Cypress and 5th: First Impressions

Cypress and 5th is a women’s clothing subscription box that does things a little differently than some of the more popular boxes like Stitch Fix or Trunk Club. Instead of receiving items in the mail that you have the option to ship back, Cypress and 5th charges you a one-time fee of $74.95 for each box—and you keep everything you receive.

Also, unlike Stitch Fix, you get to choose exactly what you receive as well. Based on a style survey that you fill out when you sign up, your personal stylist selects a variety of items and places them in your virtual “dressing room” for you to look through. You choose two to three items from your personalized picks (one top + one bottom + accessory OR one dress + accessory), and voila! Your items are shipped and you’re done.

This was my first experience with Cypress and 5th, and we all know I’m a huge fan of Stitch Fix (when I have the money to afford it), so here are my first impressions.

The Products

• Sweet Claire Tank: $22 value
• Hyperstretch YMI Jeans in Rosewater: $38 value
• Leaf Earrings: Approx. $20 value
• Beaded Bag: Approx. $20 value

I received this box for review purposes, so I’m assuming that’s why I received an additional accessory. However, as I mentioned above, ordinarily the maximum amount of items you would receive is three. So we’ll conduct this review assuming I only received either the earrings or the beaded bag—because that’s how the experience is supposed to be.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the items they selected for me. Yoga pants + wine is pretty much my life motto, so naturally I’ve gotten A LOT of wear out of the Sweet Claire tank (though only within the confines of my own house, of course). I’ve also really enjoyed the leaf earrings—they’re simple enough to wear with almost anything, but also different enough to make a statement and kick any outfit up just a notch.

I was initially really excited about the blush-colored jeans as well, because that’s a really *hot* color right now—but honestly I haven’t worn them nearly as much as I thought I would. Finally, the beaded bag is really cute, but I haven’t really figured out what to do with it yet. It’s a little too elaborate to be a makeup bag that I just throw in my purse, but it’s too small to be a clutch that I can carry around, so I’m not really sure what it’s intended for.

I do like the variety of items I received—from trendy clothing to lounge wear to accessories, there’s a little bit of everything. However, it’s worth noting that if you would rather only receive clothes and no accessories, then you’re kind of out of luck with this box because choosing one accessory is required. Additionally, if you don’t like any of the items selected for you that month (there are usually about 15 total to choose from), your only option is to skip a month.

The Value: $100 Total ($80 without extra item)

Because I’m assuming that the value of this box would’ve been around $80 without the extra item (either the earrings or the bag), then the value is pretty much right on target for what you would spend. While I would expect more for a beauty box or luxury box, that’s pretty common for a clothing box. However, when I was looking up the prices of these products for this review, I found both the tank top and the jeans at reduced prices from certain stores (I couldn’t find the exact earrings or the bag to verify the actual value of these products). Though you can’t count on this to be true for all items you’d receive, if at least one item from each box can be found at a sale price, this does diminish the value a bit.

Though I do like many of the items I received in this box, they seem to be generally lower-quality brands when compared to similar services such as Stitch Fix or Trunk Club. This could be either a pro or a con, depending on what you’re looking for from a clothing subscription box. If you typically can’t afford the clothes that Stitch Fix or Trunk Club sends (I usually spend upwards of $200 whenever I buy everything in my Stitch Fix box), then paying just $74.95 for a few items each month might seem more than worth it to you.

The Verdict: Is Cypress and 5th Worth It?

Because I prefer higher quality clothing brands, I’m usually willing to spend a little bit more on items that I really like and I know will last. Because of this, I would rather save up my money and pay for a Stitch Fix box every few months that costs a little more than getting a monthly box from Cypress and 5th. Though I ended up with some items that I liked, I probably wouldn’t have chosen these on my own—and I’m not sure that this box would be worth spending almost $75 on a regular basis.

However, as I mentioned above, there are definitely pluses to subscribing to Cypress and 5th—for one, the ability to choose what you receive instead of being surprised. Additionally, because you do have the option to skip a month whenever you want, it’s nice to have the ability to view your dressing room at the beginning of each month and decide if there’s anything that you feel is worth paying for. If Stitch Fix sends you a box and you hate everything in it, you’re out the $20 styling fee even if you send everything back.