cost of owning individual pieces.
You don’t have to splurge on new clothes, and you can continually change up your wardrobe with new items.
There’s really no harm trying it out, especially since first-time users get to enjoy the box at only $99 a month, instead of the regular $129!
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, and all opinions expressed in this article belongs to the writer.
Featured Image Credit: Style Theory / Vulcan Post
