Golden Tote | April Review

Golden Tote is a quasi-subscription box clothing service for women. The beauty of Golden Tote is there are multiple options at different price points, and you can opt-in when you feel like it:

• $49: 1 item of your choice, 1-2 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• $149: 2 items of your choice, 4-5 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• Individual items from the boutique

There’s some overlap between the $49 and $149 totes, but they aren’t the same – which is nice for variety, but not so nice if there’s something you want in both totes. You are also able to purchase individual items from the boutique (for a drastically reduced rate if they are part of a tote). Items selected by the stylists are based on survey results. The survey is simple: basic sizing information as well as color and style preferences.

For April, I went with the $149 option. I really wanted one of the dresses and a shirt. Hell, I even added on another shirt (for a reduced price) that I really liked.

This may not be the best $149 I’ve ever spent, but it’s up there.

Here is everything in my order:

Self-selected items:

A beautiful eyelet colorblock dress.

A black scalloped tiered tank.

A fun summer tank.

And the stylist-selected picks:

A great lace baseball tee and black cami.

An “afternoon tea” hi-lo floral tank.

A striped dress.

Another floral tank, but with a different cut and bolder palette.

My Golden Tote orders are officially better in warmer months. There wasn’t a single missed note with this order. Hello, summertime!

Disclosure: I am not sponsored by or compensated by Golden Tote.

Any other Golden Tote fans out there? What did you get in the April tote?

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Golden Tote | March Review

Time for another Golden Tote review…but first, the details for any newbies out there:

Golden Tote is a quasi-subscription box clothing service for women. The beauty of Golden Tote is there are multiple options at different price points, and you can opt-in when you feel like it:

• $49: 1 item of your choice, 1-2 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• $149: 2 items of your choice, 4-5 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• Individual items from the boutique

There’s some overlap between the $49 and $149 totes, but they aren’t the same – which is nice for variety, but not so nice if there’s something you want in both totes. You are also able to purchase individual items from the boutique (for a drastically reduced rate if they are part of a tote).

The items selected by the stylists are based on survey results. The survey is simple: basic sizing information as well as color and style preferences.

After a disappointing November order, I took a break from ordering from Golden Tote. But with March’s $49 tote, I knew I had to give it another try.

I selected the pink plaid shirt and purchased the navy/coral dress as an add-on.

As it tends to happen, the piece I picked out for my tote was my least favorite item. A pink plaid shirt isn’t all that exciting, but I know I will wear it.

The navy/coral dress is fabulous. It fits well and is very comfortable. I’ve already worn it to work twice.

I also got this soft Puella shirt. I have a similar one in different colors and love it, so this was a nice addition to my closet.

So far it seems my Golden Tote orders are better in the warmer months. Or maybe it’s just because I like in Arizona and don’t have as many cool days to experiment with weird sweaters.

Disclosure: I am not sponsored by or compensated by Golden Tote.

Any other Golden Tote fans out there? What did you get in the March tote?

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Golden Tote | November Review

Time for another Golden Tote review…but first, the details for any newbies out there:

I heard about Golden Tote over the summer. Golden Tote is a quasi-subscription box clothing service for women. The beauty of Golden Tote is there are multiple options at different price points, and you can opt-in when you feel like it:

• $49: 1 item of your choice, 1-2 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• $149: 2 items of your choice, 4-5 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• Individual items from the boutique

There’s some overlap between the $49 and $149 totes, but they aren’t the same – which is nice for variety, but not so nice if there’s something you want in both totes. You are also able to purchase individual items from the boutique (for a drastically reduced rate if they are part of a tote).

The items selected by the stylists are based on survey results. The survey is simple: basic sizing information as well as color and style preferences. From my experience, simplicity works: almost every piece I’ve gotten has been a great fit in my closet.

I wrote in my October review that I couldn’t wait to see November’s tote since I had ordered two very different pieces. What I didn’t mention was that I purchased two pieces by way of the larger tote option, as opposed to an add-on through the smaller tote. I was really excited at the prospect of getting so many fun pieces to add to my closet. I ended up with a six-piece tote, compiled below.

The casual piece I picked out was this plaid shirt:

What can I say? I love a good plaid button-up; they’re comfy and I gravitate towards a good blend of colors. This one is perfect for fall and winter. It’s a little boxy on me, but it will be wonderful for those lounge-read-write weekends I love so much in the fall and winter.

My statement piece? This gorgeous sequined blazer:

I loved in in the preview photos for the November tote, so I was eager to get it. So shiny!

Now, the other pieces were total surprises. I had no idea what to expect with my first big cold-weather tote. It ended up being a blend of casual sweaters and holiday-wear.

I might have been more excited about this sweater if I hadn’t gotten better ones in the past from both Stitch Fix and Golden Tote.

This colorblocked sweater comes off as an oversized, supersoft baseball tee. I have a feeling I’ll end up getting plenty of mileage from it for work, but will need to ramp up the accessories.

A midnight/navy blue lace dress that’s great for the holiday party circuit. I’ll try belting this one, but I’m not totally sold on the design.

This is a beautiful shirt – I just don’t know how I’ll wear it! It didn’t look that great with my favorite pair of jeans (too much navy/dark denim).

Overall, I didn’t love my tote. The sweaters seemed a little frumpy. I might have been more into the dress and blouse if they were different colors/shades of blue. I wasn’t really excited to try any of my surprise pieces when I opened the box. Maybe that will change over time, and maybe I was overly eager as a result of my perfect fix. I did really like my pieces, but I am hesitant to go with the larger tote option in the future – and I’m definitely going to revisit my profile and make some changes!

