Product Review: Dia & Co

I'm all about trying different services and doing a compare/contrast. I've been using Gwynnie Bee for probably a year now - it's a clothing rental mail order service. With GB - you "closet" items on their site and then you get 1-5 items at a time. You can wear them as long as you want, as many times as you want and then send them back (they do the laundry & pay the shipping return fee). You pay a monthly fee and you can also purchase the items if you would like. 

As a contrast - Dia & Co is a personal stylist. You pay $20 for the stylist to choose 5 things for you. Once they are sent, you try them on and keep or send them back. If you keep anything from the box you can apply the $20 styling fee to your total. Return shipping is free also.  

When you fill out your profiles on Dia & Co you provide a lot of information about your sizes, style choices, likes and dislikes. I said how much I don't like button-down shirts - oh they're horrible on me! :-) When my first box arrived, it came with a personal note from my stylist about what she chose for me and ideas of how to wear it. This is SUPER HELPFUL!

They sent a necklace, scarf, top, pants and a dress. This was the scarf - it was soft but bulky ($36).

This t-shirt ($48) was a cute pattern but it was sort of see through. I tried it on with the necklace that they sent ($25). It was cute-ish but I was a little uncomfortable in it - I guess I'm more modest in my old age. I did keep the necklace. I love that they ALWAYS have some $25 item - because then when you buy it - you're only paying $5 because you get the $20 credit.

Here's me with the scarf. I'm not great with knowing how to wear a scarf so I never could figure this out and did not keep it.

They also sent this pair of leggings with a faux leather front panel ($69). While they're cute - I have one pair of black leggings and that's enough - especially for the $70 price tag.

The last item was a long sleeve, black dress ($89). As you can see - it really just had no zing - it was like a big giant black sack.  I definitely wasn't keeping this one.

Here's the statement you get with the box - it outlines all of the items and the cost. You also could get a 20% discount if you keep the whole box. If I was starting from scratch with a wardrobe - it might be more of an option - but for me - I have been keeping one item.

After you get your box and have your decisions made - there's a big bag that you put your returns in and pop them in a mail box. Then you go on Dia.com and fill out a survey letting them know what you're keeping/returning and any notes on the fit, style, color, etc.

Cut to a couple of months later - here's my third box. After the 2nd box I asked for brighter colors and no more pants. I have a lot of pants - so I don't really need more.

Here's a chiffon coral pleated tank ($59) - the tank was cute but a little tight at the bottom so I didn't like how it fit. I think a size larger would have been too big on top. Looking at this pic though - it does look cute.

My stylist recommended I try this with the black & white cardigan ($42). The open cardigan is nice & long and has pockets.  It's super light weight and comfy.

This hummingbird scarf was also in the box ($25) - it's sort of a green-ish mustard-y color but more green than yellow. It's very lightweight and see through. Normally - this would be the $25 item that I would keep...but not today!

The stylist recommended pairing this with the tank & cardigan - but you can tell by my face what I thought of it. :-)

I also got this mint hoodie ($52) - it's super soft - like SUPER SOFT! The hood and the sleeves have that gray/white stripe pattern on them. It's just such a soft and cozy fabric - I loved it the second I pulled it out of the box. It's a little pricey - but I do get that $20 stylist fee off - hmmm. 

Tried on everything from my @diaandco box - which top do you like better? Sea foam Green or Black & White?

A photo posted by Heather Johnson (@foodhussy) on Feb 20, 2016 at 7:22am PST

I was pretty much decided that I would be picking between the b/w cardigan and the mint hoodie. The mint hoodie is $10 more - but it's super cute. I put the decision to the people - and the people resoundingly chose the mint hoodie - so the decision was made for me. I kept the mint! I actually have it on as I write this and it's super cozy!

There was also a super cute fit & flare dress ($118) - it fits great, it looks great - but it's too expensive. I wear dresses a lot in the summer but really don't want to pay more than $50 for one. It was super cute though!

Here's my bill of goods for the items in box 3 - it was a lot better - and I was really excited to fill everything out and get another box.

So let's break it down - Dia & Co vs. Gwynnie Bee:

Dia & Co:

• $20 styling fee (credit towards purchase)
• monthly box
• purchase only
• free returns 
• personalized stylist
• items are expensive
• stylists improve over time
• clothing more unique
• pushes your comfort zone

Gwynnie Bee

• $35/month for 1 item (can go up to 5)
• unlimited exchanges 
• rental of clothing, purchase available
• free returns
• you're your own stylist
• items are more affordable
• lots of options to try 
• items do seem a bit similar after a while - lots of similar options in variety of colors
• Melissa McCarthy brand! 

I have definitely purchased more from Gwynnie Bee and probably will continue that way. But - I do like Dia & Co because the stylists pick things more different than I would choose and they appear to be getting better. 

(There are affiliate links in this post but I paid for all services myself at full price.)