Today, I’m re-visiting a clothing subscription box for the first time in two years – the DailyLook Elite box. Here’s an overview of my experience, along with a full try on and review.
Let’s start off with a little background on my past experience with DailyLook: Back in 2014-2015, I would visit their site every day to see (quite literally) the daily looks they’d post. They always had new outfits on their main page that were easy to re-create and reasonably priced. That’s what ultimately got me interested in their clothing subscription service – the DailyLook Elite box.
For only $20 per month, the Elite box gave me the opportunity to try out 6-7 unique, trendy pieces – from clothes to shoes to accessories. If I found something I liked, I’d apply the $20 toward my purchase. If not, I’d apply the $20 credit toward something from their online store, which I shopped monthly anyway.
However, between 2015 and 2016, things changed. DailyLook shifted their focus entirely over to their Elite subscription service, and cut back on updating their storefront with fresh pieces and looks. They also increased their styling fee for the Elite box, doubling it from $20 to $40.
Now that’s not a huge deal, so long as you’re still finding pieces that you want to purchase from the Elite box (since the $40 cost still transfers into a store credit). But if you’re not, that can really start to add up, especially since the credits expire after 30 days. That’s exactly what happened to me – I wasn’t finding pieces in the box, and I also completely stopped shopping their online store.
Two years have past since then, and the folks over at DailyLook reached out and asked me to do an updated review for 2017. They said their Elite service had gone through some changes recently, so being both curious and a bit of a subscription box addict, I decided to give them another try. Here’s an updated look at the Dailylook Elite box process, along with a little unboxing and try on.
The Preview Window
One new change I noticed shortly after re-subscribing is that DailyLook now allows you to preview your box before they ship it out to you. Basically how it works is, once your stylist selects your initial items, you get an email that your 2-day ‘Preview Window’ is open. This allows you to see all of your stylist’s selections, and then swap out up to 3 items before your box gets mailed. You can also leave feedback for your stylist so he/she can get a better idea of the items to add in as replacements before your Elite Box ships.
Of course, if you prefer to be surprised when your box arrives, you can always ignore the email. In which case, they will auto-ship your box delivery. (That’s what I ended up doing.)
My Elite Box Has Arrived!
As before, the box is quite large, easy to open and also reuse (if you’re sending anything back). The clothes arrived perfectly folded and wrapped in tissue paper. Also included was a return bag, packing slip, stylist note, and return shipping label.
DailyLook Elite Try On & Review
Now let’s move onto what you’re probably most curious about – the clothes. Here’s a super short video that shows me modeling all the pieces inside the box. I’ve also included photos and a review of each individual piece further down.
DAILYLOOK Front Tie Keyhole Blouse – $64
This is a really nice quality, flowy black top. It’s double-layered, very comfortable, and has a tie keyhole design that you could actually adjust and wear in a bow/knot (shown above), loose, or completely removed. I debated on whether or not to keep it, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t quite as form fitting as I like.
Lily Lace Trim High Waist Satin Shorts – $54.95
These ‘lingerie’-inspired shorts were super silky and comfy, yet feminine and dressy. I was torn on whether or not I should keep them, but ultimately decided to send them back only because I couldn’t come up with a situation where I’d wear them (plus they do make you feel slightly naked – like you forgot your pants or something).
ONE by One Teaspoon Dusty Bandits Denim Shorts – $114
I’m not a huge fan of clothing that looks too ‘destroyed’ (a single ripped knee in a pair of jeans is the furthest I’ll go), and certainly won’t pay more for it either. Overall, these shorts were just a bit too casual and too pricey for me.
DAILYLOOK High Waist Slimming Ponte Knit Pants – $64
These pants were amazing quality! They’re made of a very thick material, and were perfectly tailored – from the high-waist at the top, to the slim fit down to the ankles. The only problem was that they were one size too small (I received a small, but a medium would have fit better).
DAILYLOOK Maxine Knotted Knit Dress – $42.99
I really liked the soft, stretchy material and slim fit of this dress. However, the knot in the front and hi-low hem made it a bit awkward and not the most flattering on me in my opinion.
HOM Venice Izzy Heathered Sweatpants & Izzy Heathered Sweatshirt – $54 & $54
Here I’m wearing two separate pieces together (which makes them look more like a PJ set, but actually they’re more so loungewear pieces that you can wear out individually). They’re both made of the same super comfy knitted material that sheers out a bit when you stretch it out. I decided to keep both pieces, and plan to wear the bottoms paired with a tee or tank top, and the top as a layer over tees/tanks in the spring/summer.
Sandy Hyun Crystal Earrings – $34
I really like stud earrings and the style of these in particular, however, I wasn’t that impressed by the quality – they felt very ‘costume-y’.
DailyLook’s ‘Elite Exclusive’ Items
The second pretty big change I noticed (both online and on the tags while trying on the clothing) is that a lot of pieces are now ‘Elite’ Exclusives’, meaning they are reserved for Elite box subscribers only. For example, this one piece here (which I received in my box) can not be purchased online, but you can request it in your box as an Elite member:
Maybe that’s to give DailyLook better control over their inventory by keeping random website purchases separate from their Elite box planning. Or perhaps they’re trying to bring more attention to their Elite membership. Either way, as someone who changes their mind constantly about clothing, I’m a bit disappointed that if I ever want to go back and purchase an item, I won’t be able to. Instead, I’ll have to request it and hope that it’s still available by the time they send me a new box.
But other than that, from a subscriber’s point of view, I do like the fact that DailyLook now reserves items for us. It just gives me that peace of mind to know that they aren’t just sending us ‘leftovers’ or overstock from their online store (not that they did this in the past, but the question was always there in the back of my mind).
Checking Out
Nothing seems to have changed in the checkout process since I last tried DailyLook Elite. You still have a 5 day window from the time the box is delivered to try on your items and make a decision.
Once you’re ready, you simply log into your profile, rate the items (by fit, style, quality, price, etc), and then select which (if any) pieces to keep from the box. At the bottom of the checkout page, it will total all your ‘Keep’ items up. This is also where you can apply your style credits (you have to make sure to manually do this).
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was actually very impressed by the style and quality of the picks in my box this month. Out of the 8 items I received, all but one piece (the jean shorts) was a miss. The rest fit my style pretty well, leaving only small complaints here and there (either it wasn’t my size, wasn’t practical, or wasn’t quite as form-fitting as I would have liked).
In the end, I decided to purchase the two comfiest pieces – the HOM Venice knit sweatshirt and sweatpants. The pants are great for just lounging around, and the sweatshirt makes for an easy layering piece to pair with shorts on a chilly summer evening.
Compared to my boxes from two years back, the style of clothing in my most recent box was much more modern, classic, and sophisticated, which I really like. (I’ve also read other blog reviews of Dailylook from this year, and that seems to be the style most people are receiving.) With that in mind, I’ve decided to continue another month of Dailylook Elite just to see what else my stylist can pull together for me now that I’ve provided a little extra feedback on my style and sizing!
Have you tried DailyLook Elite, or another clothing subscription service? If so, want was your experience like?
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