Any other Golden Tote fans out there? What do you like/dislike about the service?

Golden Tote | October Review

I posted a summary of my past Golden Tote experiences; moving forward, I’ll try to keep them on the monthly review cycle. Check out my original post here; a description of the service is below:

I heard about Golden Tote over the summer. Golden Tote is a quasi-subscription box clothing service for women. The beauty of Golden Tote is there are multiple options at different price points, and you can opt-in when you feel like it:

• $49: 1 item of your choice, 1-2 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• $149: 2 items of your choice, 4-5 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• Individual items from the boutique

There’s some overlap between the $49 and $149 totes, but they aren’t the same – which is nice for variety, but not so nice if there’s something you want in both totes. You are also able to purchase individual items from the boutique (for a drastically reduced rate if they are part of a tote).

The items selected by the stylists are based on survey results. The survey is simple: basic sizing information as well as color and style preferences. From my experience, simplicity works: almost every piece I’ve gotten has been a great fit in my closet.

For October’s tote, I picked one item and an add-on for a reduced cost:

I loved the photos of this black and off-white horizontal striped skirt. On me, the skirt goes past my knees and is a touch too long for my petite frame. It’s a cute skirt, but it doesn’t work with my body type.

This plaid cardigan number sold out the first time it was offered in September. When I saw it was available in my size again, I added it on to my order. It’s very comfy and I like the tab sleeves (I always roll up and subsequently stretch out longer sleeves). I do kind of wish the other color had still been available (berry/black), but for the add-on price and the comfort, this is a great layering piece.

My surprise piece was my favorite thing in the whole order:

It looks odd on the hanger, but this dress fits so well. The boatneck top and the cut of the dress make it flattering and super comfortable; I even wore it on a redeye flight across the country. I paired this with a red belt, flats, and my new fan necklace. I got a lot of compliments, and I can’t wait to play around with some other looks since it can easily be a work/weekend dress.

Overall, a solid shipment – I’m learning that the stylists usually do a better job for me than I do! I can’t wait to see November’s tote because I ordered two very different pieces; one more reserved and casual, another a total statement piece.

Any other Golden Tote fans out there? What do you like/dislike about the service?

Battle of the Boxes: Golden Tote

As you can probably tell from my Birchbox reviews, this was the summer I discovered the convenience and fun of subscription boxes. This week, I’m featuring two clothing subscription boxes in a head-to-head battle. First up: Golden Tote!

I heard about Golden Tote this summer. Golden Tote is a quasi-subscription box clothing service for women. The beauty of Golden Tote is there are multiple options at different price points, and you can opt-in when you feel like it:

• $49: 1 item of your choice, 1-2 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• $149: 2 items of your choice, 4-5 items selected by the Golden Tote stylists
• Individual items from the boutique

There’s some overlap between the $49 and $149 totes, but they aren’t the same – which is nice for variety, but not so nice if there’s something you want in both totes. Being able to purchase individual items from the boutique (often for a drastically reduced rate with a tote).

The items selected by the stylists are based on survey results. The survey is simple: basic sizing information as well as color and style preferences. From my experience, I can tell you simpler is better: almost every piece I’ve gotten has been a great fit in my closet.

Your order comes wrapped in gold tissue paper. Marketing! Under the gold tissue paper…an actual “golden tote”:

These are the two different designs I’ve received so far.

Now, here are the items I’ve picked out for myself:

Puella Swing Dress (worn belted, of course – you can see it in the styling picture below)

I also purchased the above Eiffel Tower shirt as a tote add-on. It’s really sheer with an elastic waist. It looks great dressed up or down.

Houndstooth print dress – I love this one. I really want to buy the red/black style as well, but I worry that may be too much for my closet.

Boho Lux Dress – I’ve gotten so many compliments on this one! This is another piece that comes in a different color that I want to order as well.

For the stylist-selected pieces, I’ve had more hits than misses. Let’s start with the hits first.

I love this sweater. It’s edgy but fun, and it’s not overly sheer – perfect for autumn in Phoenix when it’s chilly in the morning but warm in the afternoon.

I love a good pattern, and this dress is all about polka dots gone a little mad. It fits really well and is perfect for work or a night out.

I was really skeptical of this piece. I’m not usually into the beaded/crystal embellishments, nor am I a huge fan of short-sleeved sweaters. However, this has a great classic look that pairs well with a lot of pieces in my closet.

Navy? Peplum (more obvious when it’s on)? Meh. I wasn’t a fan when I pulled this out of the tote. I tried it and was sold. It’s comfy and perfect for a summer night.

This is a pretty standard slate blue 3/4-sleeve top. Basics are nice every so often.

Of course, there are some misses…and two of them are actually kind of hilarious they are so off-point for me.

A drop-waist tunic. I don’t think so. If only this had been a regular black tunic with a unique neckline!

I love patterns, but I can’t get behind crazy competing patterns. When I saw this, I’m pretty sure I said something like “What-is-this-I-don’t-even?!” The fit isn’t terrible, but the patterns made me look crazy frumpy.

I want to like this shirt, but the patterns somehow make my body look both lumpy and jagged. Seriously, I love this shirt until I put it on and look in the mirror.

Tune in for the other contender on Thursday: Stitch Fix!

Any other Golden Tote fans out there? What do you like/dislike about the service?