Hit or Miss: thredUP Goody Box edition

In moving to Miami, I lost about half of my wardrobe. Not physically, of course, but in terms of wearability and practicality. As I mentioned in my last post, Miami is basically summer year round. That means my crate of scarves, drawers of sweaters, and pairs of boots were left behind in Milwaukee. Miami “winter” is about a week of weather in the 50s and 60s. Those days are my favorite, and I cozy up in my few favorite sweaters I brought along. Despite living in Miami for two years now, my closet is still not up to Miami par; but as a graduate student, my budget for a wardrobe update is pretty low. I’ve always been a big fan of thrift shopping -- finding gems and giving old pieces some love, -- but I just don’t have the patience to sift through rack upon rack and find something I finally love, only for it to be the wrong size. I had heard of thredUP before, but it wasn’t until I saw an ad for their “Goody Box” that I was curious. 

Although thredUp has some great featues to filter your searches, I find endless pages of online shops just as tedious as the real thing. Similar to StitchFix, the thredUP Goody Box has a personal shopper/stylist that picks 10-15 secondhand, like-new items based on your Style Quiz. In this short quiz, you identify words you feel describe your style, brands you love, preferences for fits, budget, and sizes. You can even leave a note for your stylist. There’s the option to leave a Pinterest link and they encourage you to favorite a few items from the site to get a better idea of your style. There’s a $10 non-refundable styling fee that goes towards the purchase of items in the box you choose to keep. A prepaid shipping label is included to return any unwanted items within 7 days.

After having the site open in my browser for nearly a week (anyone else do this?), I finally took the plunge and completed my order. The Goody Box home page lists a few themed boxes as well as a custom box. With NYFW just around the corner, I opted for the “Trendy Box”. Additionally, I left my stylist a small note, mentioning the Miami climate and a few extra details about my style, such as my love for patterned pants and shorts and my reluctance to carry purses. I selected the lowest budget range and confirmed my order on August 28th. The website said that the box ships in 10-14 days. September 10th, I received a tracking number for my shipped box. My box arrived September 15th, and I jumped onto writing this review!

The Box

First of all, the box was (thankfully) much smaller and lighter than I was expecting. I absolutely love thredUP’s teal polka dotted packaging. Inside, there was a small envelope containing a company pamphlet, a sheet breaking down the items and prices, a return label, and a note. On the note, James Reinhart, the co-founder of thredUP gives a little history and mission of the Goody Boxes: 

We think of Goody Boxes as special treats that make you smile, while also helping you discover items that you didn’t even know you wanted. We’re not trying to offer a pure”styling service”, Goody Boxes are about discovery. The experience is a chance for you to explore our amazing selection of branded, low-priced inventory using our team’s style and fashion experience.

For this box, I said I was interested in receiving tops, skirts, shorts, and pants. There were 12 items in total in the box: 4 tops, 3 pairs of shorts, 3 skirts, 1 pair of pants, and 1 pair of shortalls. After trying everything on, I sorted each item into one of three piles: Keep, Maybe, and Return.

The Hits

    Despite living in Miami for two years now, my wardrobe is seriously lacking shorts so I was very excited about the shorts. My favorite were these gold and cream Abercrombie and Fitch shorts (Retail: $54, TU: $25). To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ve ever owned anything from A&F, unless I found it at rummage sale or the Value Village racks. These shorts fit perfectly and were surprisingly soft on the inside. The second pair of shorts I liked were from Thakoon Addition (Retail: $260, TU: $32). In terms of quality, the material is A+. I loved that they were multicolor, but not obnoxiously so. Keep and Keep.

Staring at Stars top with Thakoon Addition shorts

Bcbgmaxazria striped skirt

    This Bcbgmaxazria blue striped skirt (Retail: $158, TU: $27) was also one of my immediate favorites. This skirt screams “brunch by the river”. And it has pockets! It’s a little short but it fits perfectly. I confidently put it in the Keep pile.  

    The first top I pulled out of the box was a cream Anne Taylor tulip peplum top (Retail: $70, TU: $19). I’ve always loved peplum tops, I think they’re really flattering, emphasizing the waistline. Tops like this are great with statement necklaces or colored denim. Plus, Anne Taylor isn’t a brand I can usually afford to purchase. Keep!

The Misses

I have established and partake in a weekly tradition I call Fun Pants Friday in my workplace. Any bottoms with a fun texture, fit, pattern is fair game, including skirts. So the grayscale tight plaid knit pants from the House of Harlow 1960 x Revolve collection (Retail: $143, TU: $21) were immediately beloved. I love the hint of silver sparkle in the knit, in addition to the pockets of course and the fringe hems. Then tragedy struck: they were too tight. They sadly moved from the Keep pile to the Return pile. 

Although shorts were on the top of my list, the Dolce Vita faux leather, laser cut shorts (Retail: $125, TU: $25) were probably one of my least favorite picks. The texture and design are cool, but they’re a little heavy for Miami and I could picture these shorts sticking to my skin and chairs in the Miami heat. They looked a lot cuter on than I expected, but I felt as though I didn't have many tops to pair with them. The last miss for me was the London Jean gold sequined skirt (Retail: $60, TU: $20). While it was cute, it wasn’t a practical addition to my wardrobe, other than a photoshoot piece. 

House of Harlow 1960 x Revolve pants

London Jean sequin skirt and Dolce Vita shorts

The In Betweens 

    The Greylin black pleather overall shorts (Retail: $71, TU: $17) had to be the most interesting piece in the box. I’ve never seen anything like them before. My biggest concern was how heavy they would feel. Although I got a little warm while filming my try-on reel, the shortalls were surprisingly comfy and I found myself wanting to keep them. Xhilaration black lace skirt, brand new with tags (Retail: $22, TU: $18). My first impression was how cute and versatile this skirt was. Easy to dress up with a blouse or blazer or dress down with a denim jacket and a t-shirt. During my try-on, though, the skirt didn’t fit quite to my liking and I moved it to the Maybe pile with the shortalls. 

Three of the tops were perfect for Miami. Yellow has never been a staple color in my wardrobe, but I really loved the Wilfred yellow tie crop top (Retail: $71, TU: $17). At first glance, I was concerned about the itty bitty straps. The straps were more supportive than expected. This top is perfect for a beach day or paired with high-waisted jeans or shorts. Second was a sheer black, crochet trim top by Staring at Stars (Retail: $49, TU: $38). The lightness of the fabric makes it a great Miami choice; however because this top is brand new with tags, the price is a little higher than I would typically pay for a top of that style. Lastly was a hot pink Blu Pepper blouse (Retail: $58, TU: $20). Miami really was made for bright colors. While this style is appropriate for both work and play, it didn’t stand out to me. With all of this in mind, these three items made it to the Maybe pile.

Final Thoughts and Picks

    After first impressions and trying everything on, I loved 9 out of the 12 items; but alas my budget wasn’t as generous, and I had to make a few cuts. Ultimately I chose everything from my Keep pile, plus he yellow tie crop top, and the dark horse, the pleather shortalls. My total came to $137, saving $547 based on the estimated retail price. Definitely more than I would usually spend on a thrift haul, but with most of the items being almost brand new and of high quality, it didn't seem unreasonable.

    Overall, I found the Goody Box to be a really fun service! I love that I can still promote the sustainability of thrifting with significantly less hassle. My stylist picked out some awesome versatile pieces for me with my budget in mind. They kept my notes in mind, picking lots of bottoms with fun textures and patterns, and included several brands I had never heard of before. 

Although I am not an affiliate for ThredUP, you can use my referral link to get $20 off your first order. 

What were your favorite items? Should I order a themed box? Comment below!