Fashion Advice, Seriously!

     I feel a certain responsibility to the public, because I know when people think fashion, they can't help but think Tom Sightings.

     But seriously . . . I was taking my honey B out to Valentine's dinner the other night, and I noticed she was wearing a very nice sweater. We were sitting at our table at a popular and lively restaurant that features international cuisine. I regarded the sweater and asked if it was new.

     She looked down, ran her fingers over the material. She thanked me for noticing and said yes, as a matter of fact, it was.

     Where did you get it? I wondered.

     Then she told me about a new website called Stitch Fit. Maybe you've heard of it? She'd learned about it from a friend.

     The idea is, you go to the website, answer a series of questions about yourself, and then the site puts the information into the computer and makes a selection of clothing that will suit your size, shape, coloring and personality.

     In other words, what Pandora is to music, Stitch Fit is to clothing.

     The site sends you five items of clothing. You keep what you want and send back the rest. B kept two of the five items -- the sweater and a stylish black vest -- and sent the other three items back.

B's sweater, without B (she doesn't like to be photographed)

     The clothes are moderately priced -- about the level of Macy's (or, maybe there's a broader range, but the computer just concluded B is a Macy's level shopper). Apparently, you can sign up to get clothes just one time, or on a recurring basis -- once a month, say, or once for each new fashion season.

     Two big benefits of the site: You no longer have to go to the mall and face the crowds, the noise, the frustration of trying to find what you want. Also, the algorithm on site figures out what clothes will make you look your best -- something (at least, according to B) you don't always know on your own.

     The only downside is that you have to return the clothes you don't want -- and there is a time limit. So you have to pay attention, or you end up buying clothes you have no use for.

     I don't know anymore about the site than that. To me it sounds like a great idea, and B likes it, at least so far. But I cannot give it my personal recommendation because I haven't tried it. Apparently, the site only sells women's clothing.

     Still, there's a benefit for husbands. How? B and I were on our way to the aforementioned Valentine's day restaurant.  We were at the mall, walking through Nordstrom's department store . . . okay, to clear up any possible confusion, the Valentine's day restaurant we were going to was a Chinese place at the food court in the mall. (But seriously, to defend my reputation as a romantic, we'd already been out to a nice restaurant for lunch earlier that day.)

     So anyway, as I said, being a romantic type of guy, I was trying to be solicitous of her needs. "We're not in a rush," I said to her as we ambled through the women's shoe section. "We can stop somewhere if you want, you know, if you'd like to shop a bit."

     "Oh, I don't need to," she responded, airily. "I don't have to mix with the great unwashed at the department store. I have my own personal shopper now."