While the Stitch Fix and Lookiero online personal shopping sites are incredibly similar in many ways there are some differences between the two. After signing up to both for several months Stitch Fix is standing out as my favourite, but which service you prefer might depend on your preferences. This post explains how the services work, the differences between the Stitch Fix and Lookiero and why I prefer Stitch Fix (but really wish I preferred Lookiero).

Stitch Fix advised customers on 25th August 2023 that they are closing in the UK and they will be sending their last boxes out at the end of October. I love Stitch Fix so I am really sad to hear this.

A comparison of Lookiero and Stitch Fix - Which I like best and why

What does an online personal shopping service do?

Stitch Fix and Lookiero are both personal shopping services which you access online. You provide information about your size and body shape, your style preferences and what you are looking for. They assign a stylist to you who looks at your information and chooses a number of items you might like. You then decide which of them they should send out for you to try. The items you like you keep and pay for, anything you don't like you send back.

The Key Differences And Similarities Between Stitch Fix and Lookiero

About Stitch Fix and Lookiero

Stitch Fix is originally American based whereas Lookiero started in Spain and has clients in the UK, France and Spain. They both operate in the UK market, but Stitch Fix is closing in the UK and focusing on it's large customer base in America

I originally signed up to both companies via their websites, but they also have apps. Both are pretty straight forward to use, but I think Stitch Fix’s website/ app is better. It shows you images and details of previous items you have been sent and lets you zoom in to clothes suggestions better. 

With both companies you get to preview 10 items and choose which 5 you would like to be sent (and if you don’t like 5 of them they will choose additional items and send these to you which will be a surprise). You can choose to keep and buy what they send out or send them back. 

You can choose how often you would like to be sent items including as a one off, monthly or less often as well as roughly when you would like to receive them. 

Lookiero in the UK also has a new feature called "Shop" which allows you to buy individual items they recommend for you, including ones which will go with previous items you have bought from them. I really like this addition as it offers a tailored selection of clothes and even tells you which size they recommend you buy. 

What Do The Online Personal Shopping Services Cost?

Both Stitch Fix and Lookiero charge a £10 styling fee per box you get sent. If you send everything back this is all you pay (postage is free). If you purchase anything the £10 is deducted from the cost of the items.

You can say what sort of price you are happy to pay for various items eg jumpers, boots etc however this isn’t a service for you if you are on a tight budget as they aren’t shopping from the cheaper shops like H&M, Primark etc. You also aren’t getting the sale prices or offers from the shops.

Both companies used to offer a discount if you buy everything they send out, but Lookiero no longer offer their 25% discount which is a big shame. Stitch Fix currently still offer a 20% discount if you buy all the items.  I have ended up keeping some items I didn’t really like as it was cheaper to buy them all than to send 1 item back that I didn’t like

Both companies run referral schemes where you and a friend get £15 credit (them off their first order, you when they purchase at least one item). You can refer multiple friends and receive credit each time. If you fancy giving them a try my referral codes are at the end of this post.

These services are not for you if: you have a limited clothing budget or you are too disorganised to send the items back on time (you will get charged if you don’t return them).

An example of the clothes received from Stitch Fix

An example of the items received from Lookiero

How Do They Choose What To Send You?

When you sign up you add in your measurements, style preferences and information about your lifestyle. They ask slightly different questions, but they both also have a text box you can provide more information in. 

Both companies encourage you to visit their sites each day and rate a number of clothing items so they can learn your style. Lookiero have 20 items each day and Stitch Fix 50. If you do this it should help them to suggest better items, but it's optional.

You get allocated a stylist who will normally stay the same each time, but if you aren’t happy with them you can change them for future selections.  

After you receive your items you can provide feedback about the fit, style etc. Stitch Fix allows a little more space for feedback, but Lookiero has recently improved their process. 

It’s hard to know how exactly they use all of this data, but it should allow for a clear picture of your tastes.

Stitch Fix allow you to state any items you don’t want eg I have selected shoes are ok, but no wedges or heels. One thing neither of them seem to ask about is detailed colour preferences though eg I don’t wear white and most pale colours make me look washed out so anything they suggest in these colours I am going to turn down.

Both companies show you a selection of 10 items and you choose 5 to be sent to you (Stitch Fix on left, Lookiero on right)

Does Lookiero or Stitch Fix Send Nicer Clothes?

First it should be noted that they don’t just send clothes. You can receive shoes, bags, jewellery and other accessories too. I was really impressed with both companies on the range of items and shops they have available. They really should be able to find items to meet your style.

Both have some gorgeous items and some that I think are hideous, but that obviously comes down to personal taste. The important thing is that the stylists can pick out a selection of items that meet your taste and your lifestyle and overall I have found Stitch Fix better at that. In fact Stitch Fix even selected a jumper that I had been thinking about buying for several months, I decided that meant I HAD to have it.

I spent 3 months diligently feeding back my opinions on clothing every day (this is entirely optional) and I was surprised that my selections for my 3rd box with Lookiero had no items I thought I would wear. The box was due to arrive in early January, but the selection they chose was party wear, items with see-through areas which are complicated to layer and several items where you would have to wear a strapless bra or none at all. As a 40 year old trying to save on heating and who definitely doesn’t go to parties in January and February this didn’t seem to match me at all.  The clothes were mostly nice, but not items that I would have any reason to wear in the next few months (and it seems pointless to buy clothes that I wouldn’t wear until the weather turns warmer or next Christmas). I asked for them to choose 5 new items and explained why and again I wasn’t impressed with the 5 items they sent out, keeping only one of them.  Having specifically said I wanted clothes I could wear now in the cooler weather the selection included cropped jeans and a lacy top. To be fair to them as well the cardigan I kept I nearly kept a jumper, but it was a bit itchy and I wasn’t super keen on the pattern so I felt the price was too high. I decided to go online and looked for the jumper from the brand direct. While the full price was more than Lookiero were charging it was reduced in the January sales by about 60% so I bought it direct in a different colour. This isn’t something you can do every time though as many of the clothing lines they send out aren’t available online.

I have found that my Stitch Fix stylist is much better at using my feedback to choose items and the only items I have sent back so far are ones I really liked, but that didn't suit me when I tried them on. 

More of what Stitch Fix have sent has made it into my go to clothes choice (the items that I choose to wear repeatedly), but some of my favourite items I have received so far were from Lookiero. 

Both companies send styling suggestions for your items and a message from your stylist

Overall verdict

I loved that with Lookiero you used to get 25% off if you keep all the items, but as they have stopped this and you still get a discount with Stitch Fix it's another reason to prefer Stitch Fix. I feel Stitch Fix are learning my style better and are more responsive to my suggestions. They seem to be offering me more classic items I feel more comfortable in and I think that the Stitch Fix app and website are better than Lookiero’s, especially the section which shows you all the previous items sent to you and what you kept. 

I wanted to use the personal shopping boxes because I am struggling with my style and felt my current wardrobe selections were boring. When I went into clothes shops I found myself feeling rather overwhelmed and didn’t know what to get. Both Lookiero and Stitch Fix are great for introducing you to new brands and styles and suggesting how to style the items. I have decided to keep receiving selections from both companies for now, but I have reduced how often I will receive them

Click here for my referral code for Stitch Fix

Click here for my referral code for Lookiero

If you have any unanswered questions check out these FAQs about Stitch Fix and Lookiero or send me a message.