One of the struggles of buying new clothes is the fact that we are overwhelmed with choice, which is kind of awesome but can also be stressful. In the past, I would tend to lean towards familiar brands that me and my friends would typically wear (i.e., Polo, Brooks Bros, JCrew, GAP…you know average white guy prep stores), which is fine but I always knew there was a lot of quality brands I was overlooking. So, I decided to try one of these men’s clothing subscriptions.
These companies make money based on guys’ laziness. All one has to do is enter their sizing & preferences and a “personal stylist” sends a sleek box filled with clothing to fit your style. Easy enough right? Sure, but there’s a catch: what you benefit from easy shopping, you sacrifice by paying top dollar. Which is understandable, considering these guys have to make a profit too.
Now, there’s a lot of players out there right now looking for their cut. Some of the more popular services include Trunk Club, Bombfell, Five Four Club and a staggering amount of others that I don’t feel like mentioning. For this experiment, I chose to try Bombfell’s service as it is non-committal and Trunk Club was wayyy too expensive for my wallet.
First Box: I entered my sizes and described my style which was sort of fun. Got an email from Bombfell with some pictures of the clothes that were going to be included in my box, asking if I would like to revise anything. See pictures below (note, I requested colored pants & a casual jacket).
Hm…alright a little different but shoot, I live life on the edge so let’s see how this goes. I tried everything on, did not like them and gave the following feedback with my return.
- Teal Pants: “I would like something more versatile. Bright teal is difficult to incorporate and pull off with multiple outfits weekly.”
- Quilted Jacket: “Sleeves were too tight.”
- Overall: “I really like slimmer style pants. Also, please come down on the price point. I would never pay those amounts for those two items, I did not see the value for that amount of $. Thank you, I appreciate everything.”
Second Box: Alright, this dude knows me by now, we’re like brothers from a different mother. This second box is going to be epic. I get an email with the following items:
Much better! The items fit how I wanted and I could actually see myself wearing the green polo. But once again, I couldn’t seem to pull the trigger. After a quick google search, I found the same green polo for $40 at an online retailer (that’s ~40% off…always do your research son). Easy decision. Feedback was as follows:
- Green polo: “really cool polo, excellent fit, nice color, good design, may save purchase for another day”
- Jeans: “the white wash doesn’t fit my style. super comfortable though”
- Light blue polo: “already have one like this in my closet”
- Grey henley: “great color on me. dislike brand – i.e., stitching was subpar and the shirt had a hole in the left shoulder hem. i dug the jetted pocket, but couldn’t get over the lack of quality.”
Summary
With Bombfell you truly get a personal stylist who legitimately understands your style more and more with each box, just make sure your feedback is on point like above. I also found that this subscription service was a great way for me to find new brands to shop for in the future, rather than falling back into familiar brands. Also, the ability to “shop from home” was nice and convenient, yet I found myself waiting and waiting for that next box – so don’t expect anything to be rushed. I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but Bombfell has free shipping both ways with very easy, free returns (i.e. non-committal). I was not charged anything this whole time.
The only downside I found was the price-point. Expect to pay full-retail value if you choose to keep an item you like. However, referring friends decreases your total bill, assuming they purchase something. That said, your $25 COUPON is HERE. Don’t say I never gave you anything.
In the end, do your research on which subscription fits your needs but also has the customer service and policies that don’t strangle you. If money is no object to you, consider Trunk Club and let me know what you think.
Once again, for more information check out the following links.
https://www.bombfell.com/how-it-works
https://www.bombfell.com/pricing
Top 8 Clothing Subscriptions for Men
-CP